Capacity of mataf to reach 105,000 in 2015

June 28, 2013

Makkah, Jun 28: The ongoing expansion of the mataf (the circumambulation area around the Kaaba) will double the hourly capacity of the area from 48,000 pilgrims to 105,000 pilgrims after its completion in three years.

The expansion project, ordered by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, is expected to be completed in October 2015. It will accommodate more worshippers when the capacity in the other parts of the Grand Mosque rises to 2.5 million people following the completion of the entire expansion project.

The number of pillars in the Grand Mosque will be reduced by 44 percent when the project is completed, according to a documentary film on the expansion run by Saudi Channel 1 on Wednesday night.

“The pillars on the ground floor and the basement will be reduced by 30 percent and by 75 percent on the first floor,” the film showed.

The width of the mataf’s roof will increase from the present 20 meters to 50 meters, which will help reduce crowding during tawaf (circumambulation).

Bridges connecting various levels on the first floor will be parallel to the levels on the present mataf. The ground floor will be linked directly with the basement and masaa (the running space between the hillocks of Al-Safa and Al-Marwa) in the second phase of the expansion.

The new project will preserve the heritage and construction style of the Grand Mosque. The whole project will be completed in three stages over the next three years.

When the first phase of the project was launched in November 2012, construction around the mataf reduced the number of pilgrims performing tawaf to 22,000 pilgrims an hour.

Temporary efforts are under way to increase the capacity from 22,000 to 35,000 pilgrims in view of the huge number of pilgrims and visitors expected to arrive for tawaf during Ramadan. Construction of temporary mataf floors of metal, connected to the mataf on the first floor, is under way currently. This is for people with special needs during Ramadan. The work will be suspended during Ramadan and resume immediately afterward.

During the first phase, the temporary fences separating the work areas will be restructured and the first floor construction completed. The construction of a temporary basement floor for the mataf at 10 meters wide is also included in the first phase.

The work will be suspended during Haj and resume afterward.

Construction of the second phase will start with the removal of more structures that block the expansion work. During this stage, tawaf will be allowed only in the available space. After the Haj in 2013, the third phase will start and be completed toward the end of the year.

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Syrian Town erupts after Israeli forces enter Beit Jinn; heavy casualties reported

News Network

November 28,2025

Several Syrians were killed and more than two dozen others injured in Israeli strikes on the outskirts of Damascus, amid intensified incursions by the occupying regime since the fall of former president Bashar al-Assad and the rise of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) rule.

Syrian state TV reported that the casualties occurred during an overnight Israeli assault involving helicopters and drones on the town of Beit Jinn in the Damascus countryside. The attack followed an Israeli military unit’s entry into the town, where they were surrounded by local residents, leading to gunfire and direct confrontations.

According to the report, “The occupation army’s helicopters and artillery shelled Beit Jinn, located at the foothills of Mount Hermon, resulting in 13 martyrs and 25 injured civilians.” The broadcaster did not specify the full extent of damage.

Al-Ikhbariyah Syria confirmed that the shelling coincided with Israeli soldiers entering Beit Jinn, while artillery pounded surrounding areas. The broadcaster stated that the escalation began after local residents clashed with an Israeli patrol that had infiltrated the southern town and “kidnapped” three young men.

Following a two-hour exchange of heavy fire, Israeli forces withdrew and repositioned on the hill of Butt al-Warda at the town’s outskirts.

Israeli media acknowledged that six soldiers were wounded in the clashes—three of them seriously—describing the confrontation as a “sudden ambush” that forced the deployment of reserve units and air support to secure an exit route. No further details were provided.

The aggression has fueled renewed displacement from Beit Jinn, with residents fleeing to nearby villages amid increasingly frequent Israeli attacks.

The raid came just a day after Israeli troops carried out another ground incursion into Umm al-Luqas village in Quneitra province. According to SANA, an Israeli unit in four vehicles entered the village, raided several homes, and later withdrew.

Syria condemned the repeated incursions as violations of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement and UN resolutions, urging the international community to enforce compliance and pressure Israel to halt its operations and withdraw fully.

Israel has expanded its attacks across Syrian territory following the collapse of the Assad government last year. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly instructed his forces to push deeper into Syrian territory and seize strategic positions.

Meanwhile, critics say the HTS-led interim government’s inaction and growing normalization gestures toward Israel have emboldened Tel Aviv to intensify its military operations. HTS, formerly linked to al-Qaeda, seized control of Damascus last December, formally ending Assad’s rule.

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