By BADEA ABU AL-NAJA | ARAB NEWS
MINA: Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal said Makkah would be developed into a smart city with the Grand Mosque as its focal point over the next six years.
“We will employ all kinds of modern technology to make Makkah smarter than any other smart city,” Prince Khaled told a press conference in Mina on Tuesday, the penultimate day of Haj 2011.
Prince Khaled congratulated pilgrims on their successful completion of the Haj on behalf of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah and Crown Prince Naif, deputy premier and minister of interior.
Prince Khaled also congratulated King Abdullah and Crown Prince Naif for devoting all the country’s security and administrative resources to the service of the pilgrims.
After the ritual stoning in Jamarat on Tuesday, most of the pilgrims started their trek back to Makkah.
Interior Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Mansour Al-Turki said close to 70 percent of the pilgrims left Mina before sundown Tuesday.
The rest will stay overnight in Mina and return to Makkah after a fourth day of stoning, which is optional, on Wednesday.
“The second phase of security plans in Madinah starts now, as half of pilgrims will be heading for Madinah soon,” Al-Turki told a press conference in Mina.
Spokesman of the Ministry of Haj Faiz Al-Barakati said the pilgrims’ movement to Madinah would officially start on Thursday.
“The government is working on the smart city project. The King Abdullah Makkah Construction Project, which will take six years to complete according to my estimation, will provide Makkah with necessary services for the Haj and Umrah. The project’s infrastructure strategy will have the Grand Mosque as its focal point,” the prince said.
Categories: Asia, Saudi Arabia