Makkah's Grand Mosque issues iftar guidelines for providers

IQNA – The authorities of Makkah's Grand Mosque have issued a set of guidelines for those who want to provide iftar meals to the worshippers during Ramadan.

The General Authority for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque has announced that it is accepting online applications from those who wish to provide iftar meals at the Grand Mosque in Makkah during Ramadan.

The applicants must meet certain conditions and standards, such as contracting with authorized catering companies or factories and warehouses approved by the Saudi Food and Drug Authority, Arab News reported on Monday.

Applicants must also follow the approved packaging guidelines that will be provided later.

The authority has limited the number of sufras (large trays of food) that each applicant can request. Individual donors can request up to two sufras, while charitable organizations and endowments can request up to 10 sufras.

The meals should include data-x-items such as pitted dates, cakes, pastries, and juice.

The authority says it aims to enhance the experience of the visitors to the Grand Mosque and offer them high-quality services that suit their needs during Ramadan.

It also offers iftar services to the fasting people at the Prophet’s Mosque during the holy month.

It expects to distribute more than 8.5 million iftar meals at designated locations in the mosque and its courtyards this Ramadan.

Moreover, the authority will provide Zamzam water services to over 45 million beneficiaries, which include distributing 2.5 million bottles of Zamzam water to the worshippers in the Two Holy Mosques, as well as providing drinking cups at 18,000 Zamzam water coolers in the Prophet’s Mosque.

It has also prepared 1,205 water fountains for drinking in the external courtyards of the mosque, according to the report.

Saudi Minister of Hajj and Umrah Tawfiq Al-Rabiah revealed that the number of Umrah pilgrims in 2023 reached a record high of 13.55 million.

He said in his speech at the third Hajj and Umrah Expo last month that the highest number of Umrah pilgrims from outside the Kingdom was in 2019, with 8.55 million.

Source: Agencies