Saudi Arabia on Thursday announced that the Grand Mosque in Makkah and the holy Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah will be closed one hour after the Isha prayer and will reopen one hour before Fajr prayer over Coronavirus fears.
In a latest tweet of the official Saudi Arabian news agency, Saudi Gazette said, “As part of the precautionary measures, Mataf, (area for circumlocution around the Holy Kaaba) and Masa (area for sa’i between Safa and Marwah) will be closed during the period of suspension of Umrah.”
“Prayer will be allowed only inside the Grand Mosque,” the tweet said.
The location, called the “Mataf” in Arabic, refers to the open white area immediately around the Kaaba where Haj and Umrah pilgrims perform the “tawaf” or circumambulation.
Part of any Haj or Umrah pilgrim’s duties during their pilgrimage is to circle the Kaaba in a counter-clockwise direction seven times.
Saudi Arabia has so far expanded a rare suspension on pilgrimages to the holy cities in Makkah and Madinah by foreigners, citizens and residents due as well as Gulf citizens amid rising concerns about the spread of the new coronavirus.
