Saudi Gazette report

MADINAH — Several batches of Hajj pilgrims are arriving in Madinah on a daily basis to visit the Prophet’s Mosque and greet the Prophet (peace be upon him) as their last destination in the Kingdom before departure to their homeland. The Madinah city all geared up to receive the pilgrims coming from Makkah after performing the Hajj rituals in ease and comfort.

The agencies operating within the Pilgrim Experience Program, as well as all service and health agencies started implementing their post-Hajj season plan. The field security troops are accompanying the batches of pilgrims along the Makkah - Madinah Hijrah Expressway to ensure the flow of traffic and the safety of pilgrims around the clock.

The security forces have also beefed up automatic and human monitoring to ensure vehicles’ abidance to traffic regulations and not exceeding the speed limit. They also follow up on the drivers to achieve the security and safety of travelers. All arrangements and services are in place to take care of pilgrims and visitors to the Prophet’s Mosque through an integrated system of efforts, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The authorities have taken all the measures to facilitate the movement of buses, carrying pilgrims to the Prophet’s Mosque, to enter the holy city through the Madinah Gate on the Hijra Highway, while buses heading for the Kingdom’s northern border points are being directed through the designated roads without entering the city, apart from carrying out bus registration procedures.

There are arrangements to facilitate the movement of pilgrims to hotels and residential places in the central Haram area within a short period of time, and that is in coordination with the Hajj field committees under the supervision of the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah and other concerned authorities.

Almost all the foreign pilgrims and a section of the domestic pilgrims are keen to visit Madinah before or after completing the Hajj rituals to pray at the Prophet’s Mosque and greet the Prophet (PBUH) and his two companions before leaving the two holy cities.

Meanwhile, Prince Mohammed International Airport in Madinah is currently witnessing huge outflow of pilgrims. The pilgrims leave Madinah for their homeland after visiting the Prophet’s Mosque following the completion of their Hajj rituals. The concerned authorities and Hajj service guides made elaborate preparations and arrangements for the transportation of pilgrims from their residential places to the airport on board buses well before the scheduled time of their departure.

More than 390,000 foreign pilgrims have completed their Madinah visit before Hajj and they are scheduled to fly home from King Abdulaziz International Airport of Jeddah as well as from the Jeddah Islamic Port and land entry points.