Holy City of Mecca is under massive expansion programme

Realising the ever increasing influx of visitors and pilgrims, the Holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia, is on a massive infrastructural developments aimed to create more housing, transport and living facilities for pilgrims and residents.

The Grand Mosque will be expanded and six real estate projects implemented in its vicinity in the next ten years at a cost of approximately Rs 570 billion.

The expansion of the mosque ordered by the custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, has resulted in the demolition of 1000 properties in Shamiya area and a reported Rs 68 billion fund has been allowed to compensate the owners.

The Shamiya project is designed to provide more prayer space on the north of the mosque and facilitate transportation of the pilgrims. A large number of hotels and furnished apartments will be constructed in the area, which will also have more public utility services.

Arab News said :Another project Jabal Khandama is located east of the mosque and will include a number of hotel towers with 150,000 square meters of this project for Makkah residents.