Over 200m Worshippers Visited Prophet's Mosque in Current Islamic Year

TEHRAN (IQNA) – The Prophet’s Mosque in Medina, one of the holiest sites in Islam, has been visited by more than 200 million worshipers since the beginning of the current Islamic year, according to the General Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques.

The Islamic year, also known as the Hijri year, follows a lunar calendar that consists of twelve months. The current year is 1444 AH, which started on July 30, 2022 and will end on July 18, 2023.

The General Presidency said that it has provided services and facilities to the worshipers who came to the Prophet’s Mosque to perform prayers, visit the tomb of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), Arab News reported.

The mosque, which was built by Prophet Muhammad himself in 622 CE, has a capacity of over one million worshipers. It covers an area of about 400,000 square meters and has ten minarets and 27 domes. It also contains a library, a museum, and a hospital.

The number of worshipers at the Prophet’s Mosque is expected to increase significantly in the next month, as Muslims from around the world will flock to Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Makkah that is one of the five pillars of Islam.

This year’s Hajj will be the first one since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic to allow full capacity and no age restrictions.

Source: agencies