The barricaded King Abdulaziz Gate at the Grand Mosque.

The King Abdulaziz Gate or Bab Malik Abdulaziz, one of the main gates leading to the Grand Mosque in Makkah has been closed as part of the mosque’s ongoing expansion project.

The King Abdulaziz Gate is located right opposite Ajyad Street, which also serves as a taxi stand for visitors. It is also near the escalators, which connect the general disembarkation point inside the tunnel from where visitors can easily access the mosque.

According to sources, two of the three doors of King Abdulaziz Gate were closed after Haj while the remaining gate was closed to the public on Saturday, following the washing of the Kaaba.

Now the worshippers who previously used the King Abdulaziz Gate are directed to the King Fahad Gate to enter the Grand Mosque. Twenty-six entrances besides the King Abdulaziz Gate are being closed, Ahmed Al Mansouri, spokesperson of the Presidency of the Two Holy Mosques Affairs told Arab News.

Al Mansouri said that there would be a number of new bridges connecting the courtyards with the mosque’s first floor. He added that the existing bridge that links the Ajyad Road with the first floor would be replaced after the Mataf expansion.

“There will be two alternative bridges at Al-Umrah Gate and Al-Fatah Gate instead of the gates that are being demolished in the mosque’s southern and western directions as part of the ongoing expansion work,” he said.

 
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