ع
The Saudi Press Agency reported that the Presidency of Religious Affairs has ramped up its field visits and guidance operations at the Prophet’s Mosque to coincide with the holiday influx of worshippers. These efforts include implementing approved organizational procedures for directing visitors, encouraging positive conduct among crowds and maintaining the site’s sanctity at all times. The measures aim to ensure a smooth experience for all who come to pray at Islam’s second holiest site.
According to the agency, specialized teams are now more actively engaged in providing real-time direction and answering inquiries from visitors throughout the mosque and its surrounding areas. The intensified presence seeks to address any potential overcrowding while fostering an atmosphere of respect and devotion during the extended holiday period. Officials have coordinated these activities with other authorities responsible for the Two Holy Mosques to maintain consistent service levels.
A Saudi Press Agency report from March 2025 placed the number of worshippers at the Prophet’s Mosque above 14 million during the preceding Ramadan period alone. That figure underscored the scale of demand the site faces during peak religious and holiday seasons each year. The latest guidance push builds on similar operations that have been refined over multiple seasons to accommodate growing visitor volumes.
The Presidency of Religious Affairs oversees imams, muezzins and educational programs at both the Grand Mosque in Makkah and the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah, according to its official mandate on the Saudi government portal. Its responsibilities extend to delivering religious lectures, counseling services and multilingual support for international pilgrims and tourists. Such work has expanded in recent years with the addition of interpretation in more than a dozen languages to reach a broader audience.
General Authority for the Care of the Two Holy Mosques data has previously indicated that annual visitor numbers to the Prophet’s Mosque regularly exceed tens of millions outside of major pilgrimage events. Expansions completed in past decades have increased the mosque’s capacity to handle up to one million worshippers at a time, according to historical records of its development. The current holiday measures reflect ongoing coordination to match service capacity with these physical improvements.
Similar initiatives have been activated during other high-traffic periods, including the annual Hajj and Umrah seasons, where hundreds of preachers have provided guidance in multiple languages, a Gulf Times report noted in May 2026. These programs emphasize moderation, proper etiquette and educational content tailored to diverse visitor backgrounds. The January 2026 effort follows that established pattern of proactive engagement by the religious affairs body.
