King Salman: We are committed to serving the Two Holy Mosques with a firm approach
The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, affirmed that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is resolutely and steadfastly committed to its righteous path of serving the Two Holy Mosques, the Grand Mosque in Mecca and the Prophet's Mosque in Medina, and providing all means of comfort and tranquility for pilgrims, Umrah performers, and visitors. This affirmation reinforces the fundamental principle upon which the Saudi state was founded: that serving the holy sites is an unparalleled honor and a great responsibility that the Kingdom is honored to bear before the entire Muslim world.
This interest dates back to the era of the founder, King Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman Al Saud – may God have mercy on him – who placed serving pilgrims and Umrah performers at the forefront of the priorities of the then-nascent state. Since then, his sons, the kings who succeeded him (Saud, Faisal, Khalid, Fahd, and Abdullah), have followed the same path, with the Two Holy Mosques witnessing massive architectural and service expansions in each era, aimed at accommodating the increasing numbers of Muslims who flock to the holy lands from all corners of the earth to perform their rituals.
During the prosperous era of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, Makkah and Madinah witnessed unprecedented qualitative leaps, represented by the completion of the third Saudi expansion, which is the largest in the history of the Grand Mosque, in addition to giant infrastructure projects such as the Haramain High-Speed Railway, which connects the two holy cities, and the new King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, which facilitated movement and saved time and effort for the guests of God.
The Kingdom’s efforts today are not limited to urban expansions, but extend to harnessing the latest digital technologies and artificial intelligence within the objectives of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030. The “Serving the Guests of God” program, one of the ambitious Vision programs, seeks to bring about a qualitative shift in the experience of pilgrims and Umrah performers, by facilitating procedures, digitizing services, and increasing the capacity to receive 30 million Umrah performers by 2030, which reflects the wise leadership’s commitment to continuously developing the system of services provided to the guests of God.
This ongoing approach confirms to the whole world that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, leadership and people, places the service of Islam and Muslims at the forefront of its concerns, harnessing all its human and material capabilities to ensure that the guests of God perform their rituals in an atmosphere full of security, safety, ease and reverence.
