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The Saudi government recently made a new rule saying that children strollers are not allowed in the area around the Holy Kaaba called Mataf.
The people in charge of taking care of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque, known as the General Authority, shared this information. They said that strollers cannot be used on the main floor of Mataf anymore. But, it’s okay to use them in certain spots on the upper floors of Mataaf and some places in the Grand Mosque in Makkah.
They also said that strollers can go to Mas’a, the area between Safa and Marwa, through the King Fahd Expansion Area. But, there are some times when it’s too crowded, like during Hajj and Ramadan, when strollers won’t be allowed on the Mataf and Mas’a floors.
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Because the area gets very crowded, especially during Hajj and Ramadan, the government is being careful and taking these steps. They’re preparing for Hajj, making agreements with countries like Pakistan, and want to welcome about 2 million pilgrims in June. They’re even thinking about splitting Masjid al-Haram into different zones with codes to make it easier for worshippers.
The people in charge of the Two Holy Mosques signed an agreement with the Saudi Postal and Logistics Company. They want to study how to split the area and guide pilgrims, check how well things are going, and use resources efficiently.
Last year, the kingdom had 2 million Hajj pilgrims and over 13 million Umrah pilgrims after they stopped the social distancing rules from the pandemic.