Saudi Arabia launches the "King Salman Gate" project to expand the capacity of the Grand Mosque

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia announced a massive urban project named "King Salman Gate", aimed at accommodating nearly one million additional worshippers next to the Grand Mosque in Mecca, as part of the Vision 2030 plans aimed at enhancing the Kingdom's status as a global religious destination and diversifying the economy.

According to the Saudi Press Agency, the project spans an area estimated at about 12 million square meters and will include integrated facilities comprising residential, service, and cultural units, in addition to indoor prayer halls and outdoor areas that can accommodate around 900,000 worshippers.

The authorities have not yet disclosed the total cost or the timeline for completing the project.

This announcement comes just a few months after the completion of the third Saudi expansion of the Grand Mosque, which raised its capacity to more than two million worshippers at one time.

The project also represents an extension of major developmental initiatives in Mecca, most notably the "Misar" project, which includes hotels and modern facilities providing more than 40,000 hotel rooms, at a cost estimated in billions of dollars.

Since the launch of Vision 2030 led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia has been working to transform Hajj and Umrah into a fundamental economic pillar by developing infrastructure and expanding services provided to pilgrims, targeting an increase in the number of visitors to 30 million annually by 2030.

Estimates indicate that revenues from religious rituals and visits reached about 12 billion dollars in 2019.

The government is also seeking to attract foreign investments in Mecca and Medina, as it allowed early this year foreign investors to own shares in listed companies that own properties in the two holy cities, in a move aimed at stimulating real estate investment and supporting infrastructure projects.