JEDDAH – Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulazizunveiled the master plan for the Rua Al Madinah Project in the area east ofthe Prophet’s Mosque, with an aim to increase capacity for hosting pilgrims.

The project, which has been launched in line with kingdom’s Vision 2030,will raise the capacity to facilitate hosting 30 million Umrah pilgrims by2030.

The project is being developed and implemented by Rua Al Madinah HoldingCompany, a PIF company that specializes in development, operation, and realestate investment in Madinah, the state-run Saudi Press Agency reported.

Speaking on the occasion, the crown prince said that the project will beimplemented to the highest international standards in an indication of thecontinuous support from the Kingdom’s leadership to Madinah to consolidateits position as a modern Islamic and cultural destination.

Spanning 1.5 million square meters, the project is set to add over 47,000hotel rooms by 2030, in addition to open spaces and green areas.

The project will also boast nine bus stops for visitors, a metro station,tracks for self-driving vehicles, and underground parking. These are beingintroduced to facilitate visitor access to the Prophet’s Mosque and willsupport both residential and commercial activity while helping to createmany job opportunities.

The project aims to elevate the city’s status as a modern Islamic andcultural destination for pilgrims, besides aiming to contribute toachieving the goals of the Hajj, Umrah, and travel sectors outlined inVision 2030 by enriching the experience of visitors to the city.