JEDDAH: The General Authority for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque has opened applications for iftar meal service providers at the Grand Mosque in Makkah during Ramadan, subject to specific conditions and standards.
Providers can electronically select the meal location and are required to contract with approved catering companies or Saudi Food and Drug Authority-endorsed factories and warehouses.
Individual philanthropists are limited to two sufras, while charitable organizations and endowments can request up to 10 sufras.
The meals, consisting of items such as pitted dates, cakes, pastries, and juice, must adhere to approved packaging conditions available at a later electronic link.
The presidency also provides iftar services for fasting individuals at the Prophet’s Mosque during the holy month. 
It is expected that the number of iftar meals that will be distributed to fasting individuals at designated iftar locations in the mosque and its courtyards during this Ramadan will exceed 8.5 million.
Additionally, over 45 million beneficiaries will receive Zamzam water services, which includes the distribution of 2.5 million bottles of Zamzam water reserved for worshippers in the Two Holy Mosques, as well as the distribution of drinking cups at 18,000 Zamzam water coolers throughout the Prophet’s Mosque.
Furthermore, 1,205 water fountains for drinking have been prepared and are distributed across the mosque’s external courtyards.
Earlier, Saudi Minister of Hajj and Umrah Tawfiq Al-Rabiah announced that the number of Umrah pilgrims in 2023 reached a historic record of 13.55 million.
He said in his speech during the third Hajj and Umrah Expo last month that the largest number of Umrah pilgrims from outside the Kingdom was in 2019, estimated at 8.55 million.
