Haram to be clear of mataf bridge by May 27

The temporary bridge around the Kaaba will be removed by May 27, according to the committee overseeing the expansion of the Grand Mosque. Bakri bin Matouk Asas, director of Umm Al-Qura University and chairman of the committee, said Tuesday that the mataf, the circumambulation area around the Kaaba, only allowed 48,000 pilgrims an hour during the expansion. With the bridge removed, it would accommodate 107,000 pilgrims, he said.