MADINAH: More than 230,000 iftar meals were distributed among the visitors of the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah.
The Iftar meals included 142,351 meals served at outdoor squares of Prophet’s Mosque while 87,805 meals served inside the Prophet’s Mosque. Walid Al-Jihani, the Director of the Department of Iftar Services for Fasting People at the Prophet’s Mosque, has revealed that the number of iftar sofra inside the mosque is around 3,035, of which 879 in the women’s section and more than 2,160 sofra in the men’s section. He noted that number of sofra in the arenas is estimated at more than 650 of varying lengths.
Preparation of Iftar meals through sofra companies
The Agency of the General Presidency for the Affairs of the Prophet’s Mosque is organizing the preparation of the meals and iftar service through sofra companies, or via approved catering services in accordance with the highest quality standards to ensure safety of the fasting people.
Only certain items, such as dates, coffee, yogurt, bread, pies and tea are allowed inside the Prophet’s Mosque and they must be offered to fasting people in accordance with their health needs. Meals for the fasting people are received after the end of the Asr prayer through specific doors in all directions of the Prophet’s Mosque.
The agency has allocated field observers to supervise the entry of food sofra until they are removed in an organized manner in a short time before the Maghrib prayer, and this is done with cooperation between the workers in the Prophet’s Mosque and the sofra owners.
