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Blocks in Tawaf area removed

MAKKAH: ARAB NEWS
Saturday 7 July 2012

The Presidency of Two Holy Mosques Affairs has removed the barricades on the tawaf (circumambulation) area above the Zamzam well after the completion of a project to increase its production capacity. The wooden wall was erected to prevent worshipers entering the area.
The blocked area has now been covered with white marble and open for circumambulation, Al-Madinah daily reported recently.
It will help pilgrims especially as the busy Ramadan period is around the corner.
The presidency’s Director of Projects and Studies Abdul Mohsen Homaid said the project to increase the well’s production capacity was undertaken at the eastern side of the tawaf area.
The project involved removal of the concrete barriers, which were the foundation pillars of the Zamzam basement.
Studies confirmed the gradual replacement of concrete blocks will stimulate water flow in the area surrounding the well, in turn increasing the flow of water to the well.
He said the project was undertaken in view of the anticipated demand for Zamzam water after the courtyards are expanded.
Millions of pilgrims and visitors drink a lot of Zamzam water during their visit and carry the water in large plastic cans back home.
The holy water is also supplied in large quantities at the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah.
The Zamzam well is now housed in a basement room, protected by glass panels that allow a clear view of the well.
No visitor is allowed to enter the Zamzam well room and surroundings.
Outside this room, there was a service area where cold Zamzam water fountains and dispensing containers were provided for drinking purposes. Recently, the Tawaf area has been extended to cover the entrance to this area, which is no longer accessible to pilgrims.
Instead, cold Zamzam water fountains and dispensing containers are now placed at the periphery of Tawaf area and within the Grand Mosque, and surrounding piazzas.
A bottling plant and a public distribution center have been established at Kudai, south of the Haram for visitors who want to take the holy water home.
The well is hand-dug and about 30.5 m deep, with an internal diameter ranging from 1.08 m to 2.66 m.
The well lies within Wadi Ibrahim, which runs through the holy city of Makkah.
According to Arab historians, the Zamzam Well, except for a few periods when it became dry or was buried under sand, has been in use for around 4,000 years.
The well marks the site of a spring that miraculously sprang from a barren and desolate valley where the Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) under Allah's command had left his wife Hajar and their infant son Ismail (pbuh).
The Zamzam well is located within the Grand Mosque about 20 meters east of the Kaaba.