Every year, catering companies in Madinah prepare to serve the Ramadan Iftar banquets in the Prophet’s Mosque, providing daily about 300,000 meals for visitors and Umrah performers.
Iftar meals are served inside the Prophet’s Mosque and the squares surrounding the space. Sanitary and preventive conditions are applied, while meals consist of water, wrapped dates, yogurt and fresh bread, in addition to all kinds of sandwiches.
The Agency of the General Presidency for the Affairs of the Prophet’s Mosque, in cooperation with the Iftar service providers, organizes the Iftar through accredited catering companies according to the highest quality standards.
Asharq Al-Awsat toured the factory of a catering company specialized in packaging Iftar meals to get to know about the meal distribution process, which is approved by the Agency.
The company works to provide the meals specified by the presidency, packaging them individually, and then delivering them to the Prophet’s Mosque.
Omran Dawlat, CEO of the company, said that the Agency has set certain criteria for selecting meals and their varieties. He added that the cost of one meal reaches 7 riyals ($1.8), stressing that his company was keen to provide the best types of baked goods, dates and yogurt.
Iftar meals are served at the end of the Asr prayer, through specific doors in all directions of the Prophet’s Mosque. For the safety of worshipers and visitors, providing suhoor meals to visitors and worshipers in the Prophet’s Mosque, its facilities, and the surrounding internal and external squares, is only allowed after obtaining the necessary permits from the agency.
