Look: Incredible images from Makkah, Madinah as millions of faithful gather for Laylat Al Qadr prayers

As the holy month of Ramadan nears its end, millions of Muslims gathered at the Grand Mosque in Makkah and the Prophet's Mosque in Madinah to offer Isha and special night prayers of Taraweeh and Qiyamullail on the 27th night on Monday.

A sea of people covered the holy grounds of the mosques. The floors of the Grand Mosque and its courtyards were full of worshippers, and the rows of faithful spilt over to the streets of the Central Haram Area.

The last ten nights of Ramadan are considered the most sacred for Muslims as this is when the Night of Power or Laylat Al Qadr, which the Quran says is 'better than a thousand months'. The Holy Quran was revealed to the Prophet (peace be upon him) in the Night of Power.

The scenes from Makkah and Madinah resonate with the billions of Muslims who gathered in mosques worldwide and spent the night in humble prayers to the Almighty. The Holy Mosques witnessed an unprecedented number of people on the 27th night of Ramadan.

Crowd management

The Saudi authorities have made elaborate security arrangements for the smooth flow of worshipers, enabling them to spend the blessed night in a highly spiritual and serene atmosphere.

The General Presidency for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque said that its field teams have managed to guide worshippers as they entered through the Grand Mosque's three gates, leading them to the upper floors and to the circumambulation round and Masaa (shuttle between Safa and Marwa mountains) to ensure order and smooth movement of worshippers.

The Umrah pilgrims and worshippers entered smoothly through 118 gates, including three gates for the entry of Umrah performers, 68 gates for worshippers, 50 gates for emergencies, and 40 internal gates, with the support of all human and technical teams.

The Presidency mobilised human and mechanical resources to serve the visitors of the Grand Mosque. This included deploying 4,000 workers throughout the Grand Mosque and its courtyards, washing the Grand Mosque ten times throughout the day, using over 80,000 litres of disinfectants, 1,600 fresheners for scenting, and sterilising the Grand Mosque's sides and courtyards around the clock with around 15,000 litres of sterilisers by more than 70 field teams.

To cater to older people and people of determination, the Presidency provided more than 5,000 regular vehicles for transportation, 3,000 electric vehicles, 200 electric stairs, and 14 escalators.

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