Saudi authorities retract their decision to open Baqi al-Gharqad Cemetery throughout the day

The Saudi authorities retracted their decision to open the Baqi al-Gharqad Cemetery in Medina for visitors throughout the day, and decided opening it for only four hours, which saddened many people because they could not have the honor of visiting the shrines of the pure Imams, peace be upon them.

Media outlets said in reports followed by Shia Waves Agency that the Saudi authorities “reduced the time for visiting this holy place to only four hours per day, which the loyal Shias considered insufficient and many will be deprived of performing the blessed pilgrimage ceremonies.”

The sources added that “the authorities cordoned off the cemetery, and women are still prohibited from entering it.”

 They pointed out that “policemen prevent visitors and pilgrims from gathering behind the walls of Al-Baqi’ to perform their visit from a distance to the destroyed shrines of Ahl al-Bayt, peace be upon them.”

The recently put-into-effect dicision angered a group of pilgrims, especially from the Shia followers of Ahl al-Bayt, but the Saudis did not react to this strict restriction.

The Baqi al-Gharqad cemetery embraces the graves of four infallible Imams, namely Imam al-Hasan al-Mujtaba, Imam Ali al-Sajjad, Imam Muhammad al-Baqir and Imam Jaafar al-Sadiq (peace be upon them), in addition to the graves of a large number of noble companions and believing women.

It is worth mentioning that Al-Baqi cemetery was demolished by the Takfiri Wahhabis about 100 years ago.