Getting in: gates, timing & what to bring

Which gate?

• Men commonly enter via Gate 37 on the way to the Rawdah.
• Women use their own designated gates and a separate visiting time (often the women’s area, around Gate 25).
• Always follow the gate printed on your permit — assignments change with crowd management and by date, and the permit is the source of truth.

Timing — arrive early

• The app suggests about 10 minutes early; in practice aim for 20–30 minutes before, because queues are long.
• Your QR code appears 2 hours before — have it open; staff scan exactly on time.
• Arriving late can mean being turned away and having to rebook.

Your Rawdah entry, minute by minute

Here is how a typical visit actually unfolds, so nothing surprises you on the day:

1. 48 hours before: your visit must already be confirmed in the app — if the permit still says “Awaiting Confirmation” at this point, the system can release your seat.
2. 2 hours before: the QR entry code appears on your permit. Open it once, take a screenshot, and keep your phone charged.
3. 30 minutes before: be at the gate printed on your permit. Queues form early, and the walk across the courtyard takes longer than it looks — especially with children or elderly companions.
4. At your exact time: staff scan the QR — live or from your screenshot — and admit your time-group together. Entry isn’t possible before your slot, and usually not after it.
5. Inside: organisers move each group toward the Rawdah in turn. Time inside is short — commonly around 10–15 minutes — so decide beforehand what you want to pray and make du‘a for.
6. On the way out: follow the exit flow; there’s no re-entry on the same permit.

For women

Women’s visits run on their own schedule and gates, which is why the app makes you choose Males or Females before booking:

• Women’s time blocks are typically grouped after Fajr, Dhuhr and Isha, and often stay open when the men’s lists are greyed out — check both patterns when hunting for a slot.
• The women’s entrance is commonly in the Gate 25 area, but assignments change — the gate printed on your permit is always the source of truth.
• Very young children generally accompany their mother without their own permit; older children need their own booking on the appropriate list.
• A mixed family can’t enter together: book the men’s and women’s visits separately, then agree on a meeting spot outside for afterwards.

Travel light

No large or medium bags, no laptops or professional cameras, no food, drinks or water containers, no flags, and nothing sharp or flammable. Your phone with the QR, your ID, and small personal items are fine — when in doubt, leave it at the hotel.

• Large & medium bags
• Chemical & flammable items
• Laptops & pro cameras
• Weapons & sharp objects
• National flags & banners
• Food, drinks & water

If something goes wrong at the gate

• QR won’t load: crowds overwhelm mobile signal near the mosque. This is why you screenshot the code the moment it appears — staff scan the screenshot exactly the same way.
• You’re late: entry is scanned strictly on schedule, so a missed slot usually means rebooking — and the Rawdah’s once-per-365-days rule makes that painful. Build in buffer time.
• Wrong gate: don’t argue at the barrier — show your permit to any organiser and they’ll point you to the right entrance. This costs minutes, which is another reason to arrive 30 early.
• Item refused: there’s no bag storage at the gate. If you’re carrying something from the prohibited list above, you’ll have to leave and come back — by which time your slot may have passed.

More fixes for app-side problems — verification errors, missing slots, lost bookings — are in Common mistakes & errors.