According to Muslims, this place is
the most sacred in the world and is their Qibla.
Since it was forbidden to kill or kill those who entered the premises of this mosque at the time of the conquest of Mecca, the mosque was named 'Masjid al-Haram'.
This mosque was built around the Kaaba. It started with a small courtyard around the Kaaba, meaning that initially, the total area of the mosque was the Kaaba and the small courtyard around it. However, over the centuries, this mosque has been expanded and rebuilt. Now it is the largest mosque in the world in terms of capacity, where three million people can gather simultaneously.
According to Islamic belief, the
construction of this mosque began during the time of Prophet Abraham, who built
the Grand Mosque with his son Prophet Ismail.
The first expansion of the mosque in Islamic history was by the second Muslim caliph, Umar bin al-Khattab, in 638 CE when a wall was built around the Kaaba.
Subsequent Muslim caliphs were added to the mosque's partial roofs, columns, and decorations. During the reign of the Abbasid caliph al-Mahdi (775–785), the mosque underwent a more extensive renovation. The structure of the mosque was rebuilt and expanded.
During this expansion, the outer walls of the mosque were extended. So that the Kaaba remained in the center of the courtyard.
Since then, the expansion process has
been continuous and continues to this day. In the 7th and 8th centuries of the
early Islamic period, the mosque was expanded, and the construction of solid
pillars and walls were added.
Since the early days of Islam, the expansion of the Grand Mosque has required the demolition of important and historic buildings in the city of Mecca.
In the early 14th century, the Grand Mosque was rebuilt. Another renovation of the mosque was carried out in 1571 when the Ottoman Sultan Saleem II instructed the imperial architect Sinan to improve the building of the Grand Mosque. In this renovation, Sinan replaced the flat roof of the mosque with small domes. The constructions made during the Ottoman period are the oldest remaining parts of the modern structure.
The most significant changes to the
mosque's structure occurred in the second half of the 20th century (1950–2000),
when increased air travel increased the number of pilgrims to Mecca and Saudi
Arabia's oil wealth enabled its rulers to invest in large-scale construction
projects at the mosque.
The first Saudi expansion of the mosque began in 1955 during the reign of King Saud and expansion was completed in 1973. The expansion added new structures around the Ottoman-era Mosque. The expansion increased its maximum capacity to half a million worshippers. The passageway between Safa and Marwa was widened and integrated into the mosque's structure.
The other expansion of the mosque began in 1984 in the reign of Saudi King Fahd to accommodate the increasing number of pilgrims. The buildings around the mosque were demolished to make way for the expansion, and a large, paved area was built around the mosque.
To reduce the pilgrims crowding during the Hajj, electric stairs were installed in the mosque building, and tunnels and walkways were built for pedestrians. A modern communication system and indoor and outdoor air-conditioning systems were also installed. After this expansion, the mosque's area increased to approximately 3,840,000 square feet and now it could accommodate 820,000 worshippers.
This mosque, which is more than 1400 years old, is now spread over 1.5 million square meters and can accommodate three million people praying at a time.
There are two holy places for Muslims within the premises of the Grand Mosque, one of which is the Maqam Ibrahim, and the other is the Well of Zamzam. Some distance from Kaaba, the Well of Zamzam is located in the courtyard of the Mataf inside the Grand Mosque.
To the east and north of the mosque courtyard, there are two small hills, Safa and Marwa, between which pilgrims make the Sa'i. A corridor was built in the 20th century between the two hills and connected them to the mosque.
Over the past several decades, the Saudi Arabian government has made efforts to expand the Grand Mosque, the holiest site of Muslims, to provide maximum facilities for the tens of millions of Muslims who come here every year to perform religious duties such as Hajj and Umrah.
However, the first phase of the expansion of this mosque was officially started in 1955, the second phase was started in 1988, and the third phase of its construction and expansion in 2011. This expansion of the Grand Mosque is about ten times larger than the Grand Mosque of 70 years ago.
The courtyard around the Kaaba of the Grand Mosque called the Mataf, was paved with marble in 1950 to keep the floor cool.
The last expansion of the Mataf during the Saudi era was during the reign of King Salman bin Abdulaziz. Now the total capacity of circumambulation on all floors of the Mataf is more than 100,000 people in one hour.
During the first expansion by the Saudi government of the Grand Mosque, several minarets were also built.
According to the Saudi Press Agency, electric stairs have also been installed in different parts of the Grand Mosque building. A comprehensive lighting and air conditioning system, a state-of-the-art audio and video system, and large automatic umbrellas have been installed to provide shade for pilgrims in the courtyard.
According to the Saudi government spokesman, the latest construction technology and systems have been used for the Grand Mosque expansion.
The Saudi government has provided better facilities for pilgrims in the expansion plan of the Grand Mosque. Giving the increasing number of pilgrims, the number of ablution facilities in the mosque is being increased from 2,479 to 12,639.
The existing corridors here have also been increased in the mosque expansion, and it has been ensured that it is compatible with the increasing number of pilgrims in the future.
The Grand Mosque building looks like a masterpiece of Islamic architecture, with beautiful embroidery, domes, tall minarets, and twenty-seven square meters of Quranic verses.
This magnificent mosque has also been equipped with cameras and sensors for security and crowd control.
For more interesting article click the link: Islamic History
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