The Grand Mosque (Al-Masjid Al-Haram)

The Grand Mosque (Al-Masjid Al-Haram) is the mosque at the centre of which stands the Kaaba in Makkah, and successive states across the ages attended to the Kaaba and to the construction of the mosque. [1]

Among the most prominent surviving elements of the construction of the Grand Mosque is the Abbasid Arcade; the mosque then witnessed in the Saudi era successive major expansions and construction works, from the Saudi Arcade to the Third Saudi Expansion. [2][3]

The Kaaba stands at the centre of the Grand Mosque as a raised, square chamber 15 metres high; on its eastern side is the door of the Kaaba, which rises about two metres above the ground, is 3 metres high and one metre and 68 centimetres wide, and is made of pure gold. The gold used in it amounts to about 280 kilogrammes, and its total cost reached 13 million and 420,000 riyals, apart from the gold used in it. It was made in the era of King Khalid bin Abdulaziz, and the Kaaba was rebuilt 12 times. [1]

The Kaaba underwent successive repairs in the Saudi era. In the era of King Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman Al Saud its door was replaced with a new one; in the era of King Saud bin Abdulaziz its upper roof was removed and its construction and lower roof were renewed, a base was made between the two roofs encircling all its walls, the original walls were restored, and the marble surrounding its walls on the inside and the internal staircase leading to its roof were repaired; in the era of King Khalid bin Abdulaziz its door was replaced with the door that exists today; and in the era of King Fahd bin Abdulaziz its outer wall was comprehensively restored, its two roofs, three columns, inner walls and floors were renewed, and the marble of the roof and walls, the internal staircase, the Shadharwan, the spout of the Kaaba and the wall of the Hijr Ismail were replaced. [1]

Muhammad al-Mahdi built the Abbasid Arcade of the Grand Mosque between 161 and 169 AH, corresponding to 778–785 CE; the arcade remained standing and represented the construction of the Grand Mosque for nearly 1200 years, during which some repairs and renewal of the mosque's structures took place, yet the mosque's elements, materials and area remained as they were, unchanged. [2]

Work on the Saudi Arcade effectively began in the era of King Saud bin Abdulaziz in 1375 AH, corresponding to 1955, when a historic statement announced the fulfilment of King Abdulaziz's wish to begin the expansion of the Grand Mosque; the building of the arcade continued in the era of King Saud, King Faisal bin Abdulaziz and King Khalid bin Abdulaziz between 1375 and 1396 AH, corresponding to 1955–1976, and its development has continued to the present day. [2]

The Saudi expansions of the Grand Mosque began by order of the founder King Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman Al Saud and were completed by King Saud and King Faisal; there followed the expansion of the eastern courtyards in the era of King Khalid, then the expansion of the mosque on the western side in the era of King Fahd, then the expansion of the Mas'a in the era of King Abdullah, and then the Grand Expansion ordered by King Abdullah and completed in the era of King Salman bin Abdulaziz. [3]

The Third Saudi Grand Expansion of the Grand Mosque was inaugurated in Ramadan 1436 AH, and it comprises the main expansion building of the Grand Mosque, the expansion of the Mas'a, the expansion of the Mataf, the outer courtyards, the bridges, the terraces, the central services buildings complex, the services tunnel, the security buildings, the hospital, the pedestrian tunnels, the transport stations, the bridges leading to the sanctuary, the First Ring Road surrounding the Grand Mosque area, and the infrastructure. [4]

The built-up areas of the expansion amount to 1,470,000 square metres, the expansion building covers 320,000 square metres to accommodate 300,000 worshippers, the courtyards cover 175,000 square metres to accommodate 280,000 worshippers, the bridges 45,000 square metres to accommodate 50,000 worshippers, the services buildings 550,000 square metres to accommodate 310,000 worshippers, the eastern terraces 263,000 square metres to accommodate 150,000 worshippers, and the Mas'a 57,000 square metres to accommodate 70,000 worshippers, with the capacity of the Sa'i raised from 44,000 persons per hour to 118,000 persons per hour. [5]

Five main projects were inaugurated: the main expansion building project, the courtyards project, the pedestrian tunnels project, the central services station project for the sanctuary, and the First Ring Road project. With the completion of the remaining projects of the Third Saudi Expansion — the Mataf expansion buildings with their full equipment and facilities, the terrace buildings, the security buildings and the hospital — the capacity of the Grand Mosque rises to 1,850,000 worshippers. [5]

Work of demolition and removal of the properties expropriated for the project of expanding the northern and north-western courtyards of the Grand Mosque began on 3 Rabi' al-Awwal 1429 AH, corresponding to 11 March 2008, by order of King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz in order to facilitate and ease matters for those who seek the Sacred House of Allah and to enable them to perform their rites and worship with ease and safety. The total area of the project exceeds 300,000 square metres, and it is considered the largest expansion of the courtyards of the Grand Mosque. [6]

The project of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz to raise the capacity of the Mataf is based on redistributing the columns of the old sanctuary in line with the expansion of the Mataf, and on the demolition and reconstruction of the First Saudi Expansion at a height of five levels, together with the creation of mezzanine floors for the circumambulation of the elderly and people with special needs on the first floor, connected directly to the corresponding mezzanine floor in the expansion of the Mas'a; the total area of the project is about 160,000 square metres. [7]

Following the expansion of the Mataf courtyard and the reinstallation of the columns and domes of the Ottoman Arcade in their new positions around the courtyard, the capacity of the Mataf rises from 48,000 to more than 105 thousand circumambulators per hour. [8]

The domes of the Grand Mosque number 22: 12 are movable glass domes and 6 are fixed glass domes at the level of the second floor and the second mezzanine, and four fixed domes stand over the intermediate halls on the second floor; the movable dome stands above the eastern corridor of the building of the Third Saudi Expansion with an external diameter of 36 metres, an internal height of 25 metres and a weight of 800 tonnes. [9]

The Grand Mosque has 13 minarets distributed over its doors: two minarets at the Gate of Umrah, each 137 metres high; two minarets at the Gate of King Abdulaziz, each 137 metres high; two minarets at the Gate of Al-Fath, each 137 metres high; two minarets at the Gate of King Fahd, each 98 metres high; one minaret at the Gate of As-Safa, 98 metres high; and four minarets in the Third Saudi Expansion, each 135 metres high. [10]

The Grand Mosque has 139 doors leading to the mosque, its roof and its domes, attended throughout the year by 301 employees, in addition to 400 temporary employees working during the Hajj season. The mosque also has 17 entrances for people with special needs, six escalators with twelve entrances, and three emergency doors. [11]

The Zamzam well lies east of the Kaaba, 21 metres away, in the Mataf courtyard of the Grand Mosque, aligned with the Multazam; the General Presidency for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque oversees the purity of Zamzam water and ensures its delivery to those who seek the Grand Mosque. [12]

In the Saudi era, King Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman Al Saud ordered in 1345 AH the construction of a drinking fountain for Zamzam water under the name of the King Abdulaziz Fountain; in the following year he ordered the construction of a second fountain for Zamzam water, and in the same year he also ordered the repair of the Zamzam well, its cleaning and the placing of a cover over it. [13]

Q: Where does the Grand Mosque stand and what lies at its centre? A: It stands in Makkah, and at its centre is the Kaaba, which stands in the middle of the mosque as a raised, square chamber 15 metres high. [1]

Q: How many times was the Kaaba rebuilt? A: The Kaaba was rebuilt 12 times, and successive states across the ages attended to it. [1]

Q: What expansions did the Grand Mosque witness in the Saudi era? A: They began by order of the founder King Abdulaziz and were completed by King Saud and King Faisal, followed by the expansion of the eastern courtyards in the era of King Khalid, then the expansion of the western side in the era of King Fahd, then the expansion of the Mas'a in the era of King Abdullah, and then the Grand Expansion completed in the era of King Salman, in addition to the Saudi Arcade, the expansion of the northern courtyards and the expansion of the Mataf. [2][3][6][7]

Q: What is the capacity of the Grand Mosque after the Third Saudi Expansion? A: 1,850,000 worshippers. [5]

Q: How many minarets and doors does the Grand Mosque have? A: 13 minarets and 139 doors leading to the mosque, its roof and its domes. [10][11]