Province
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The Holy Mosque
The word Ka'aba means 'cube', and it is a small, marble lined, chamber made from black basalt from the surrounding mountains. It is usually draped in the Kiswah, black silk decorated with gold embroidery |
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The Holy Mosque (Mesjid Al Haram) is built around the Ka'aba, which is considered the most sacred place in Islam. According to the Quran, the Ka'aba was built by the prophet Ibrahim and his son Ismail under instruction from Allah.
Inside the Ka'aba, there is a marble floor. The interior walls are clad with marble half-way to the roof; tablets with Quranic inscriptions are inset in the marble. The top part of the walls is covered with a green cloth decorated with gold embroidered Quranic verses. Lamps hang from a cross beam; there is also a small table for incense burners. The building is otherwise empty.
One of the cornerstones of the Ka'aba is the Hajar el Aswad ("black stone"). The stone itself is contained in a large silver frame. It is of a darker color and different consistency to the other stones in the Ka'aba. Its most important function is as a marker during the circling of the Ka'aba while performing Tawaf. It is not necessary to touch or kiss the stone in order to perform the rituals of Hajj or Umra, although the Hadith [26:673] records that the Prophet (pbuh) did, and many pilgrims like to follow his example.
At the time of Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) the Ka'aba stood in an open space. By 65H (685) however, a fence had been built around it, and houses in the immediate surroundings removed to create a larger area for the Mosque. The expansion of the Holy Mosque has continued until recent times.
In the time of Al Waleed Bin Abullmalik in 91H (710) a new extension was added on the eastern side along with marble from Egypt and Sham.
In the Abbasid era, under Jafar Al Mansour in 137H (755), extensions were added to the western and northern sides, and a Minaret on the western corner of the northern side.
In the Abbasid era, under Al Mahdi in 160H (777) and his son Musa Al Hadi in 164H (781), extensions were added on the northern side and the new Ziada Gate.
Under Caliph Mugatadir in 306H (919) the extension now known as Ibrahim Gate, as well as some rehabilitation and repairs were added.
In the year 979H (1572) the Ottoman Sultan Saleem gave orders to re-construct the Holy Mosque and replace the flat roof with domes.
In the Saudi period, under King Saud Bin Abdulaziz, in 1375H (1956) there was the removal of all buildings near to the massa to build it in two floors, and the removal of the building at the southern side.
The largest extension was carried out under King Fahd, with an extension on the western side from the King Abdul Aziz Gate to the Umra Gate with ground floor and another two floors, using the whole area of the roof top for praying, with escalators connecting the different levels. The extension included a new gate called the King Fahad Gate and another fourteen side gates. Two new minarets were also added at this time. With this latest extension, the total floor area of the Holy Mosque has reached 366,168 square meters. |
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