AL-MASJID AL-HARAM, MAKKAH, SAUDI ARABIA

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FACT FILE
Location: Makkah, Saudi Arabia
Establishment Date: 2130 BC
Expansion Builder: Saudi BinLadin Group
Completion Date: 2020
Architectural Style: Abbasid, Umayyad, Ottoman, Saudi
Built Up Area: 356,800 sq. m. (3,840,563 sq. ft.)
Capacity: 900,000 (4,000,000 during the Hajj period)

Al-Masjid Al-Haram or Masjidil Haram (translated as The Sacred or The Grand Mosque) is the holiest site
in Islam. Located in the city of Makkah in Saudi Arabia, this is where the Kaaba is situated; it is the only
mosque which does not require mihrab or a qibla wall to indicate the praying direction, a common
feature in all other mosques. The cuboids building at the centre of Masjidil Haram is the qibla. One can
pray anywhere within the mosque as long as one direct oneself facing the Kaaba. It is also the only one
where male and female Muslims can worship together although there are separate locations within the
mosque to allow for the separation.
The mosque structure was first built by the Qurasyh in the year 604, while the Kaaba itself has been
standing for thousands of years, since the time of Prophet Abraham (Ibrahim) A.S. The current structure
covers an area of 356,800 square metres (3,840,563 sq. ft. ) including the outdoor and indoor praying
spaces. It can accommodate up to 900,000 worshippers during the Hajj period.
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EXTENSION OF AL-MASJID AL-HARAM
The illustrations feature the floor plan evolutions of Al-Masjid Al-Haram. The Kaaba and Hijr Ismail had
been in the centre of the mosque (the mataf area) and have remained at the same location ever since it
was built by Prophet Abraham A.S.
Approximately 11 extensions and renovations have been completed in Al-Masjid Al-Haram. The
modifications involved extending the structure around the mataf area, due to the increasing number of
Makkah residents and the Muslim population. The extensions were done in different eras and by

differing rulers who had occupied Arabia and Makkah, as each of them developed different architectural
and built styles. The continuous extension was due to the incremental growth of pilgrims visiting the
Masjidil Haram over the 1436 years since the establishment of Islam. Future extension and demolition
will happen in the years to come.
The extension was not rigid, as the mosque will continue to expand in the future. The current
government of Saudi Arabia, as the custodian of the holy mosques of Makkah and Madinah, has planned
to enlarge the floor area of the mosque in order to accommodate a growing number of visitors,
especially during the Hajj period.
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The colour chart shows the different floor expansions of Al-Masjid Al-Haram in different eras and
periods, ever since it was first built by the Quraysh of Makkah. The built up area has been increased
gradually, in tandem with the roles and functions of Kaaba as the pilgrimage centre of Hajj for Muslims.
In 1955, the area was extended tremendously under the rule of Saudi King Abdul Aziz, who witnessed
the building's first modern expansion of the 20th century. The first Saudi expansion multiplied its size to
more than twice the current size.
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Artists impression of Al-Masjid Al-Haram when it was first built by the Qurasyh. The rudimentary
structure is made of timber columns, indicating the current construction technology and the function of
the Kaaba, which was an ancient monument before Islam was introduced. Islam under the Prophet
Muhammad PBUH has yet to be introduced to the residents of Makkah at this time.
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In the year 709, due to the increasing number of pilgrims, Al-Masjid Al-Haram was expanded by the
Umayyad Caliph Al-Walid Al-Malik (705 to 715). The existing modest structure of the mosque was
upgraded by replacing the wooden columns with marble columns and by decorating its arches with
mosaics.
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In the year 777, during the reign of Abbasid Caliph al-Mahdi (775 to 785), the rebuilding of the mosque
was ordered, demolishing more houses around the Kaaba. The new mosque enclosure centered on the
Kaaba measured 196 by 142 metres (643 by 465 ft.). It was built on a grid plan, with marble columns
from Egypt and Syria, decorated with gilded teak wooden inlay. Al-Mahdi also built three minarets
crowned with crenellations and placed above Bab al-Salam, Bab Ali and Bab al-Wadi of the mosque.
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It was in 1955 that the first modern expansion was carried out by King Abdul Aziz Al-Saud (1932-1953).
This saw the build of the mas'a, a gallery connecting the Rock of al-Safa' with al-Marwah. The narrow

and long covered structure was built to assist the pilgrims in performing the saie ritual during Hajj. The
mosque was also upgraded to comprise two floors with a structure of reinforced concrete arches clad in
carved marble and artificial stone.
This gallery space is made accessible to the street and the mosque through eleven doors. Bab al-Salam,
and Bab al-Umra were also renovated at this time to match the style of the newly built Bab King Abdul
Aziz entrance gate on the southern faade. Four minarets were erected near Bab al-Umra and Bab alSalam and the three older ones were refashioned. The minarets stood at 89 metres (292 ft.) tall placed
on square bases. Each had two octagonal balconies decorated with colonnades the first was located at
the height of the mosque roof while the second was placed at the top end of the shaft.
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The second Saudi extension of the Masjid al-Haram took into consideration the architectural unity of the
complex. The faade of the new prayer space built by King Fahd blends in with the previous
constructions, with its gray marble facing taken from the nearby Fatimah Mountains, inlaid with carved
white marble bands and window frames. The monumental Bab King Fahd, which gave access to the new
extension, consisting of three arches with black and white voussoirs and carved white marble
decoration.
The gate is flanked by two minarets to match the older ones. The window modules along the faade of
the prayer hall are covered with brass mashrabiyya and framed with carved bands of white marble. The
minor gates have green tiled sloped canopies.
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This image depicts the future extension of Al-Masjid Al-Haram, that was planned to be fully completed
by the year 2020. There was a call for a few design proposals and were subsequently sent to the
government of Saudi Arabia to give an idea on the various design approach and expansion that could be
adopted. King Abdullah, the custodian of the holy mosques of Makkah and Madinah, choosedthe
proposed design as illustrated. It was planned that the mosque will accommodate up to two million
pilgrims during Hajj at any one time.
The northern expansion of Al-Masjid Al-Haram began in August 2011 and is expected to be completed
by 2020 or earlier. The area of the mosque will be expanded from the current 356,000 square metres
(3,830,000 sq. ft.) to 400,000 square metres (4,300,000 sq. ft.). A new gate named after King Abdullah
will be built together with two other new tall minarets, which will increase the total number of minarets
to 11. The expansion will also involve an expanded mataf area, with a planned construction of an
elevated mataf structure as well as an enclosed area, which will be fully air-conditioned.
PAGE 54
An illustration of the Kaaba as it was constructed by Prophet Abraham (Ibrahim) AS with the assistance
of his son, Prophet Ishmael (Ismail). The Kaaba was built by using natural rocks from five different

mountains. The shape of the Kaaba was not yet built as a large cubic structure and was not an enclosed
by a roof. It was rather built in the shape of long cuboids with a semi-circular wall on its western side.
After Prophet Abraham had built the Kaaba, it is thought that an angel came to him with the Black
Stone commonly know now as Hajar Aswad and said to be a celestial stone that had fallen
from Heaven onto a nearby hill, Abu Qubays. It is believed that the Black Stone is the only remaining
remnant of the original structure built by Prophet Abraham.
After the placing of the Black Stone in the Eastern corner of the Kaaba, Prophet Abraham (Ibrahim)
received a revelation from Allah to promulgate the pilgrimage to its people. Thus, it was agreed by most
Islamic scholars that the Kaaba was first constructed by Prophet Abraham (Ibrahim) around 2130 BC.
PAGE 55
In the year 604, this was years before the Hijrah year, the Qurayshs, the original residents of Makkah,
decided to rebuild the Kaaba. However, as the construction commenced, the funds were insufficient to
build the whole area of Kaaba. The western wall was built shorter than planned, and it was then
separated approximately 3 metres (10 ft.) from the cube shape structure. This area is now known as
hateem or Hijr Ismail.
Beside the wall, the Qurayshs had also raised the door high above the mataf area, thus permitting entry
into the Kaaba to selected people only. The second door on the opposite wall was removed. The roof
was added, and the removal of the second door is to provide better security into the Kaaba.
For better drainage and maintenance, water outlet was incorporated at the top of the Kaaba called
mizaab rahmah (the water outlet of mercy). The height of Kaaba was also increased from 4.32 metres
(14 ft.) to 8.64 metres (28 ft.).
It was also during this time that the dispute of the Black Stone placement occurred among the Quraysh.
Each tribe wanted to be the one that placed it in the eastern cornerstone of Kaaba, as it would have
been an honour for any of the tribes to be chosen to be the one to place the stone. The dispute was
finally resolved when Prophet Muhammad PBUH, who was known as Al-Amin at that time, was chosen
to put the stone in its place.
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This is the image of the current Kaaba structure. It is a cuboid-shape structure made of granite with a
250 centimetres (98 in.) marble base which projects outwards about 35 centimetres (14 in.). Inside the
Kaaba, the floor is made of marble and limestone while the walls are clad with marble halfway to the
roof. The marble is inset with Qur'anic inscriptions.
The adjacent wall to the entrance of the Kaaba has six tablets inlaid with inscriptions. The upper part of
the walls is covered with green cloth embroidered with gold Qur'anic verses. There are three columns
which stand inside the Kaaba, with a small altar separating one from the other two. Lights are hung by a
rope above the platform with an enclosed staircase which leads to the roof.

PAGE 57
The floor plan of the Kaaba, Hijr Ismail and Maqam Ibrahim. The height is approximately 13.1 metres
(43 ft.) high, with sides measuring 11.03 metres (36.2 ft.) by 12.86 metres (42.2 ft.). It indicates the
shaazarwan, the ledge base of Kaaba, that is made of marble and strengthened by the use of brass rings
that are fixed onto it.
The shaazarwan was made to protect the base and foundation of the Kaaba from natural disasters,
such as floods that often occurred in Makkah after the occasional heavy downpour. It was also created
to shelter the pilgrims from the wall with a cloth of Kaaba, especially during the tawaf.
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As the holiest site in Islam, Al-Masjid Al-Haram is the most significant place to perform the rituals for hajj
and to complete one of the pillars of Islam. This Muslim pilgrimage event which takes place every year
from 8th to 12th Zulhijjah. Minor pilgrimage known as umra can be performed at any time. As well as the
Kaaba and mataf area, Al-Masjid Al-Haram also houses the Black Stone, hateem, Maqam Ibrahim, AlSafa and Al-Marwa Hills, Zamzam Well and Bab ul-Fatah. Performing the hajj fulfills one of the 5 pillars
of Islam; a religious duty for all Muslims who are able and capable to do so at least once in his or her
lifetime.
The Kaabah has been standing for approximately 5,000 years as one of the worlds most significant
building built to dedicate to a religion. With millions of worshippers visiting every year, it also signifies a
symbolic unity amongst Muslims from all over the world as it is the central direction of the qibla, the
direction where all Muslims pray.