Great Mosque
Great Mosque
The Great Mosque in Makkah is the most sacred places in Islam in addition to the Holy Mosque in Jerusalem. The Holy Mosque in Makkah houses the Ka'ba,, which Allah commanded Prophet Abraham and his son, Ishmael to build four thousand year ago.
After the peaceful re-conquest of Makkah in the year 630 AD by Prophet Muhammad p.b.u.h., it was consisted o
f an open circular plaza less than 2,000 square meters. In 638, after flash floods had damaged the Holy Mosque, Caliph Omar Bin Al-Khatab repaired the damage and enclosed the courtyard, extending the area by 500 square meters.
In 646, Caliph Uthman Bin Affan further added another 1,700 square meters. It was once again enlarged by 3,300 square meter in 684 by Abdullah Bin Al-Zubair. In 754, 5,300 square meter were added by Abu Ja'far Al-Mansour. After this, two successive extensions by Muhammad Al-Mahdi and Mutadil Al-Abassi increased the mosque area by 15,000 and 1,300 square meter, respectively.
In 918 Al-Muqtadri Al-Abassi added 950-square-meter, thus increasing the Holy Mosque area to a total of 30,200 square meters. King Abdul Aziz initiated modern-era expansion and in 1976 the Holy mosque could accomodate 300,000 people.
In 1988, King Fahd Bin Abdul Aziz laid the foundation stone of a 4 years project, which has increased the mosque area into a total of 360,000 square and accommodate more than one million worshippers at any one time.