Al-Masjid Al-Haram or Masjidil Haram (Arabic: المسجد الحرام, The Sacred Mosque or The Grand Mosque is in the city of Mecca,Saudi Arabia. It is the largest mosque in the world and surrounds one of Islam's holiest places, the Kaaba. Muslims face in the direction of the Kaaba while performing Salat. One of the Five Pillars of Islam requires every Muslim to perform the Hajj pilgrimage at least once in his or her lifetime if able to do so, including circumambulation of the Kaaba.
The current structure covers an area of 356,800 square metres (88.2 acres) including the outdoor and indoor praying spaces and can accommodate up to two million worshipers during the Hajj period, one of the largest annual gatherings of people in the world. Unlike many other mosques which are segregated, men and women can worship at Al-Masjid Al-Haram together.
In 2007, the mosque underwent a fourth extension project which is estimated to last until 2020. King Abdullah Ibn Abdul Azeezplans to increase the mosque's capacity to 2 million.
Northern expansion of the mosque began in August 2011 and is expected to be completed in 1.5 years. The area of the mosque will be expanded from the current 356,000 m2 (3,830,000 sq ft) to 400,000 m2 (4,300,000 sq ft). A new gate named after King Abdullah will be built together with two new minarets, bringing their total to 11. The cost of the project is $10.6 billion and after completion the mosque will house over 2.5 million worshipers. The Mataf (the circumambulation areas around the Kaaba) will also see expansion and all closed spaces will be air conditioned.[7]
Controversies on expansion projects
Main article: Destruction of early Islamic heritage sites in Saudi Arabia
There has been some controversy that the expansion projects of the mosque and Mecca itself are causing harm to early Islamic heritage. Many ancient buildings, some more than a thousand years old, have been demolished to make room not only for the expansion of Al-Masjid Al-Haram, but for new malls and hotels. Some examples are:
- Bayt Al-Mawlid, the house where Muhammad was born demolished and rebuilt as a library.
- Dar Al-Arqam, the first Islamic school where Muhammad taught flattened to lay marble tiles.
- The house of Abu Jahal has been demolished and replaced by public washrooms.
- Dome which served as a canopy over the Well of Zamzam demolished.
- Some Ottoman porticos at Al-Masjid Al-Haram demolished and the remaining under threat.
- House of Muhammed in Medina where he lived after the migration from Mecca.
Source
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masjid_al-Haram
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