The Grand Mosque of Mecca, also known as the Masjid al-Haram, is the most important and sacred mosque in Islam. It is located in the city of Mecca, in Saudi Arabia. The mosque surrounds the Kaaba, which is the most sacred site in Islam and the direction toward which Muslims around the world pray.
Key features of the Grand Mosque include:
Kaaba: The focal point of the mosque is the Kaaba, a cubic structure draped in a black silk and gold curtain known as the kiswah. Muslims believe that the Kaaba was built by the Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) and his son Isma’il (Ishmael) as a house of worship dedicated to Allah.
Black Stone (Hajr al-Aswad): Embedded in one corner of the Kaaba is the Black Stone, which is believed to have been given to Ibrahim by the Angel Gabriel. Pilgrims who visit the mosque during the Hajj or Umrah rituals attempt to touch or kiss the Black Stone as a part of their religious observance.
Tawaf: Pilgrims perform the act of Tawaf by circumambulating the Kaaba seven times in a counterclockwise direction, as an integral part of the Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages.
Safa and Marwah: Pilgrims also reenact the actions of Hajar (Hagar), the wife of Ibrahim, by walking between the hills of Safa and Marwah, which are located within the mosque complex.
- The Grand Mosque of Mecca tops the list of the most expensive buildings on Earth built at a cost of $ 100 Billion.
- One million (1,000,000) square meters Capacity
- Can accommodate two (2) million people
- Receives twenty (20) million visitors annually
- Open twenty -four (24) hours. It has never been completely closed in over 1400 years
- Has 1800 cleaners Has 40 electric sanitary cleaning cars
- Has 60 electric sanitary machines to clean open courtyards
- Has 2000 Sanitary barrels spread throughout the premises
- Floor covered with 40000 carpets (longer than the distance between Jeddah and Makkah (79km))
- 13000 toilets, cleaned four (4) times/6 hours daily
- 25000 water dispensers (one of the largest water dispensing systems in the world)
- 100 random samples of drinking water are inspected daily
- Excess water from Zamzam Well is stored in storage tanks with a capacity of 1,700,000 (1.7 million), water bottles (capacity 10 liters)
- HARAMAIN recitation service: broadcast recitation of the Quran; 24/7; recitation using all ten (10) recognized methods of recitation of the Qur’an; more than 500,000 (half a million) episodes in 180 countries have been aired in three (3) years.
- More than 2,000 safety deposit boxes (to keep personal belongings safe)
- Hundreds of air conditioning units (for cooling) are scattered inside the Mosque.
- The floor of the Mosque reflects light and heat thus improving the regulation of heat in the premises.
- Electronic Tour guide application that can show the location of any part of the Mosque.
- Detailed and highly efficient audio system:
- The sound system in the Grand Mosque is one of the largest and most complex sound systems in the world,
- Audio system error margin: 0%
- 6000 speakers
- Four (4) different audio systems
- Fifty (50) sound engineering personnel
- Copies of the Quran are translated into 65 different languages
- Translation of each Friday sermon into five (5) different languages
- Services/facilities for the disabled
- 10,000 regular wheelchairs available for use, free of charge, 400 electronically guided wheelchairs available, Automatic wheelchairs (2 wheels and 3 wheels)
RAMADAN special services
- 4 million free meals for breaking fast every day, throughout Ramadan
- 5,000,000 dates (seed discarded) are distributed in the mosque area every day during Ramadan
- After breaking fast, remove food and equipment to clean the place of Maghrib prayer (Salah) is done in two (2) minutes only
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