Masjid al-Haram

Era of Abraham and Ishmael

According to Islamic tradition in the Quran, Abraham, together with his son Ismael, raised the foundations of a house,^[23] which has been identified by commentators as the Kaaba. According to Islamic tradition, it is said that Allah showed Abraham the exact site, which was previously built by Adam, very near to what is now the Well of Zamzam. After Abraham had built the Kaaba, an angel is said to have brought him the Black Stone, a celestial stone that, according to tradition, had fallen from Heaven on the nearby hill Abu Qubays. The Black Stone is believed by Islamic scholars to be the only remnant of the original structure made by Abraham.

After placing the Black Stone in the Eastern corner of the Kaaba, Abraham reportedly received a revelation in which God told the aged prophet that he should now go and proclaim the pilgrimage to mankind, so that men may come both from Arabia and from lands far away, on camel and on foot.^[24]

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  Muslim pilgrims surrounding the Maqam (Station) of Ibrahim (Abraham) near the Kaaba in 2008
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  The Hateem where Isma'il (Ishmael) and Hajar (Hagar) dwelt

Era of Muhammad

Upon Muhammad's victorious return to Mecca in 630 CE, he and a number of the Sahaba including Ali broke the idols in and around the Kaaba,^[25] similar to what, according to the Quran, Abraham did in his homeland. Thus ended polytheistic use of the Kaaba, and began monotheistic rule over it and its sanctuary.^{[26][27][28][29]}

Umayyad era

The first major renovation to the mosque took place in 692, on the orders of Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan.^[30] Before this renovation, which included the mosque's outer walls being raised, the mosque was a small open area with the Kaaba at the center. By the end of the 8th century, the mosque's old wooden columns had been replaced with marble columns and the wings of the prayer hall had been extended on both sides along with the addition of a minaret on the orders of Al-Walid I.^[31][32]

Abbasid era

The next expansion of the mosque was sponsored by the Abbasid caliph al-Mansur between 754 and 757.^[33] This was followed by a major expansion begun by his successor, Caliph al-Mahdi, in 779. This work was completed shortly after him by his successor, Caliph al-Hadi (r. 785–786).^[34] The mosque continued to be renovated many times after this, including two further extensions by the caliph al-Mu'tadid in 894–5 and by the caliph al-Muqtadir in 918,^[34] but it retained its overall form from this period until the later Ottoman renovations.^[33]

Ottoman era

In 1570, Sultan Selim II commissioned the chief architect Mimar Sinan to renovate the mosque. This renovation resulted in the replacement of the flat roof with domes decorated with calligraphy internally, and the placement of new support columns which are acknowledged as the earliest architectural features of the present mosque. These features are the oldest surviving parts of the building.

During heavy rains and flash floods in 1621 and 1629, the walls of the Kaaba and the mosque suffered extensive damage.^[35] In 1629, during the reign of Sultan Murad IV, the mosque was renovated. In the renovation of the mosque, a new stone arcade was added, three more minarets (bringing the total to seven) were built, and the marble flooring was retiled. This was the unaltered state of the mosque for nearly three centuries.

The Great Mosque in an illustration of the Dala'il al-Khayrat of Mustafa Halim, 1750

The Great Mosque in an illustration of the Futuh al-Haramayn of Muhi Al-Din Lari, 1582

The mosque in 1850, during the Ottoman period

Plan of the Masjid al-Haram, 1884

The mosque in 1910, during the Ottoman period

The Saudi era

Kaaba

The Kaaba is a cuboid-shaped building in the centre of the Masjid al-Haram and is the most sacred site in Islam.^[53] It is the qibla (direction of prayer) for Muslims worldwide. It is the focal point of the Hajj and Umrah rites. The pilgrims perform the tawaf (circumambulation) around its exterior.^[53][54][55] The Kaaba's fabric covering (kiswah) is replaced annually in a formal ceremony.

Black Stone

Main article: Black Stone

The Black Stone is set into the eastern corner of the Kaaba's external wall. Historically and culturally venerated in Islamic tradition, the stone today exists as several fragments within a silver frame and is a focal point of devotion during tawaf.^[57][58]

Mataf (Tawaf area)

The mataf is the open, circular, paved area immediately surrounding the Kaaba where tawaf (circumambulation) is performed. Over centuries the mataf has been enlarged and modernised, including multi-level and climate-controlled expansions to accommodate the large and growing numbers of pilgrims that visit during Hajj and throughout the year.^[59] Major 20th- and 21st-century Saudi expansion programmes substantially increased the mataf’s capacity.^[40][41]

Maqam Ibrahim

Maqam Ibrahim is a small square stone associated in Islamic tradition with the Abraham (Ibrahim). It is displayed near the Kaaba under a protective enclosure.^[60] According to Islamic tradition, the imprint on the stone came from Abraham's feet.^[61][62] It is the only standing historic structure in the Mataf area out of at least six other, which were removed to clear the area for the circumambulation (tawaf).^[63]

Safa and Marwa

Safa and Marwa are two small hills within the mosque precinct, connected by the enclosed al-Mas'a walkway, where pilgrims perform the saʿī ritual during Hajj and Umrah.^[64] The ritual commemorates Hājar (Hagar), wife of Abraham and mother of Ismail, who ran between the hills searching for water for her infant son.^[65][66] The area was historically separate but incorporated into Masjid al-Haram during 20th-century expansions.^[40]

Zamzam Well

The Zamzam well, located 20 m (66 ft) east of the Kaaba,^[68] is an ancient groundwater source traditionally linked to Hājar and Ishmael.^[69][70][71] Modern engineering has enclosed the well and provides Zamzam water to pilgrims through pumping, bottling and distribution systems.^[72]