Makkah, a city that resonates with the echoes of divine revelations and the footsteps of prophets, stands as the spiritual epicenter for Muslims worldwide.
1 – The Holy Ka’ba
Built by Prophet Ibrahim and Prophet Ismail peace and blessings be upon them. In year 18 BH, Quraish decided to rebuild the Ka’ba. They agreed not to use illicit earnings, leaving out earnings from impound dowry, loan sharking, and any injustice done to people. This caused a shortening in expenses. They took out 3 meters of the Hijr side, blocked the backdoor and raised the Ka’ba door higher than the tawaf level, so not all people could enter it. They roofed the Ka’ba due to a prior incidence of robbery that cost a treasure from inside the Ka’ba. They also added a rainwater spout that led the water to the Hateem. Finally, the Ka’ba’s height was elevated to 8.64 m, being originally 4.32 m. The most remarkable thing about this renovation was the participation of the Prophet (PBUH) who helped carry the building stones and put in the black stone.
Modern Restoration of the Holy Ka’ba (1417 AH)
Damaged by weathering, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques ordered an undertaking of a complete restoration of the honorable Ka’ba 1417 AH. At that time, it had been about 375 years since the last complete renovation was made by the Ottoman Sultan Murad in 1040 AH. The new renovation involved strengthening of the foundations, repairing the protruding base part of the Holy Ka’ba (Shadhrwan), repairing the ringlets, refinement of the external walls, filling the gaps between the stones and changing the two Ka’ba roofs with two new ones. It was the Bin Laden Construction Group who had the honor of working on this construction.
2 – The Black Stone
The Black Stone is located in the eastern corner of the Holy Ka’ba, about 1.10 m above the ground. It is about 25 cm long and 17 cm wide. It is fixed into the Ka’ba wall. It used to be one piece, but has, due to incidences with the Karamatian and others lost its front part. Therefore, we see 8 small parts of varying sizes, the largest one being the size of a date. These are fixed onto another large stone that is surrounded by a silver frame. It is the Black Stone that pilgrims approach to kiss and do Istilam – not the surrounding stone and silver frame. The last mentioned were further renovated in Rabi’ Awwal, 1422 AH.
The Black Stone’s Original Color
The Prophet (PBUH) said: “The Black Stone descended from Paradise and it was whiter than milk. Then humans’ sins made it black”. Narrated by al-Tirmidhy. There are also other narrations that state that the part attached to the Ka’ba is white. Narrated by Mujahed, he said: “I was looking at the corner when Ibn al-Zubair took it (the Black Stone) out of its place, and I saw that the part from within the Ka’ba was white. He realized that only the visual part of the Stone had become black from sins. Maybe that is why it was called the Black Stone.
The Black Stone has two particular characteristics:
To manifest that the stone brought back by the Qarmatians was the genuine Black Stone, scholars tested the stone for these two characteristics. Based on the examination of these, scholars confirmed the stone’s authenticity.
Merits of the Black Stone:
The Black Stone has many merits. It descended from Paradise, and is one of its sapphires. It was brought to Prophet Ibraham (PBUH) to insert in the Ka’ba corner, and was later, when Quraish were rebuilding the Ka’ba, put in place by the Prophet’s noble hands (PBUH). The stone became even more honorable when the Prophet (PBUH) kissed it, as did other prophets before him. It is thus the meeting point of prophets, the righteous and pilgrims’ lips, over time. The Black Stone is also the beginning and ending place of Tawaf. In this spot, supplications are answered. Finally, the Black Stone will witness to those who truly touched it, as narrated by Al-Tirmidhy, that the prophet (PBUH) said: “(I swear) by Allah that Allah will resurrect it (the Black Stone) on the Day of Resurrection with eyes to see and a tongue to speak with, and it will witness to those who truly touched it (to begin tawaf)”.
3 – The Silver Grame Around the Black Stone
The first person to besiege the Black Stone with a silver frame was Abdullah bin Zubair (may Allah be pleased with him). Successors and caliphs have since renewed the silver frame whenever needed.
4 – The Multazam
The Multazam is the part of the wall between the Black Stone and the Holy Ka‘ba’s entry door. It is about two meters long. According to Ibn Abbas “The Multazam is between the corner and the door”. And as Mujahed said: “That between the corner and the door is the Multazam”. The Multazam is a place where supplications are answered. According to Abdullah bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with them) it is Sunnah to put your cheeks, chest, arm and hands up against the wall while you say supplications. It has been narrated that Abdallah bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with them) circumambulated, prayed, then stroke the corner stone and stood between the stone and the door. Here he clinched his chest, hands and cheek to the wall and said: “This is how I saw the Prophet (PBUH) do”.
5 – The Hateem (Hijr of Ismael)
The Hateem is a low crescent shaped wall. It is said that it is called the Hateem (ruin) because it was taken out of the Ka ‘ba’s original building when Quraish couldn’t cover the expenses of rebuilding the holy Ka’ba . It is called the Hijr of Ismael, because Prophet Ibraham (PBUH) made a shelter of Arak tree for Ismael and his mother (PBUT). His action indicates that the Hijr wasn’t a part of the Ka’ba . There is however no doubt that the part Quraysh took out of the Ka’ba and added to the Hateem is an original part of the Ka’ba. That part is about three meters long.
6 – The Meezab
The Meezab is a rainwater spout fixed onto the roof of the Holy Ka’ba. It leads residue water from rain and cleansing the Ka’ba to the Hateem. It was initially built by Quraysh when they roofed the Ka’ba.
7 – The Yemeni Corner
The corner adjacent to the Black Stone is called the Yemeni corner, because it faces Yemen. This part is founded on the bases put up by Prophet Ibraham (PBUH). In this context, Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) narrated that the Prophet (PBUH) only stroke the Black Stone and the Yemeni corner.
8 – The Shadhrawan
The Shadhrawan is the protruding base part of the Holy Ka’ba. Attached to the marble floor, it surrounds the Ka’ba except at the Hateem side. Here there is a threshold as an original part of the Ka’ba. This threshold is about 13 cm high and 45 cm wide. Some circumambulators stand on the threshold of the door of the Holy Ka’ba, clinging their bodies and faces to the Ka’ba in supplication. The Shadhrawan is, in reality, a part of the Holy Ka’ba first set up on the foundations of Prophet Ibraham (peace be upon him).
9 – The inside of the Holy Ka’ba
Inside the Holy Ka’ba there are three wooden pillars that hold the roof. Each pillar has a diameter of 44 cm whereas the distance between the pillars is 2.35 m. Across from the entrance door there is a prayer niche (Mihrab) which may have been built in the spot where the Prophet (PBUH) used to pray inside the Ka’ba.
10 – The Ka’ba Door
The Ka’ba built by Prophet Ibraham (PBUH) was different from the Ka’ba as we know it today. When Prophet Ibraham (PBUH) built the Ka’ba, he built it with two ground level entrances. People would enter the eastern entrance and exit from the western entrance. The entrances were only openings until a Yemen king called As‘ad Tubba‘ the third added a door that could be opened and closed.
When Quraish rebuilt the Ka’ba, they blocked the eastern door and gave the western door two opening parts instead of one. They also raised the door from the ground.
Bukhari narrated that Aisha may Allah be pleased with her, asked the Prophet (PBUH): “Why is the door elevated from the ground?” The Prophet said: “That is the doing of your people (Quraish) to allow and prevent (from entering) who they want. Were your people not close to the Pre-lslamic period of ignorance (Jahilyyah), I would have demolished the Ka’ba and would have built the door at ground level”. And in another narration, “I would have rebuilt the door at ground level and given it two doors: an eastern and a western door, according to its original foundations laid by Abraham.”
11 – The Station of Ibrahim (Maqamu Ibrahim)
In Arabic, Maqam refers to the position where a person is standing. In that context, Maqamu Ibrahim, or Ibraham’s Station refers to the stone that Ismael (PBUH) brought his father (PBUH) to stand on while building the Ka’ba. Ismael (PBUH) would hand Ibraham (PBUH) the stones and Ibraham (PBUH) would put them in place with his blessed hands. The stone upon which he was standing rose with the development of the building.
12 – The Zamzam Well
The Zamzam Well has miraculous origins. When Ibraham brought his son Ismael and his mother Hagar (PBUT) to Mecca, he left them there with dates and water. When mother and infant were out of supplies, they became thirsty, so Hagar mounted the Safa and stood there hoping that she might see someone. Then, she mounted the Marwa, paused, but she didn’t see anyone. She kept going back and forth between the Safa and Marwa until she heard a sudden sound in the seventh round. An angel hit the ground with his wing and water gushed out. She drank and breastfed her child.
Later, a tribe from Yemen called Jurhum, settled in Mecca. They stayed for a long while, but when they stopped respecting the holiness of the House (Ka’ba), the Zamzam Well dried up and vanished. For years, no one knew the location of the well.
One night, the prophet’s grandfather, Abdul Muttalib, had a dream in which he heard a voice telling him to dig up the Zamzam Well in a specific spot. So he dug up the well and allowed all people to drink from it. During Hajj periods, he provided pilgrims with water, as did Abbas bin Abdul Muttalib after him. When the prophet (PBUH) conquered Mecca, he decreed the continuance of this tradition. As narrated by Ibn Abbas (PBUT): When the Prophet (PBUH) approached Zamzam and saw them distributing water, he (PBUH) said: “Continue, for you are doing a good deed. And he added: Would it not break, I would have descended (the well) to put the rope on this (pointing to his shoulder)”.
To extract water from the well, people kept using buckets until a pump was installed in 1373 AH – 1953 AD. It pumped the water into a tank that lead to taps distributed around the well building.
The Location of the Zamzam Well:
The Zamzam Well lies 21 meters away from the Ka’ba. Studies show that the water feeding into the well taps about 11 to 18.5 liters of water per second. That leaves us with at least (60 x 11=) 660 L/minute, and (660 x 60=) 39600 L/hour, etc. The largest water stream gushes from an opening in the direction of the Black Stone. This opening is 75 cm long and 30 cm high. Another rich source is an opening about 70 cm long and 30 cm high in the direction of the minaret.
13 – The Safa and Marwa
Safa: is the hill from where sa’i begins. It lies in the south direction and tilts east. It is roofed with a circular dome 130 meters away from the Holy Ka’ba.
Marwah: is a hill composed of white quartz (marou). It lies in the north-east direction, about 300 meters away from the Shami corner of the Holy Ka’ba. Marwah is the ending of sa’i and one of Allah’s symbols as mentioned above.
Muslim perform Sa’i which is going between Safa and Marwa for seven laps as part of Hajj and Umrah. This action is done to symbolize Hagar’s desperate search for water. The Sa’i Path is thus the span between the Safa and Marwah hills. Sa’i was performed by Abraham (PBUH), and by our Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as part of Hajj rituals.
1 – The Gates of the Grand Mosque
Before Islam, Quraish built their houses around the circumambulation (Tawaf) area. They left some openings for people to enter the Ka’ba and Tawaf area. Umar Bin el-Khattab was the first to build a wall around the Grand Mosque after expanding it. He made several entrance gates. Over time, these have been supplemented in relation to expansion of the mosque. Today, the total number of gates is 95 – starting with Gate 1, Gate King Abdul Aziz, and ending with Gate 95, called King Abdul Aziz Stairways. This is the last gate in the King Fahd’s expansion. The 95 gates include the entrances to the basement, ground floor, first floor, the stairways, the Sa’i passages and even bridges on the Shami side.
2 – Mina
In Arabic, the word Mina denotes the blood that is offered on the Day of Immolation and the Days of Tashriq. It is also said that Mina refers to any place that people gather in. Mina is located between Mecca and Muzdalifah. It lies 7 km north-east to the Grand Mosque or 4 km through the tunnel road.
Pilgrims in haste overnight at Mina on the 9th, 11th, and 12th of Dhul Hijjah, whereas delayed pilgrims also overnight the 13th.
Merits of Mina:
Mina is a shrine within the Haram borders that has many merits. Here, Ibraham (PBUH) threw the pebbles and sacrificed a male sheep as a replacement for Ismael (PBUH). Thus, here we find the three Jamarat (places for stoning shaytan) and the Khayf Mosque. It was in this area that the Aqabah pledge of allegiance took place (also known as the First and Second Aqabah). More importantly, the Nasr Chapter was revealed in Mina during the Farewell Pilgrimage. And the Chapter of Mursalat was also revealed here. Finally, the Prophet (PBUH) stayed and overnighted in Mina on the days of tashreeq and offered his sacrifice animal. He (PBUH) said: “I have slaughtered here and the whole of Mina is a place for slaughtering, so slaughter on your way of stopping.”
3 – The Khayf Mosque
Khayf refers to water that glides off a sharp incline of a mountain and increases. The Khayf Mosque lies at the foot of Mount Mina. It is at the south side close to the first Jamarah (al-Jamarah al-sughra). The Prophet (PBUH) prayed in this mosque, as did prophets before him. As narrated by Jazeed Bin al-Aswad:
“I witnessed (and participated in) the Prophet’s pilgrimage (PBUH), and I prayed the Fajr prayer with him in the Khayf mosque.” Some hadeeths narrate that more than 70 prophets have prayed in this mosque.
4 – The Muhassir Valley (Valley of remorse)
Muhassir means remorse and tiredness. According to Ibn ul Qayyim, this valley was named after a historical incidence in which an elephant (that was used to attack Mecca) ceased its movement and died in this valley along with its masters. It is preferable that pilgrim speed up as they cross this valley, to do as the prophet (PBUH) did. Jaber narrated: “When the Prophet (PBUH) reached the Muhassir valley bed, he speeded up a bit.”
5 – Muzdalifah (The Sacred Shrine)
Muzdalifah is located between Mina and Arafat, and its name refers to the fact that people approach this spot in large groups at night. Zalaf is part of the night, whereas Zulfah means gathering or near. It is also suggested that its name refers to Adam’s (PBUH) meeting with Eve here, or getting near.
Muzdalifah succeeds the Muhassir Valley and extends to Mazamain, two opposing mountains that are separated by a road. Muzdalifah is an open square, 4 km long with a total area of 12.25 square kilometers.
6 – The Mosque of Muzdalifah (The Sacred Shrine)
The Mosque of the Sacred Shrine lies on Road 5 in Muzdalifah. It is narrated that the Prophet (PBUH) used to stay at its dome. The mosque was built and expanded during the Saudi reign. It is a 90 meter long roofed mosque, extending from the east to the west. It is 56 meters wide and has a total area of 5040 square meters. It can consume more than 12000 worshippers. In the back part of the mosque, there are two minarets about 32 meters high. It has one entrance in the three directions: east, north and south.
7 – Arafaat (or ‘Arafah)
It is said that this mountain earns its name from several historical occasions. The verb ‘arafah means acquaintance with or knowledge of, and it refers to Adam and Eve’s first acquaintance as well as Gabriel’s introduction of the religious rites to Abraham. After introducing the rites, Gabriel said: Are you acquainted [‘arafta] with the rites now? He replied: Yes. According to Ibn Abbas, this spot is called ‘Arafah because people acquaint and admit their sins here. ‘Arafah is a holy shrine outside the Haram borders, about 22 km away from the Grand Mosque.
8 – Namirah Mosque
The mosque is named Namirah after a small hill west to the mosque. It is narrated that the Prophet (PBUH) descended from Arafah to Namirah and stayed in a tent until noon and then moved on to the bottom of ‘Arna Valley where he sermoned. He then combined and shortened the Dhuhr and ‘Asr prayers by delaying the Dhuhr till ‘Asr time. Afterwards, he approached the Mount Rahmah rocks and stood there facing the Ka’ba direction (qiblah) supplicating to Allah until sunset. After sunset, he went to Muzdalifah, where he stopped at his usual spot, and made his camel face the rocks.
9 – Mount of Rahmah (Mount of Mercy)
It is a granite hill in the eastern part of ‘Arafah. It lies between the 7th and 8th Road at a distance of 1.5 km from Namirah Mosque. The hilltop is wide and flat and surrounded by a white wall about 57 cm high. In the middle of the open area there is a stone bench about 40 cm high and a square guidepost about 8 m high and 1.80 m broad.
At the foot of this mountain lies the Sakharat Mosque and the Zubayda source. Four meter high sprinklers are distributed over the flat area to soothe the atmosphere and mitigate the heat of the sun during the time the pilgrims stand here.
10 – Cave of Hira
The Cave of Hira lies north-east to the Grand Mosque on the mountain named Mountain of Light (Jabal al-Nour) or Mount Hira. It is 621 m above sea level and 281 m high from ground level. It takes about an hour’s strong effort to climb this mountain. The Prophet (PBUH) used to isolate himself here before being announced messenger. The cave opening is to the north and is reached by passing through two stones 60 cm apart. The cave itself is about 3 m in length, 1.30 m in width and about 2 meter high. It has a natural opening at the front. There is room for two people to pray in there- if one precedes the other. To the right, there is a small platform where one person can pray sitting down.
This cave is notable for being the location where the Prophet (PBUH) received his first revelation from Allah through Angel Gabriel.
11 – Cave Thawr (Cave of Bull)
Cave Thawr lies about 4 km south to the Grand Mosque on the 748 m high Thawr mountain. This small cave is shaped like a boat that is turned upside down. It is 1.25 m high at its highest point and about 3.5 meters wide and long. It has two openings; one in the west and one in the east. The western opening is entered by sliding on ones stomach. It was from this opening the Prophet (PBUH) and Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) entered the cave. The opening was expanded in the beginning of the 9th century AH and in the end of the 13th century AH. The highest entrance is one meter and there is a stone-carved stairway. The opening in the east is wider than the other.
12 – Al-Bai’a Mosque (The Pledge of Allegiance Mosque)
This mosque marks the spot in Mina where the first Aqabah pledge of allegiance was sworn. Historically, the pledge took place 12 years after the beginning of Muhammad’s (PBUH) prophecy, equivalent to July 621 AD. Here, twelve prominent people from the Aws and Khazraj tribes of Medina pledged allegiance to the Prophet.
During the Hajj period in June 622 AD, the second pledge of alliance took place in the same spot. This time 73 men and 2 women from Medina pledged allegiance and invited the Prophet (PBUH) to come to Medina. They said: How long shall we leave the Prophet (PBUH) expelled to the mountains and afraid? This pledge is also known as the grand Aqaba pledge of allegiance.
13 – Mosque of the Jinn
The mosque is located right to the road leading to Al-Mualah next to the pedestrians’ bridge. It is called Mosque of Jinn (or Genies) because the Prophet (PBUH) marked this spot to Ibn Mas’oud upon his second meeting with the genies who pledged allegiance to the Prophet (PBUH). The Genies had met the prophet once before as he was returning from the Taif year 10 after the commencement of prophecy. The mosque is also called the Mosque of Guards (Hraas Mosque).
14 – Mosque of the Tree
This mosque is located near the Mosque of Jinn. It is said that the Prophet (PBUH) being inside the Mosque of Jinn called upon a tree outside it. The tree approached Him to ask Him what he required and he ordered it to return to its spot which it did.
15 – The Zubayda Source
This source was developed by Zubaydah the wife of the Abbasid Caliph Haroon Al-Rashid 174 AH- 791 AD. The source springs from the Nu’man Valley in Hunnain, today known as Asshara’i, that lies about 36 km away from the Grand Mosque. The source goes through Arafah to cross the Arnah Valley and further descend to Mina and then Mecca. For more than 1200 years, the Zubaydah source was an essential water source for the people of Mecca. Rulers of the country maintained this source throughout the years but it recently dried up.
16 – The Mu’alah Cemetery
The Mu’alah cemetery is one of Mecca’s ancient cemeteries. It lies east to the Grand Mosque. Al-Fakihi comments: “People of Mecca cannot face the Ka’ba without a small deviation, except for the graves in this cemetery; they face the Ka’ba without deviation.”
The Mother of Believers, Khadeejah is buried in this cemetery as are other companions, followers and righteous believers (may Allah be pleased with them all). Note that there are other ancient cemeteries in Mecca.
17 – Makkah Haram Museum
Situated some 10 minutes driving distance from the Grand Mosque along the old Jeddah road, you find the Mecca Haram Museum. For a moment, you will think you are inside the Grand Mosque itself.
This museum is really worth visiting. The Museum not only presents the history of the Mecca Haram in detail; some of its collections even date back to the Umayyad Reign. The entrance is free and open to everyone.
It would be pleasant to bring your family and even more pleasant if you bring the elderly members who have visited the Grand Mosque in the past. You will find them enjoying the revival of old memories.
Inside the museum, you will find the Hall of the Grand Mosque. This hall exhibits a teak staircase of the Holy Ka’ba, the case which used to cover the Station of Abraham (PBUH), before the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Fahd Bin Abdel Azziz (God bless him) replaced it. You will see some of the crests from minarets of the Haram dating back to 1299 AH. There is also a plinth of the Ka’ba a made from wood, covered with gold plates and filled with lead from inside – it dates back to 1273 AH. In this hall, you find a ruined portion of a wooden pillar of the Holy Ka’ba dating back to the renovation made by Abdulallah Bin Zubair in 65 AH.
You will see the lock and key of the Holy Ka’ba dating back to the reign of the Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid the second.
There is a door of the Ka’ba which was erected during the time of Sultan Murad Khan the fourth in the Ottoman reign. It dates back to 1045 AH and it is made from wood, covered with silver and plated with gold. It was replaced by King Abdel Aziz Al Saud (God bless him) in 1363 AH. You also find the frames of the Black Stone. One of them dates back to the reign of the Ottoman Sultan Murad Khan, whereas the other dates back to the Saudi reign.
In the Hall of Photographs, there are various beautiful pictures of the Grand Mosque, the Prophet’s Holy Mosque, and other holy shrines. Many date back to the 12th century AH. This hall also exhibits different copies of the Holy Qur’an, and a photocopy of the Uthmani version that was written in the reign of the Caliph Uthman Bin Affan (may Allah be pleased with him).
The Hall of the Prophet’s Holy Mosque presents one of the essential doors of the Holy Mosque – it dates back to the first Saudi expansion in 1337 AH. Also, you find crests from the main minarets from the early 14th century AH. There is also an old clock from 1277 AH that was sent by the Ottoman Sultan Abdulhamid the first.
The Hall of Zamzam Well presents a mouth piece of the Well of Zamzam with its ring and lid along with a pulley for lifting Zamzam water dating back to the end of the 14th century AH. There is also a brass bucket which used to be in the Well of Zamzam dating back to 1299 AH.
There is a solar sundial used to determine the times of prayer before the printing and publishing of the Islamic timing. It dates back to 1023 AH and was originally placed on top of the Zamzam Well. King Abdul Aziz Al Saud bought it and placed it above Dar Al-Hamidiyah 1352 AH.
18 – The Ka’ba Kiswa Factory
It is a factory in Holy Mecca in which the Ka’ba cover (Kiswa) is manufactured.
Establishment
Based on a suggestion made by Sheikh Abdul Rahman Muzhar Hussein Al-Ansari, King Abdul Aziz bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud decreed the establishment of a factory for the Ka’ba cover in 1346 AH. Al-Ansari was appointed the first president of the factory and it kept producing covers for the Holy Ka’ba until the factory needed updating. The factory was updated, improved and supplied with modern textile machines and reopened in 1397 AH in Ummal Joud in Holy Mecca. The new factory includes a section for automated textile but also maintains manual weaving because it holds an elevated artistic value. The factory is keeping up with recent developments but also retains the heritage of handicraft to produce the most magnificent covers.
The Work of the Factory
Among the most important components of the Ka’ba Cover Factory are: The belt department, the sewing of cloths department, the coloring department, the printing and textile department, the automated textile department, and the weaving department. More than 200 experienced and skilled Saudi employees work in the different sections. In addition to producing the yearly Ka’ba cover, the factory also produces the inner Ka’ba cover.
Makkah serves as the spiritual epicenter for Muslims globally. It stands as the foundational site where the rich history of Islam originated, and where the Blessing for both realms, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), came into existence.
Embark on a journey to Makkah and immerse yourself in its intricate weave of history, spirituality, and reverence.
