Development � 1
Makkah’ s Dramatic rise In Real Estate Prices
Makkah is regarded as one of the holiest and most prominent cities in the world in terms of religion. Millions of Muslims from all over the world visit this holy city for pilgrimage each year. While Makkah is also a destination for culture and commerce, God made Makkah to be the holiest place on earth, and it houses one of the three holy mosques of Islam: Al-Masjid Al-Haram“ The Grand Mosque”- the largest mosque in the world. Al-Masjid Al-Nabawi Al Sharif " Mosque of the Prophet " in Al- Madinah Al-Mounawara and Al-Masjid Al- Aqsa in Jerusalem are the second and third holiest sites in Islam respectively.
During the Prophet Muhammad ' s( PBUH) era, the Grand Mosque had no walls. It was contiguous to houses and roads
Geographical location and the Grand Mosque
Makkah is located on the western side of the Arabian Peninsula about 330 meters above sea level in a narrow valley with an area of approximately 550 square kilo meters. Only 88 square kilo meters are populated and the Grand Mosque takes up six by itself. Central Makkah, the area devoted to the Grand Mosque lies in a corridor of mountains and hills with barren rock on every side.
Greatest Holy Mosque in Islam
In the heart of Makkah, the Grand Mosque acts as the central most important location in the Islamic world. It holds the holy Kaaba, which is a cube shaped structure located in the center of the mosque where God’ s mercy descends. Muslims are expected to face in the direction of the Kaaba during their five daily prayers no matter where they are in the world- the direction facing the Kaaba is referred to as“ Qiblah”.
The foundations of the Kaaba date back to Prophet Ibrahim( PBUH), but the structure was repaired and rebuilt many times over the course of the Quraysh era due to fire, heavy rain and flooding. During the time of Prophet Muhammad( PBUH), the Quraysh tribe was in charge of the Kaaba, which was at that period a shrine to hundreds of idols. Prophet Muhammad( PBUH) then claimed the Kaaba to be dedicated to the worship of God alone and had all other idols expelled. No modifications of any kind were done to the Kaaba’ s construction itself.
During the prophecy of Prophet Muhammad( PBUH), the Grand Mosque had no walls. It was contiguous to houses and roads. The Grand Mosque was built from clay and palm fronds and its roof was made from palm trunks. It covered an area 35 meters long and 30 meters wide, covering a total area of 1,060 square meters. It had three doors: one in the south, a second in the west called Bab Atika, which later became known as Bab Al- Rahma“ the door of mercy,” and a third on the eastern side called Bab Othman- later known as Bab Gibreel. The mosque was illuminated in the evenings by flaming palm fronds.
The first expansion of the Grand Mosque in the era of the Rashideen Caliphs
The Grand Mosque remained untouched throughout the succession of the first Caliph, Abu Bakr Al-Siddique( 11 AH- 13 AH / 632 AD- 634 AD). He was a senior companion( Sahabi) and the father-in-law of prophet Muhammad( PBUH) and his successor, Omar Bin Al-Khattab( 13 AH to 23 AH / 634 AD to 644 AD) He was a sahabi( companion) of prophet Muhammad( PBUH). He succeeded Caliph Abu Bakr as the second Caliph of Rashideen Caliphate who did the first expansion( 17 AH / 638 AD) due to the growing number of pilgrims. He bought houses next to the mosque, expanded the yards surrounding the Kaaba, made more doors for pilgrims to enter the mosque and built a fence around the Kaaba. Uthman Bin Affan( 23 AH- 35 AH / 644 AD- 656 AD) was one of the companions of Islamic prophet, Muhammad. He succeeded Caliph Omar Bin Al-Khattab as the third Caliph. He held the second expansion years( 26 AH / 647 AD) where corridors were added to the Grand Mosque. Expansion continued after that during the Abbasid, Mamluk, Ottoman eras and beyond.
Expansion in the Saudi era
Makkah has witnessed tremendous expansion in the Saudi era due to the increasing number of pilgrims, which has reached more than 3 million a year. Lighting, drinking water systems, toilets, road formations, street expansions, bridges, crossings and tunnels were all established to serve the large numbers of people flooding Makkah in hopes of relieving some of the congestion during the Hajj season.
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