Masjid al-Haram

About Masjid al-Haram

Islam's holiest mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia

The Masjid al-Haram, the Sacred Mosque or Great Mosque of Makkah, is the holiest and most important mosque in Islam. It stands in the heart of Makkah in western Saudi Arabia and encloses the Kaaba, which Muslims hold to be the first house of worship established for humanity. It is the qibla of Muslim prayer and the destination of the Hajj, and the first of the three mosques to which the Prophet Muhammad said journeys should be made: "the Sacred Mosque, this mosque of mine, and Al-Aqsa Mosque." Muslims believe a prayer here is worth a hundred thousand prayers elsewhere, and the mosque takes its name from the prohibition of fighting within it. It is the largest mosque in the world and, after successive expansions, can hold up to two million worshippers at peak times. Caliphs, sultans and kings have enlarged it across the centuries, and expansion and renovation continue today under the General Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques. The mosque is the focal point of both Hajj and Umrah: here pilgrims perform the tawaf around the Kaaba and the sa'i between Safa and Marwah. Besides the Kaaba it contains the Black Stone in the Kaaba's eastern corner, the Maqam Ibrahim, the Zamzam Well and the Mas'a between the hills of Safa and Marwah, together with its arcades, minarets and vast courtyards that open onto the surrounding towers and hotels.

Where:

Mecca, Saudi Arabia