Mosque expansion to change face of Mecca

GRAND EXPANSION: Development of Mecca’s Grand Mosque will create space for an additional 500,000 worshippers.

Expansion of the Grand Mosque will create space for an additional 500,000 worshippers and “change the face of Mecca”, according to the city’s mayor.

Up to 1,000 properties over an area of 300,000 square meters will be demolished to make way for more prayer space on the northern and northwestern parts of the mosque, Saudi daily Arab News reported.

The government has allocated $1.6bn in compensation for the buildings, which will be demolished within 60 days.

According to mayor Osama Al-Bar the project will cover the area starting at Masjid Al-Haram Street and Gazza on the east to Jabal Al-Kaaba Street and Shubaika Graveyard on the west. It will also run through Abu Sufyan Street, Raquba, Abdullah ibn Zubair Street, Shamiya, Jabal Hindi, Khaled ibn Walid Street and Shubaika reaching Jabal Kaaba Street.

“New pedestrian tunnels linking the northern areas with the mosque’s new courtyard will be constructed as part of the project” he added.

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READERS' COMMENTS

Mosque expansion to change face of Mecca - Should hold good atleast up 2020!
Posted by MASHOOR, Dubai, United Arab Emirates on Tuesday 15 January 2008 at 11:33 UAE time

As a Civil Engineer, experienced extensively in Facilities and Maintenance Management of Buildings and Infrastructural facilities for Hospitality Industries in my country and in the Middle-East for the last 33 years, I had the opportunity of working for a prestigious brand hotel in the Holy City of Makkah in proximity to Masjid Al Haram.

During this period, I used to go to the Haram Sherif very often with my colleagues for my evening and Friday prayers.

I have performed Hajj once and Umrah on several occations and having personally experienced the difficulties what the pilgrims had to undergo during every Hajj seasons, I had ventured into drawing up a design to expand the Haram Sherif with a view to accommodate more pilgrims (close upon 3 million in one sitting) in the coming years. The design for this expansion was done by me in AutoCAD 2005.

I was able to complete this project only half way through and had to give up as I had to take up another assignment in the UAE in 2006. The only concern when doing the designing was the surrounding properties of the Kaaba, including those Hotels such as Hilton and the Sheraton, as they were earmarked for complete demolition making way for the expansion. The several Hills and the surrounding rock mountains in all the four boundaries of the Masjid al Haram were also earmarked for complete demolition in order to make enough room for the pilgrims atleast upto the year 2020.

I trust that the authorities of the Haram Sheriff will give serious thought to this new expansion keeping in mind that the envisaged expansion and the associated facilities should cater at least up to the year 2020!

May Allah Bless all!

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