The Masjid al Haram is a mosque in the city of Mecca (or "Makkah"). It is considered by Muslims to be the holiest place on Earth and is the focal point of the hajj pilgrimage required of all able-bodied Muslims as one of the Five Pillars of Islam.
According to Islamic tradition, the mosque was built by Ibrahim (Abraham) with the help of his son Ishmael. They were ordered by Allah to build the mosque, and the Kaaba contained therein is supposed to be a model of the house of God in heaven. The Kaaba also contains the Black Stone which supposedly fell from heaven and turned black due to man's misdeeds. The story of Ishmael and his mother's search for water also takes place in the general vicinity of the mosque. In the story, Hagar runs between the hills of Safah and Marwah looking for water for her son, until God eventually reveals to her the Zamzam Well, from where water continues to flow to this day. The episode of Hagar's frantic search for water is emulated by Muslims as they run between the two hills whenever they visit Mecca.
Outside Masjid al Haram
The mosque itself has always been an important part of Arab culture. Even in pre-Islamic days it was a site for pilgrimages by pre-monotheistic Arabs, who filled the Kaaba with idols of the gods they worshipped. This episode is seen as a corruption of what the Kaaba was meant for, and the fact that they had strayed from the path of God explains why God sent Muhammad as a messenger to the people of Mecca. Muhammad's grandfather, Abu Muttalib, was a caretaker of the Kaaba, and Muhammad spent much time there in prayer and reflection.
After the Hijra, Muhammad was forced to withdraw to Medina. Upon his return to Mecca years later, he ritually smashed all the idols in the Kaaba and cleansed it. This began Islamic rule over Kaaba, and the building of a mosque around it. Initially, the mosque was much smaller than it is today but, over time, it has been gradually expanded. Under the Ottomans it grew to the roughly the size of the current courtyard. Great expansion work has taken place under the Saudi regime, along with modernization efforts. The mosque was much enlargened to handle the millions of visitors it receives during the hajj. It has also been outfitted with modern conveniences such as air conditioners and escalators. The outside of the current mosque has a splendid marble facade, and it has three stories, each which can hold thousands of worshippers.
The first mosque on the site of today's structure was supported by the trunks of standing palm trees that had grown there, and the Prophet himself worked on its construction.
The present mosque was built by the Mamluks, in particular by the Sultans Baybars and Qa'it Bey, and the Ottomans, with additions made in this century by King Abd al-Aziz Al Saud.
For the sacredmosque, ai-Masjid al-Haram, Sinan created a colonnade of 892 columns of marble and stone over which were set 500 arches and cupolas.
The simples elements of the prophetic mosque were a court where the worshippers could gather, porches to shelter the worshippers, the pulpit for the preacher to stand in, and the recess a mihrab which indicated the Qiblah or the direction pointing out the Kabah towards which a Muslim turns his face during his prayer.
The three mosques that have a greater degree of sanctity because of their historical and religious associations are the Masjid-el-Haram in Mecca, Prophet’s mosques in Medina and the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem.
There are all sacred places inspired by a religious purpose, but may differ in their degree of sacredness especially when compared to the mosques, as the mosques are purely meant for the worship of God.
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