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How many minarets are in the kaaba mosque. The three largest mosques in the world. Kaaba and black stone

Al-Masjid al-Haram (translated from Arabic - Forbidden Mosque) is the main Muslim temple, the largest in the world. Located in the city of Mecca in western Saudi Arabia, about 100 km from the Red Sea. It is a center of pilgrimage for Muslims. Non-Muslims are not allowed to enter Mecca.
Al-Haram Mosque is located in the center of Mecca. In the courtyard of the temple is the Kaaba (translated from Arabic - a cube). Kaaba is a Muslim shrine in the form of a cubic building. The height of the Kaaba is 15 meters. Length and width, respectively, 10 and 12 meters. The corners are located on the cardinal points and are called "Yemeni" (southern), "Iraqi" (northern), "Levantine" (western) and "stone" (eastern), where a black stone is mounted. The Kaaba is made of granite and covered with cloth, there is a room inside. Tawaf is performed around the Kaaba during the Hajj. The Kaaba serves as a qibla - a landmark to which Muslims around the world turn their faces during prayer.
The construction of the first mosque near the Kaaba dates back to 638. The existing mosque has been known since 1570. During its existence, the mosque was rebuilt several times, so little remains of the original building. At first, the Forbidden Mosque had six minarets, but when six minarets were also built at the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, the Imam of Mecca called it sacrilege: no mosque in the world should be equal to the Kaaba. And then Sultan Ahmed ordered the construction of the seventh minaret in the Forbidden Mosque. The mosque was last reconstructed in the late 1980s, when a huge building with two minarets was added to it from the southwestern side. It is in this building that the main entrance to the mosque is now located - the gate of King Fahd. Currently, the Haram Mosque is a huge building with an area of ​​​​more than 300 thousand square meters. meters. The mosque has 9 minarets, the height of which reaches 95 m. There are 4 gates leading inside the mosque, in addition to which there are 44 other entrances. There are 7 escalators in the building. The air in the rooms is refreshed by air conditioners. There are special rooms for prayers and ablutions, and these rooms are divided into male and female. Al-Masjid al-Haram accommodates up to 700 thousand people at the same time, although believers are even placed on the roof of the building.
Hajj is infamous for tragic deaths. So, almost every year, dozens and even hundreds of pilgrims die in a stampede during the beating of Shaitan. And in 1979, the Al-Haram mosque, along with 6,000 people who were at that moment, was captured by a group of militants of 500 people. The ringleader of the group, al-Utaibi, demanded that oil not be sold to the United States and that state abundance not be squandered, and demanded the overthrow of the Saudi dynasty. As a result of the storming of the mosque, 200 militants and 250 hostages were killed.
Today, about 1.5 million people permanently live in Makkah. The foundation of the city is not exactly known. It is first mentioned by Ptolemy as Makoraba. The prophet of Islam Mohammed was born here. Soon he conquered Mecca and bequeathed to Muslims to make a pilgrimage to the Kaaba. Real estate in Mecca is by far the most expensive in the world, with an average cost of $90,000 per square meter.

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There are tens of thousands of mosques around the world. However, the most significant for Muslim believers around the world are three mosques that have played a major role in the history of Islam and are revered by all Muslims without exception. These are the mosques: Al-Haram (Forbidden Mosque) in Mecca, Al-Nabawi (Mosque of the Prophet) in Medina and Al-Aqsa (Remote Mosque) in Jerusalem.

It is narrated from the words of Abu ad-Darda that the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa salam) said:

“Prayer in Masjid al-Haram is equal to 100 thousand prayers; a prayer in my mosque (in Medina) is equal to a thousand prayers; prayer at Bayt al-Maqdis (i.e., at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem) is equal to five hundred ordinary prayers” (Al-Bayhaqi).

We offer you an overview of the most important mosques in the world!

Al-Haram Mosque (Forbidden Mosque), Makkah

Al-Haram Mosque is the largest mosque in the world. It is also called Haram beit-Ullah (“Forbidden House of Allah”, or “Holy House of Allah”). Located in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It surrounds the most important and valuable shrine of Islam - the Kaaba. It is here that millions of pilgrims gather during the Hajj. At the moment of performing namaz (prayer), Muslims, wherever they are, are directed towards the Kaaba. And those who pray in Mecca itself perform prayers built around the Kaaba. Any Muslim should come to this blessed place at least once in his life. Since Hajj is the fifth pillar of Islam.

The beautiful Al-Haram Mosque (Mecca, Saudi Arabia)

Masha Allah.


al-Masjid al-Haram (Forbidden Mosque), Mecca (Saudi Arabia)

This mosque with a huge area of ​​more than 400 thousand square meters. During the Hajj period, the mosque can accommodate about 4 million pilgrims. You will not see such a large-scale and bewitching spectacle anywhere else. It has nine minarets, the height of which is 95 meters. There are 7 escalators inside the building. All rooms are air conditioned. Not far from the entrance to the Al-Haram Mosque, the Abraj al-Beit complex is located, which surpassed others in its massiveness, and is considered the second tallest skyscraper in the world.


Abraj al-Bayt complex in Mecca

An-Nabawi Mosque (Mosque of the Prophet), Medina

The second most important mosque (after the Forbidden Mosque) is Al-Nabawi (Mosque of the Prophet). It is located in Medina, Saudi Arabia. In the very center of the mosque is the Green Dome, where the grave of the Messenger of Allah (salallahu alayhi wa salam) is located. Also, the first two righteous caliphs Abu Bakr al-Siddiq and Umar ibn al-Khattab (peace be upon them both) are buried in this mosque.
She was built
Prophet Muhammad (salallahu alayhi wa salam) and his companions, after the Hijra (migration) of Muslims from Mecca to Medina.
Today it is one of the largest mosques, as the following Islamic rulers expanded and embellished the shrine. The mosque has ten minarets, each with a height of 105 meters. The walls and floors of the mosque are covered with marble and stones of various colors. Inside the mosque, even in the heat of the day, it is cool and comfortable, as there are special air conditioners. The entire first floor is occupied by the prayer hall. The largest prayer hall in the world. The mosque can accommodate up to 1 million pilgrims during the Hajj period.


Mosque of the Prophet, peace be upon him, an-Nabawi in Medina

The Prophet's Mosque in Medina is not only ancient, but also very beautiful

Al-Aqsa (Remote Mosque), Jerusalem

Al-Aqsa - translated from Arabic means a remote mosque. The mosque is the third holiest site in Islam after the Forbidden Mosque in Noble Mecca and the Mosque of the Prophet Muhammad (salaallahu alayhi wa salam) in the Serene Medina. It is located in the old part of Jerusalem on the Temple Mount. At first it was a small prayer house, which was built by the decree of the righteous caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab. Further, the mosque was expanded and completed by other rulers. The basis of the structure is 7 galleries: central, 3 western, 3 eastern. The first gallery differs from the rest, as it is located on a dais and is larger in width. Up to 5,000 believers can pray in the mosque at the same time.


The Al-Aqsa Mosque is located on the Temple Mount of Jerusalem

The center of the building is adorned with an unusual dome, decorated on the inside with mosaics, and on the outside with special lead plates and has a grayish color. It is assumed that after the work carried out, the dome will be decorated with gilded copper sheets. During the construction of the mosque, various precious materials were used, such as gold, white marble, stalactite, limestone. This gives the building an ancient look and makes visitors think about its history. There is a spacious basement under the Al-Aqsa building. At the time when the crusaders owned the building of the mosque, they kept horses in the cellars, hence the name - Solomon's stables.


Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa in Jerusalem

This blessed mosque should hold an important place in the heart of a righteous Muslim. This is the only mosque whose name is mentioned in the Holy Quran. It is also the first qibla in Islam before being transferred to Mecca. It is reported that Al-Bara said:

“For sixteen or seventeen months we, together with the Messenger of Allah, prayed towards Bayt al-Maqdis, and then changed (the direction of our faces in prayer) to the Kaaba” (Al-Bukhari).

This place is associated with the night movement (isra) of the Messenger of Allah (salallahu aleikhi wa salam) from Mecca to al-Aqsa (Jerusalem) and his ascension.


Ayat from the Qur'an

Back in the era of Caliph Abd al-Malik, another mosque was built, not far from Al-Aqsa. It was called Kubbat As-Sahra (Dome of the Rock). Al-Aqsa Mosque is often confused with the Dome of the Rock Mosque.


Have you visited any of these mosques? Share your impressions!

general information

Al-Haram is a cathedral mosque where the Muslim community prays on Friday noon. The building can accommodate 900 thousand believers, and during the Hajj it gathers up to 4 million Muslim pilgrims! But the authenticity of the temple of Allah is manifested not only in its capacity. The history of construction, the specifics of architecture, a special status for believers - all this makes Masjid al-Haram a unique monument of the Islamic religion, to the walls of which hundreds of thousands of Muslims come.

History of Al-Haram Mosque

Protected, great, forbidden - these epithets were called the main mosque of the holy city of Mecca. As mentioned above, the architectural monument contains the greatness of Islam and the holy Kaaba, which, according to the Koran, was erected by the prophet Abraham at the direction of Allah. After the construction was completed, an angel brought a stone, which crowned the eastern corner of the cubic building. Obeying the revelation, the prophet spoke about the most important shrine of Islam, to which every self-respecting Muslim can make a pilgrimage.

It was around the Kaaba in 638 that the construction of the first temple to serve God began, but it became known only by 1570. Initially, the Forbidden Mosque looked like an open space surrounded by wooden columns, in the center of which was the building of “al-Bayt al-Haram” (the second name of the Kaaba is “sacred house”).

Reconstructions of the Masjid al-Haram

In the 7th century, during the first reconstruction of the mosque, the wooden columns were replaced with marble ones, the prayer hall expanded, and minarets were added near the mosque building.

But even the reconstructed Al-Haram mosque could not accommodate all the Muslim pilgrims, whose number increased every year. This was the reason for the second reconstruction, this time in the 16th century. Domes, calligraphically painted from the inside, took the place of the roof of the mosque, and the supporting columns were again replaced.

When the Kaaba was damaged by heavy rains, it was rebuilt using stones from Mecca. It seemed that the fate of the reconstruction would not affect Al-Haram itself, but the number of minarets of the Blue Mosque in Istanbul determined the future fate of the building. Sultan Ahmed, listening to the words of the Imam of Mecca, gave the order to build the seventh minaret, because no mosque can be equal to the one that keeps the Kaaba in itself.

Three centuries later, Masjid al-Haram was reconstructed twice. Ultimately, the gates of King Fahd were added to the building of the mosque, through which Muslims entered the new complex with two minarets.

The 21st century has become significant for the mosque: another full-scale reconstruction has unfolded on its territory. The architectural composition of Al-Haram was joined by two minarets and the gate of King Abdullah. About $10.5 billion was spent on the construction.

The architectural complex of the Al-Haram Mosque

At the moment, the main architectural monument of Islam occupies an area of ​​357 thousand km². Masjid al-Haram has 500 marble columns and 9 minarets, reaching a height of 95 meters. You can enter the territory of the sacred place through the main gate. There are only four of them: the gates of al-Fath, the gates of al-‘Umra, the gates of King Fahd and the gates of King ‘Abd al-‘Aziz. In addition to them, there are 44 secondary entrances through which Muslim pilgrims pass daily. Lighting in the mosque is created by two special power plants.

There are escalators on the territory of Al-Haram, which greatly facilitate the movement. The main rooms are equipped with modern air conditioning, so it is always cool here, even if you are wearing thick clothes. The layout of the Masjid al-Haram includes separate rooms for prayers and ablution (the latter are divided into male and female).

During the pilgrimage, the three floors of the mosque are not enough for the influx of those wishing to offer a prayer to Allah. For this reason, many Muslims are accommodated in cellar prayer rooms or on the roof, which is finished with marble slabs for this purpose.

Tragedies in the sacred land of Al-Haram

Hajj is not the only event that was remembered by the walls of the oldest mosque in the world. Unfortunately, tragedies also took place in Al-Haram, which darkened the memory of Muslim believers.

Terrorist act at the end of the 20th century

In November 1979, thousands of Muslims gathered on the grounds of Masjid al-Haram for traditional morning prayers. Peaceful peace was broken by shots that echoed inside the building. Clubs - the only weapons of protection - were not enough to resist. Unknown persons, armed to the teeth, took complete control of the mosque, blocking the exits from it and turning the high minarets into firing points. Subsequently, it turned out that none other than Juhayman al-Utaibi, who had previously served in the national guard, was behind the organization of the terrorist act. In his main comrade-in-arms - Muhammad al-Utahni - the rebels saw the renovator of the Islamic religion, promised to them in ancient times by the prophecy of the Mahdi, so they unquestioningly obeyed their commander.

The terrorists kept the pilgrims under siege for two weeks before being crushed by Saudi forces. The number of victims reached 255 people, including both extremists and believers. Juhayman al-Utaibi and his henchmen were subjected to a public execution - beheading in the central square of Mecca.

Falling crane on the mosque

A massive sandstorm that hit the holy city in September 2015 caused a tragedy during construction. The crane fell right into the eastern part of the Masjid al-Haram, thereby breaking through the roof. 107 people became victims of the incident, about 240 believers were injured. Despite the tragedy, the Hajj still took place.

The main mosque of the city is repeatedly mentioned in the Koran, and this makes it a unique monument of the Islamic religion. Several facts are of particular interest.

  • According to legend, the Black Stone, mounted in the eastern corner of the Kaaba, was originally white, but later changed color to black from the filth and sins of mankind. Later, the cane of the Prophet Muhammad touched the stone, thereby making it a shrine.
  • The corners of the cubic Kaaba are oriented to four cardinal points: northern (Iraqi), eastern (stone), southern (Yemeni) and western (Levantine).
  • The Bani-Shaybakh family has been guarding the entrance to the main shrine of Muslims for a long time. Their descendant was chosen for this role by the Prophet Muhammad himself. The tradition continues to this day. The family regularly bathes the Kaaba twice a year: two weeks before the Hajj and before Ramadan.
  • Muslims always pray, turning their faces to Mecca (more precisely, to the mosque and the Kaaba, located in it). In Islam, this custom is called "Qibla" - the direction in which all religious rituals must be performed.
  • In addition to the Kaaba, Masjid al-Haram hides other shrines within its walls: maqam Ibrahim and the Zamzam well.

The popularity of the Al-Haram Mosque has been the main reason for the improvement of infrastructure in its vicinity. In particular, the complex of skyscrapers Abraj al-Beit was erected. Some of its towers are occupied by hotels, whose guests daily admire the greatness of the Islamic religion directly from the windows of their own rooms.

How to get there

Tourists who do not profess Islam are deprived of the opportunity to visit the largest mosque in the city, but Muslims can come to its walls at any time. The address is known to every believer: Mecca 24231. There are two ways to get to the Al-Haram mosque: on foot and by car. In the second case, you should go along the roads number 15, King Fahd Rd or King Abdul Aziz Rd.

Pilgrims say that in this sacred place, the connection with Allah is the strongest. The prayer uttered here is considered the most sincere and spiritual. In the mosque there is no difference between rich and poor, good and bad, light-skinned and swarthy, young and old. Masjid al-Haram is the only place of its kind where every Muslim experiences incomparable reverence, which is why the sacred mosque of Mecca annually becomes a haven for millions of Muslim believers.

Masjid al-Haram is the most important shrine for Muslims. Its significance is evidenced at least by the fact that on the territory the forbidden mosqueis the Kaaba, called the House of Allah.

Every Muslim who makes a pilgrimage visits this place for the purpose of performing namaz, as well as performing some.

HistoryReserve mosque

Masjid al-Haram dates back to the time of the Prophet Adam (peace be upon him), who built the original version of the Kaaba. It existed until the era of the prophet Nuh (Noah, a.s.) and was destroyed as a result of the flood. The restoration of the shrine at the behest of the Lord of the worlds was undertaken by the prophet Ibrahim (Abraham, a.s.) and his eldest son, the prophet Ismail (a.s.), who later became the forefather of the entire Arab people.

The episode of the construction of the House of the Almighty is recorded in the Holy Quran:

"We commanded Ibrahim and Ismail to cleanse My House..." (2:125)

Over time, the Kaaba turned into the main pagan temple of Arabia. Most Arabs until the 7th century worshiped various idols that were inside the House. But, despite this, Allah protected His Kaaba from destruction by natural disasters, as well as by some people who wanted to destroy it.

With the beginning of the prophetic mission of Muhammad (S.G.V.), the Kaaba was especially revered by both Muslims and polytheists. After some time, believers began to pray, turning their faces precisely to the House. Although the Kaaba formally remained a pagan temple.

After the conquest of Mecca, it was cleared of idols, and Muslims were able to freely make a pilgrimage to the shrine. During the reign of Umar ibn Khattab (r.a.), the first mosque appeared near the Kaaba, which was repeatedly expanded over time.

In recent history, a major reconstruction of the complex took place in the second half of the 80s of the last century. Then it was decided to attach a large building to the mosque, in which the main entrance is now located.

Today, Masjid al-Haram is a huge architectural complex with a total area of ​​400,000 square meters. He is able to receive about a million believers. There are 9 minarets in total, two of them adorn the main gate.

Attractions of the main mosque of the world

On the territory of the prayer complex there are many objects, each of which is important in its own way for all Muslims of the planet:

1. Kaaba

The most important attraction, of course, is the Holy Kaaba, in the direction of which believers regularly pray. It has the shape of a cube. For most of the lunar year, its building is covered with kiswa (a black cloth on which suras and verses of the Koran are embroidered with golden threads).

The Kaaba became the first temple in the history of mankind, created for the purpose of worshiping the One Creator, as evidenced in Revelation:

"Indeed, the first house built for people is the one in Becca (Mecca)" (3:96)

Every year, many hundreds of thousands of believers during the Hajj or perform a 7-fold circumambulation of the Kaaba in the Al-Haram Mosque.

2. Black stone

The second shrine is the sacred black stone Aswad, set in one of the corners of the Kaaba and covered with a silver frame. Initially, it was white, but turned black due to the attraction of human sins. In one of the hadiths of the Prophet (S.G.V.) it is said: “The black stone was sent to us from Paradise. Previously, it was whiter than milk, but it turned black because of the sins of the sons of Adam ”(Tirmidhi).

During the pilgrimage, believers try to touch it, since this is considered sunnah, that is, a desirable act. Abu Tufail said that the Mercy of the worlds Muhammad (s.g.v.), going around the Kaaba, brought the staff to Aswad, and then kissed the staff ”(Muslim).

3. Makam Ibrahima

During the construction of the Kaaba, the prophet Ismail (a.s.) rolled stones, and his father Ibrahim (a.s.) did the masonry. When the walls rose and it became difficult to build, Ismail (AS) rolled a large stone to continue work on the construction of the House of the Almighty. It is this place where the prophet Ibrahim (AS) stood, and is called Maqam. There was even a footprint on it.

Maqam Ibrahim is located near the Kaaba and today it is fenced with a glass pillar. During the pilgrimage, believers try to look at him.

4. Hijr Ismail

This is a semicircular wall near the Kaaba, which is considered the burial place of the prophet Ismail (AS). The space between Hijr Ismail and Kaaba also belongs to the territory of the House of Allah and is considered sacred. For this reason, pilgrims making their rounds do not go there.

5. Source of Zam-zam

The fifth attraction is from which the purest water flows. Every pilgrim tries to drink this water, which has many beneficial properties. In addition, they often take it to their native lands to treat their relatives and friends. The Messenger of the Lord of the Worlds (s.g.v.) claimed that Zam-zam is “the best water on earth” (Tabarani).

6. The peaks of Safa and Marva

Ritual running between two hills is one of the most important elements of the Hajj. The history of this rite dates back to the time of the prophet Ibrahim (AS), who, at the behest of Allah, left his son Ismail (AS) and his mother, Hajar, in the Arabian desert. When they ran out of water supplies, she went in search of her. In that area there were two peaks - as-Safa and al-Marwa, climbing which Hadjar hoped to find a source of life-giving moisture. She crossed the path between the peaks seven times. That is why Muslims during the pilgrimage make a seven-time run between the peaks.

Advantages of Al-Haram Mosque

The main mosque in the entire Muslim world attracts every believer for a reason - it has a number of advantages that are incomparable with other places:

  • Great reward for prayer. Any person who prays on the territory of the mosque, by the will of Allah, will receive a reward many times greater than the reward for performing an act of worship elsewhere. The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) stated: “Namaz in Masjid al-Haram is a hundred thousand times greater than a prayer performed in another mosque” (hadith from Bukhari). That is, if we take fard prayers, then we will perform 100 thousand such prayers for 54 years, moreover. And this is approximately equal to the entire period of a person's life after puberty, when the performance of prayer is imputed as a duty of a Muslim.
  • Prayer by the Greatest Prophets on the territory of the Sacred Mosque in Mecca, among which: Ibrahim, Ismail, Muhammad (peace be upon them all).
  • The first mosque in the world. Once a Sahab named Abu Dharr (r.a.) asked the Final Messenger of the Almighty (s.g.v.): “Which mosque was built before the rest?” To which the answer was: “Mosque al-Haram” (hadith from Bukhari and Muslim).
  • Forbidden territory. The entire area of ​​the complex is sacred - Allah forbade killings and any other negative deeds here, since the mosque serves as a place of worship. The Mercy of the Worlds Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) instructed: “Allah has made Mecca forbidden, and it is not allowed for a believer to shed blood in it and cut down trees” (Bukhari).

There are three main mosques in the Muslim world: Al Haram (Forbidden Mosque) in Mecca, Al Nabawi (Mosque of the Prophet) in Medina and Al-Aqsa (Remote Mosque) in Jerusalem.

All these mosques are very important for Muslims, and each of them has its own specific meaning.

Al-Haram Mosque (Forbidden Mosque)

The Al-Haram Mosque is the main Muslim temple located in Saudi Arabia, in Mecca. The Kaaba is located in the courtyard of this mosque.

Al-Haram Mosque (Forbidden Mosque) during Hajj

The Kaaba is a shrine of Islam, which is a cubic stone structure in the courtyard, in the center of the Holy Mosque (al-Masjed al-Haram) in Mecca. This is the main sanctuary of Islam, which Muslims call al-Bait al-Haram, which means "sacred house". The very name "Kaaba" comes from the word "cube". The height of the building is 15 meters. Length and width - 10 and 12 meters respectively. The corners of the Kaaba are oriented to the cardinal points, and each of them has its own name: Yemeni (southern), Iraqi (northern), Levantine (western) and stone (eastern). The Kaaba is made of granite and covered with a cloth on top, and inside it there is a room where a door made of pure gold leads, which weighs 286 kilograms.

Almost three hundred kilograms of the purest gold were used to finish the door.

In the eastern corner of the Kaaba, at the level of one and a half meters, the Black Stone (al-Hajar al-Eswad) is mounted, bordered by a silver rim. This is a hard stone of irregular oval shape, black in color with a scarlet tint. It has red spots and yellow wavy lines at the junctions of the broken parts. The diameter of the stone is about thirty centimeters. He, as Muslims are sure, was sent by Allah from heaven. The Black Stone is the most famous sacred meteorite, the nature of which is still unknown. The stone is very fragile, but it floats in water. After the Black Stone was stolen in 930, when it returned to Mecca, its authenticity was established precisely by its property not to sink in water. The Kaaba burned twice, and in 1626 it was flooded - as a result, the Black Stone split into 15 pieces. Now they are fastened with cement mortar and enclosed in a silver frame. The visible surface of the stone is 16 by 20 centimeters. It is believed that Allah sent the Black Stone to Adam and Eve as a sign of forgiveness.

Until now, seven fragments of the Stone are held in place by a large silver frame that goes around the corner of the Kaaba and hides most of it, leaving the pilgrims only a small hole for kisses and touches.

Governor of Mecca Prince Khaled Al-Faisal at the Black Stone during the traditional washing of the Kaaba

The Kaaba has a special meaning in Muslim rituals. In the direction of the Kaaba, Muslims around the world turn their faces during prayer. Around this building during the Hajj, believing Muslims perform a ceremony tawaf - ritual sevenfold circumambulation of the Kaaba counterclockwise. During this rite, worship is performed on the Iraqi and Yemeni corners of the Kaaba, in which pilgrims touch with their hands, kiss this building and pray near it. According to Muslim tradition, a stone is placed in the Kaaba, which God gave to Adam after the fall and expulsion from paradise, when the first person realized his sin and repented of it. Another legend tells that the stone is Adam's guardian angel, who was turned into stone for overlooking and allowing the fall of the first person entrusted to his protection. According to Arabic legend, after being expelled from paradise, Adam and Eve (Hava) were separated - Adam ended up in Sri Lanka (Ceylon), and Eve - not far from Mecca, on the shores of the Red Sea, in places where the port of Jeddah is now located. On the outskirts of this city, Khava's grave is allegedly still located. They met Adam only after two hundred years, and it happened in the Mecca region. After a long separation, they got to know each other on Mount Arafat, which is also sacred to the Arabs. Adam, however, even after meeting his wife, missed the temple where he prayed in paradise. Then God brought down a copy of that temple for him from heaven. According to legend, when the Black Stone was lowered from the sky, it was dazzling white and at the same time shone so that it could be seen for four days on the way to Mecca. But over time, from the touch of numerous sinners, the stone began to darken until it turned black. The time of construction of the Kaaba and its builders are unknown. According to legend, the Kaaba was built by the first man - Adam, but it was destroyed by the Flood, and even the place where it stood was forgotten. The shrine was restored by Patriarch Abraham (Ibrahim) with his son Ismail, the ancestor of the local peoples. Abraham built the Kaaba with the help of one miraculous device. It was a flat stone on which the forefather Abraham stood, and this stone could fly above the ground and rise to any height, performing the function of mobile scaffolding. It has survived, is located a few meters from the Kaaba and is called Maqam Ibrahim (Ibrahim's standing place) and, despite the fact that it has long lost its flying properties, is also a Muslim shrine. The footprint of Abraham-Ibrahim remained on it. A dome was erected over this stone over time. Archangel Gabriel (Jabrail) helped Ibrahim in the restoration of the Kaaba. From him, Ibrahim and Ismail learned that the temple they built is an exact copy of the temple in which Adam prayed. For the peoples and tribes of the Arabian Peninsula, the Kaaba was traditionally a sacred building long before the rise of Islam. The Kaaba was the main sanctuary of the Hijaz, a historical region in the southwest of the Arabian Peninsula. Arabs from ancient times believed that the Kaaba is the house of God, and made pilgrimages to it.

Thanks to this shrine, Mecca became famous - now it is the holy city of Islam, located seventy kilometers from the Red Sea coast, in a very arid and unsuitable for agriculture area. The only factor that made these places attractive for people to settle there is the source of fresh water - Zamzam. The location of Mecca on the trade routes of the region also turned out to be successful. The appearance of the source, according to local legend, happened miraculously - God created it for the sake of the patriarch Abraham (Ibrahim) and his son Ismail - the ancestor of the Arab tribes. It was considered one of the seven holy places by the Sabeans of Persia and Chaledonia. The rest of their shrines were considered: Mars - the top of the mountain in Isfahan; Mandusan in India; Hay Bahar in Balkh; Gamdan's house in Sana'a; Kausan in Fergana, Khorasan; House in Upper China. Many of the Sabaeans believed that the Kaaba was the House of Saturn, as it was the oldest known building in that era. The Persians also made a pilgrimage to the Kaaba, believing that the spirit of Tormoz dwells there. The Jews also respected this shrine. They worshiped the same God there. With no less reverence, Christians came to the Kaaba. However, over time, the Kaaba became an exclusively Muslim shrine. The idols revered by the pagans were destroyed in 630 by the prophet Muhammad, who was born in Mecca and, according to the Koran, was a descendant of the prophet Abraham (Ibrahim). He left only the images of the Virgin Mary and Jesus that were there. Their images were not accidentally painted there: Christians lived in Mecca, and besides them, Jews, as well as Hanifs - righteous followers of faith in the one God, who were not part of any of the religious communities. The Prophet not only did not cancel the pilgrimage to the shrine, but he himself respectfully kissed the Kaaba with his staff. In the second year after the Hijra, or according to the calendar more familiar to us - in 623-624 years of our era, the prophet Muhammad established that Muslims should pray, turning towards the Kaaba. Until then, they had prayed with their faces turned toward Jerusalem. Muslim pilgrims flocked to the Kaaba to Mecca. They believe that the shrine is a prototype of the heavenly Kaaba, around which the angels also perform tawaf. The holy place was also destroyed in 930, when the Qarmatians, Shia Ismaili sectarians from Bahrain, stole the Black Stone, which was returned to its place only 21 years later. After this incident, some doubts arose about its authenticity, but they were dispelled by an investigative experiment: the stone was thrown into the water and made sure that it did not sink. But the adventures of the Black Stone did not end there: in 1050, the caliph of Egypt sent his man to Mecca with the task of destroying the shrine. And then, twice, the Kaaba was engulfed by fire, and in 1626, by a flood. As a result of all these disasters, the stone broke into 15 pieces. In our time, they are fastened with cement and inserted into a silver setting. Reverence for the Kaaba is also expressed in wrapping the relic with a special veil - kisvoy. It is updated annually. Its upper part is decorated with sayings from the Koran embroidered with gold; 875 square meters of fabric are used to make a kiswa. The first to cover the Kaaba with canvases decorated with silver embroidery was the Tubba (King) of Yemen, Abu Bakr Asad. His successors continued this custom. Various types of fabrics were used. The tradition of covering the Kaaba has undergone significant changes: initially, before the pilgrimage to Mecca of the Abbasid caliph Al-Mahdi in 160 after the Hijra, the covers on the structure were simply put on each other. After the cover was worn out, a new one was put on top. However, the servants of the Forbidden Mosque expressed their fears to the ruler of the Caliphate that the building might simply not withstand the weight of the blankets piled one on top of the other. The caliph agreed with their opinion and ordered that the Kaaba be covered with no more than one cover at a time. Since then, this rule has been strictly observed. The inside of the building is also decorated with curtains. The family of Beni Sheibe is following all this order. The shrine is open to the public only during the Kaaba washing ceremony, and this happens only twice a year: two weeks before the start of the holy month of Ramadan and within two weeks after the Hajj. From the son of Abraham, Ismail, Kaaba was inherited by the southern Arab tribe of the Jurhumites, who enjoyed the support of the Babylonians. And in the 3rd century AD, they were supplanted by another southern Arab tribe, the Banu Khuzaa. Out of desperation, the Jurhumites, leaving Mecca, destroyed the Kaaba and covered up the source of Zamzam. The Khuzaites restored the Kaaba, and from the middle of the 3rd century BC, the Kaaba became the pantheon of the Arab tribes. The leader of the Khuzaites at that time was Amr ibn Luhey, who became the ruler of Mecca and the patron of the Kaaba. Contrary to the initial monotheism of Abraham-Ibrahim and his son Ismail, he placed idols in the Kaaba and encouraged people to worship them. The first idol he set up - Hubal - he brought from Syria. Quraysh - another Arab tribe that lived in the Mecca region and descended from Adnan, one of the descendants of Ismail, and his wife, the daughter of the leader of the Khuzaites, expelled the Khuzaites from Mecca and gained control of the city and the temple around 440-450. From this tribe came the prophet Mohammed, who glorified the Kaaba to the whole world. Before his preaching, the Kaaba was the center of numerous religious cults. In the center of the Kaaba stood the idol of Hubal - the deity of the Quraysh tribe. He was considered the lord of heaven, the lord of thunder and rain. Over time, another 360 idols of pagan gods, which were worshiped by the Arabs, were placed there. Near them sacrifices were made and fortune-telling was made. Quarrels and bloodshed were strictly forbidden at this place. It is interesting that among the characters of pagan cults there were images of Abraham (Ibrahim) and Ismail with prophetic arrows in their hands; Isa (Jesus) and Mariam with the baby (Virgin Mary). As you can see, everyone found in this place something close to their faith. Pilgrims came to Mecca regularly. Twice a year, a lot of people came to the local fair. The Kaaba was known and revered far beyond the Arabian Peninsula. She was honored by the Hindu, according to the beliefs of which the spirit of Siwa, the third person of Trimurti, accompanied by his wife during a visit to the Hijaz, entered the Black Stone.

The building itself has been rebuilt many times. For the first time - under the second righteous caliph Umar ibn Abd al-Khattab. During the Umayyad period, Caliph Abd al-Malik restored the building, expanded the boundaries of the Holy Mosque, he also installed arches decorated with mosaics, which were specially brought from Syria and Egypt. During the reign of the Abbasids, at the direction of Caliph Abu Jafar al-Mansur, the mosque was further expanded and a gallery was erected along its perimeter. The area around the Kaaba was also thoroughly rebuilt by the Ottoman Sultan Abd al-Majid. And in the recent past, in 1981, the space around the relic was reconstructed by the King of Saudi Arabia, Fahd ibn Abd al-Aziz. Now the territory of the Masjid al-Haram mosque with an area around the Kaaba is 193,000 square meters. At the same time, 130,000 Muslims can visit it. At the corners of the mosque there are 10 minarets, six of which (together with the superstructures in the form of a crescent) reach a height of 105 meters. What is the Black Stone embedded in the structure is still unknown. Some scientists consider it a very large meteorite. This opinion is disputed by a weighty argument that a stone cannot be an iron meteorite, based on its cracks, nor can it be a stone meteorite, since it cannot withstand movement and floats in water. Other researchers tend to see in the stone a large piece of unknown volcanic rock: rocky Arabia is rich in extinct volcanoes. It is known that this is not basalt or agate. However, the expressed opinion that the stone is not a meteorite is subjected to serious criticism. In 1980, researcher Elizabeth Thomsen suggested that the Black Stone has an impact nature - it is molten sand mixed with meteorite material. It comes from the Wabar crater, located 1800 kilometers from Mecca, in the Empty Quarter of Saudi Arabia. The stone from this crater is a hardened porous glass, it is quite hard and brittle, can float in water and has inclusions of white glass (crystals) and grains of sand (stripes). However, such a coherent theory has its weak point: the conclusion made by scientists based on the results of several measurements indicates the age of the crater, which is only a few centuries. The confusion comes from other measurements, suggesting that the crater is about 6,400 years old. There are actually three craters in Vabar. They are scattered over an area of ​​about 500 by 1000 meters and have diameters of 116.64 and 11 meters. The Bedouin nomads call this place al-Hadida - iron objects. In an area of ​​half a square kilometer, there are many fragments of black glass, white stones from baked sand and iron pieces, partially covered with sand. The iron stones from the vicinity of the Vabar craters have a smooth surface covered with a black coating. The largest piece of iron and nickel found there by scientists weighs 2,200 kilograms and is called the Camel's Hump. It was discovered by a scientific expedition in 1965 and was later put on display at the Royal University of the Arabian capital Riyadh. The smooth cone-shaped stone appears to be a piece of a meteorite that fell to the ground and broke into several fragments. The holy book of Muslims - the Koran contains a story about the king of the city of Ubar named Aad. He mocked the prophet of Allah. For their wickedness, the city of Ubar and all its inhabitants were destroyed by a black cloud brought by a hurricane. The English researcher Harry Philby became interested in this story. The place most likely for the location of the lost city, he considered the Empty Quarter. However, instead of ruins - the works of human hands, he found fragments of a meteorite in that place. According to the traces left by this event, it was found that the energy released during the fall of the meteorite was equivalent to a nuclear explosion with a yield of about 12 kilotons, which is comparable to the explosion in Hiroshima. Other meteorites are known to have caused even more powerful impacts, but the case of Vabar has an important peculiarity. The meteorite fell into an open sandy place, dry and isolated enough that it is an ideal natural storage. There it was easy to find both the nomads of antiquity and modern scientists. The latter cannot yet give a definitive answer to the riddle of the Black Stone.

Al-Nabawi (Mosque of the Prophet)

Al-Nabawi (Mosque of the Prophet) is the second most important Muslim mosque (after the Forbidden Mosque), located in Saudi Arabia, in Medina. Under the Green Dome of the Al-Nabawi Mosque is the grave of the Prophet, the founder of Islam, Muhammad. The first two Muslim caliphs Abu Bakr and Umar are also buried in the mosque.

Al-Nabawi Mosque (Mosque of the Prophet) in Medina

Green Dome (Prophet's Dome)

Tomb of Prophet Muhammad. Next to it, the first two caliphs, Abu Bakr and Umar, are buried, and on the other side there is another area that looks like an empty grave. Many Islamic scholars and Quran scholars believe that this grave site is reserved for the prophet Isa (Jesus), who will return to Earth to kill the Dajjal (Antichrist), and then rule the revived Caliphate for 40 years.

The first mosque on this site was built during the lifetime of Mohammed, who himself took part in the construction. The layout of this building has been adopted for other mosques around the world. When Muhammad was forty years old, the archangel Jabrail appeared to him and called him to serve. Muhammad began his sermons in Mecca, seeking to turn the Arabs away from pagan polytheism and convert them to the true faith. In 622, due to strong pressure from the religious leaders of Mecca, Muhammad was forced to flee to the city of Yathrib, located several hundred kilometers away. In Yathrib (which was later renamed Medina), he managed to organize the first Muslim community. A few years later, the Muslim movement grew so much that Muhammad was able to create a large army, which in 630 captured Mecca without a fight. Thus the first Muslim state was formed.

Al-Aqsa Mosque (Remote Mosque)

Al-Aqsa Mosque (Arabic: المسجد الاقصى‎‎ - extreme mosque) is a Muslim temple in the Old City of Jerusalem on the Temple Mount. It is the third holiest site in Islam after the Al-Haram Mosque in Mecca and the Prophet's Mosque in Medina. Islam associates Isra (the night journey of the Prophet Muhammad from Mecca to Jerusalem) and miraj (ascension) with this place. On the site of the al-Aqsa mosque, the Prophet Muhammad, as an imam, prayed with all the prophets sent before him.

Al-Aqsa Mosque (Remote Mosque) in Jerusalem

Founded in 636 by Caliph Omar on the site of a Jewish temple destroyed by the Romans, the Al-Aqsa Mosque was significantly expanded and rebuilt under Caliph Abd al-Malik in 693. Under Caliph Abd al-Malik, another mosque was built near Al-Aqsa, called Kubbat As-Sahra (Dome of the Rock). Nowadays, the Dome of the Rock Mosque is often confused with the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Qubbat As-Sahra Mosque (Dome of the Rock)

Often the huge golden dome of the adjacent Qubbat al-Sakhra (“Dome of the Rock”) mosque is confused with the more modest dome of the Al-Aqsa mosque, calling the said golden dome of the Kubbat al-Sahra the dome of the “Mosque of Omar”. But it is Al-Aqsa that has its second name the name "Mosque of Omar" in honor of its founder Caliph Umar (Omar) and is the historical center of two mosques on the Temple Mount, and not the Kubbat as-Sahra mosque, which, nevertheless, in architectural plan is the center of the complex.

temple platform