Masjid al-Haram, the Great Mosque of Mecca, is the holiest mosque in Islam and, as of 2026, the largest in the world. At its center stands the Kaaba, the cuboid building that worshippers circle. The mosque has grown in stages for centuries. Caliph Umar enlarged it in 637 to about 3,600 square meters, and later rulers added porticoes, marble columns and minarets.
In 1570 Selim II commissioned the architect Mimar Sinan, who replaced the flat roof with domes decorated with calligraphy. Murad IV's renovation of 1629 added a stone arcade and brought the minarets to seven. Saudi expansions since 1955 have added more minarets, enclosed the gallery between Safa and Marwa, and built new gates. Today 13 minarets rise 456 feet (139 m), and the site covers 88 acres (356,000 sq m), with room for 3.0 million worshippers.
Only Muslims may enter Mecca, so others cannot visit the mosque.
Comments