Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Makkah

"And (remember) when Ibrahim (Abraham) said, "My Lord, make this city (Makkah) a place of security and provide its people with fruits, such of them as believe in Allah and the Last Day." He (Allah) answered: "As for him who disbelieves, I shall leave him in contentment for a while, then I shall compel him to the torment of the Fire, and worst indeed is that destination!"
Quran[2:126]


"O our Lord! I have made some of my offspring to dwell in a valley without cultivation, by Thy Sacred House; in order, O our Lord that they may establish regular prayer: so fill the hearts of some among men with love towards them, and feed them with Fruits: so that they may give thanks. (37) " Quran[14:37]

Muslims allover the world turn their faces to Makkah when they pray. As for the people of Makkah , they face the holy mosque and people in the holy mosque should turn to the Ka'ba. the cube shaped sanctuary that was built by Ibraheem peace be upon him.

Makkah is awesome. the first impression it gives you is that there is a struggle with the cruel nature. The rough surface makes it hard to construct roads or buildings. but those tall buildings everywhere and steep roads will tell you that technology is winning the battle. Long tunnels dug through mountains and hotels built on top of them, and construction work everywhere. God chose this spot for his holy mosque, and therefore all these buildings and roads will be constructed to serve the guests of Allah no matter how rough or hard the surface is. Muslims from all races ,with all colors and from all countries speaking all languages and wearing all costumes . Makkah doesn't manufacture or produce anything. Everything is transported to it. The whole city is centered around the sacred mosque. Indeed the prayers of Ibraheem have been answered.

I will not waste the time talking. Makkah cannot be described by words. not even by photos. But I will try. let's start by the center and heart of the holy city: the sacred mosque.

Note: click any photo to view in full size

First: the Ka'ba and the haram


Very close to the Ka'baThey work continuously to keep the haram shiny


Maqam Ibraheem a very close picture. The photo isn't very clear but you can see the foot print of Ibraheem peace be upon him left on the stone. Some say that Ibraheem used to stand on it while building the Ka'ba to be able to place stones higher, while others say he only stood over it to judge whether the building is upright and stable and this is why it's placed at a distance from the ka'ba.

The haram at night when it gets crowded (Of course it gets much more crowded in Ramadan and during hajj) picture taken from the second floor

People in Tawaf asking forgiveness

The Minarets and the mosque from outside:

One of the two minarets at king Fahd's gate in the early morning light


I failed to capture the two minarets and the gate together in one picture. a part of the minaret is missing. I needed to move further but it was immediately after noon and the sun was in my eye :)The last two pictures above show a bridge near King AbdulAziz gate that leads directly to second floor

The stunning interior:picture is taken from the second floor


picture taken from the same spot as the previous one but this time looking upwards. this is one of the three big domes.

I still have much more pictures to share. pictures of the great extension project carried on in the recent time and the huge demolitions made in many parts around the haram and the newly built Mas'a, other photos for the streets of Makkah. but those are enough for this post.

3 comments:

Mohamed Samir said...

nice blog and nice post keep on.

Anonymous said...

ma sha2 ALLAH...nice post ya Yasser keep it up (^_^)...we ya Rab aroo7 henak tany ed3y ly :'(

Anonymous said...

really a gr8 post in the ryt time,i wish u best of luck in this new blog and it's idea is really nice and u r one of the best thinkers i have ever met;) ,a very special one , i'll try to participate in this blog as much as i can so as to learn how to be a thinker like u ;) , i think that's enough as a comment for ur first post :d