The government of Saudi Arabia will renovate historic mosques as old as Holy Prophet’s era on the order of Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman.
Saudi Arabia has initiated the Project for the Development of Historic Mosques that aims to renovate and preserve the structure of the mosques affected by climate change over the years, and sustain the religious and cultural heritage of the country. Mosque Al-Baiah, built during the era of Abbasid Caliph Abu Jafar Al-Mansour near Jamarat Al-Aqaba in Mina, is the first mosque to be renovated.
Two mosques in Jeddah- Abu Inbeh Mosque in Harat Al-Sham and Al-Khadr Mosque are part of the project. Abu Inbeh Mosques was built approximately 900 years ago. Al-Khadr Mosque, 66 kilometers away from Grand Mosque in Makkah, was built 700 years ago.
Historical mosques in Medina “gain importance from their close connection to al-Sira al-Nabawiyah (Prophetic biography). Several sites are related to the Islamic era-such as AlUla governorate that houses several archaeological sites,” said Saudi Press Agency.
Read more: Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030: A strategic plan
Al-Fath Mosque, the Holy Prophet is said to have prayed here in the year of the conquest of Makkah. “The mosque was neglected, destroyed, and damaged over the past centuries until it was renovated in 1419 Hijri,” said SPA. The area of the mosque will increase from 455.77 square meters to 553.50 square meters; its capacity will increase from 218 worshippers to 333.
The outside of the Seven Mosques or Sab'u Masajid which is a complex of six small historic and often visited mosques in the city of #Madinah #Saudi Arabia. #EidMubarak #EidUlFitr pic.twitter.com/bGVTjEB7Yg
— Fahad Ali (@fahadmehtabali) June 9, 2019
Al-Jubail Mosque, built 300 years ago, will be renovated in the first phase of the project. Post-renovation areas will be 310 square meters. The capacity of the mosque will remain at 45 worshippers. A total of 30 mosques will be renovated across Saudi Arabia in the second phase of the project.
Of these 30 mosques, six are in Riyadh, five in Makkah, four in Madina, three in the Asr region, two in the eastern province, two in Jazan, two in al-Jouf, one in the northern borders region, one in Tabuk, one in al-Baha, one in Najran, one in Hail, and one in al-Qassim.