In the holiest city of Islam lies the Masjid Al Haram with the Kabah (literally means the cube). The Kabah and the mosque has a rich history in its origin and its religious significance and specialist books need to be consulted to read the history of the Kabah from pre-Islamic times and the development of the mosque from time pf the Prophet Mohammed.

The original mosque was small with no wall. It was surrounded by houses between which were gates through which the people entered the mosque. As the number of people visiting the mosque increased the mosque expanded throughout the centuries. The last major expansion was carried out in 1988 to improve the facilities of the mosque and increase the area. There was an addition of a roof that can contain 80,000 worshippers.

The mosque has two upper levels and a baement. The mosque has fifty four principal gates and fourteen minor gates where you can enter the mosque as well as six entrances to the basements and the upper entrances to the second level and the escalators. With the expansion an approximate 900,000 people can pray at the mosque and during the hajj period this will exceed over a million people. With this number  of pilgrims requires steps to keep visitors in comfort so there is an air conditioning plant to pump cool air, wash and toilet facilities, drainage, drinking water etc.

Muslims (apart from residents of Makkah) will visit Makkah either for Umrah or Hajj. It is compulsory for them to visit the Masjid Al Haram and pray, doing the Tawaaf (Going around the Kabaah) and walking between Safa and Marwaah which is in another part of the Haram. The etiquette, rituals and prayers for doing Hajj and Umrah can be found in specialist guides.

Only Muslims are allowed to visit Makkah and enter the Haram. This explains why there are strict laws for entering Saudi Arabia and the many checkpoints at the vicinity of the city. For many Muslims its an emotional experience visiting the Haram. Many will have saved up all their lives for the pilgrimage with the chance to pray and visit the Haram.

There is a lot more to do than just pray at the Haram. The Tawaaf and the walking between Safa and Marwaah has been mentioned but there are other places to go and touch at the Kabbah such as the door, Hajar Aswad (The black stone), The casing of the Maqaam Ibrahim, the Zamzam wells as well as doing a tour (Ziyarah) to other historical sites in and at the vicinity of Makkah.