Exhibition Of The Two Holy Mosques Architecture — Attraction in Makkah Al Mukarramah

The exhibition (معرض عمارة الحرمين الشريفين), is nestled amid the hills of Mecca’s Umm Al-Joud area, not far from the Kiswa factory. The exhibition is divided into seven sections and includes artefacts dating back to the era of Abdullah ibn Zubair, circa 685 CE/65 Hj. The museum consists of seven halls that include models of the Two Holy Mosques; antiquities; inscriptions; models of the Kaaba cladding (Kiswa); the old door of the Kaaba; rare photos for the Two Holy Mosques; and a copy of Uthman's collection of the Quran (Mushaf Uthman).

The main entrance to the complex. Established in 1999 by the late Prince Abdul Majeed, governor of Mecca, the museum project cost more than SR 15 million. Some photographs, given as a gift by the late Crown Prince Sultan, are worth SR 10 million. It highlights the cultural and historical aspects of the Two Holy Mosques.

Brass head of the pulpit made during the reign of Sultan Suleiman al-Qanoony, circa 10th century Hejrah. The Ottoman minbars usually were executed in two distinctive fashions, one of which was a wooden one with and elongated conical cap like this one.

The door of Kaaba that was used until 1937/38 (inspect) CE. There's an inscription on the door that suggests that it was first fitted to the Kaba in 1636. Over the centuries the Kabah has been fitted with elaborately decorated doors like this one. The door also bears an inscription of the Shahadah (inspect) in Arabic in it's upper part. It's an iconic symbol of Arabia's Islamic History.

A replica of the sundial used to calculate the prayer timings and the age of the day. It was a mid-day timer used to determine prayer times before the printing of Hijri Calendar. It may have functioned somewhat like the sundial designed by ibn Shattir for the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus.

Cassing of Maqam Ibrahim (station of Abraham) used up until the time of King Fahad's (bin Abdulaziz) expansion of Masjid al-Haram. The Maqām Ibrāhīm (مَـقَـام إِبْـرَاهِـيْـم) is a stone associated with Abraham, Ishmael and their rebuilding of the Ka'bah. According to Islamic tradition, the imprint on the stone came from Abraham's feet, it appeared when Abraham stood on the stone while building the Kaaba.

Inscription on marble slab, marking the date for the construction of the Mataf during the reign of Abbaid caliph abi Ja'far al-Mansur al-Muntasir Billah in the year 611 Hj. The Mataf area has been rebuilt, redeveloped and expanded over the centuries. Several

A teak-wood stair case, used to enter Kaba, is placed near the main entrance to the museum complex. The floor of Kabah and the entrance is about 2.2 meters (7.2 feet) higher than the Mataf area, consequently a staircase is needed to enter the sacred shrine. Over the centuries several of these were built by Muslim rulers or other prominent Muslims to be used in Masjid al-Haram. This staircase dates back to the reigh of Ottoman Sultan Mahmud II.

An inscription on marble marking the date of the construction of the door and parts of the Holy Mosque that were damaged by fire during the reign of the Mamluk Sultan An-Nasir Faraj bin Bargog in 804H (1402).

Mouth-piece of Bir e Zam Zam (ZamZam Well) with outer ring and covering. The pully at the top dates back to the end of the fourteenth century Hijrah (circa. 1970 CE). The bucket made of brass dates back to the early decade of fourteenth century Hijrah (circa. 1900 CE).

A door belonging to Prophet's Mosque at Medina (large door at the right), dating back to the reign of King Abdul Aziz al-Saud. The door panels of an Ottoman era pulpit (smaller green door to the left with inlaid golden patterns) in Prophet's Mosque, made at the orders of Sultan Murad III. The grill on the wall in the middle belongs to the Masjid an-Nabawi's first Saudi construction.

A copy of Mushaf e Uthmani (Quran bearing the blood of third caliph Uthman) produced during Era of Uthman ibn Affan. The original is preserved in the Topkapi palace, Istanbul, Turkey. According to tradition the original manuscript of this copy bears the marks of the blook of the third Caliph...

The exhibition is organized into seven sections. The very first section displays the miniature view of the Masjid Al Haram. The mini version is not a simple one, it is equipped with touch-technology. One can touch the panels to operate it and have different views. In the very first section, an old casing is also displayed. This is the older casing of the Maqam e Ibrahim. Along with it, crescents have been placed: the ones which used to stand high on the minarets of the Grand mosques Moving forward, you will find a complete wooden masterpiece: a wooden staircase that is beautifully carved and designed. It is made out of teakwood and was used in the 19th century. Going along you can view the great door of Holy Kaaba. All visitors stand by it and take a careful look at it. The next section is unbelievable; it is full of pictures of Holy Kaaba. These are not ordinary pictures, these are the old and rare pictures of the Grand Mosque. According to sources, the late crown prince, Sultan bin Abdul Aziz gifted them. The Holy Kaaba has three pillars inside that are not visible to us as the res inside the holy Kaaba. They are to support the Holy Kaaba One of the old pillars is at the display in the very exhibition. Along with it, a chest is placed. It was once inside the Kaaba. Next, you can view the old and rare handwritten copies of the Quran. The copy of the Othmani manuscript is also displayed. Next section is the Masjid Al Nabawi (PBUH) section. The great door of the Masjid al Nabawi is placed for the exhibition. Visitors are attracted towards this section even though this door isn't that historical! The zam zam section is the one where the zam zam well is placed. The very railing used for the zam zam well is placed there. Also, the bucket and the bowls used for drawing and drinking the pure water are finely placed behind the glass panels. Both the utensils are made up of brass. Very next to them rests the historic coins. These are the coins which were founded during different time periods near the well during renovation...

The Museum of the Two Holy Mosques is one of the museums of the Makkah Region, and it is affiliated with the General Presidency of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque. It was established in 1999, and it is an exhibition on the Two Holy Mosques and the development witnessed by their architecture over the ages. The exhibition consists of seven halls that include two depictions of the Two Holy Mosques Of manuscripts, inscriptions, valuable artifacts, architectural figures, and rare photographs. The exhibition includes a number of sections, which are the reception hall, the Hall of the Holy Mosque, the hall of the Kaaba, the photo gallery, the manuscripts hall, the hall of the Prophet's Mosque, and the Zamzam hall that includes the frame of the Zamzam well made in the early fourteenth century AH, The exhibition also contains rare holdings, the most important of which are the pillars of the Kaaba with its wooden base and the crown, which dates back to the era of Abdullah bin Al-Zubair in 65 AH, and a stone base on which the pillars were based, and a copper crescent dating to the year 1299 AH and the main crescent moon in the Prophet’s Mosque at the beginning of the fourteenth century Hijri and copper wall was used on one of the windows of the mosque The Noble Prophet, which dates back to...