Masjid al-Haram
Masjid al-Haram (Arabic: اَلْمَسْجِدُ ٱلْحَرَامُ, romanized: al-Masjid al-Ḥarām, lit. 'The Inviolable Mosque'),[4] also known as the Great Mosque of Mecca,[5] is a mosque that surrounds the Kaaba in Mecca, in the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia. It is a site of pilgrimage in the Hajj, which every Muslim must do at least once in their lives if able, and is also the main phase for the ʿUmrah, the lesser pilgrimage that can be undertaken any time of the year. The rites of both pilgrimages include circumambulating the Kaaba within the mosque. The Great Mosque includes other important significant sites, including the Black Stone, the Zamzam Well, Maqam Ibrahim, and the hills of Safa and Marwa.[6]
| al-Masjid al-Haram | |
|---|---|
Arabic: اَلْمَسْجِدُ ٱلْحَرَامُ | |
 Aerial view of the Great Mosque of Mecca | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Islam |
| Leadership | Yasser Al-Dosari (Imam) Abdur Rahman As-Sudais (Imam) Saud Al-Shuraim (Imam) Abdullah Awad Al Juhany (Imam) Maher Al Mueaqly (Imam) Salih bin Abdullah al Humaid (Imam) Faisal Ghazawi (Imam) Bandar Baleela (Imam) Ali Ahmed Mullah (Chief Mu'azzin) |
| Location | |
| Location | Mecca, Hejaz, present-day Saudi Arabia[1] |
  Location in Saudi Arabia  Masjid al-Haram (Asia) .svg) Masjid al-Haram (Earth) | |
| Administration | Saudi Arabian government |
| Geographic coordinates | 21°25′21″N 39°49′34″E |
| Architecture | |
| Type | Mosque |
| Date established | 7th century CE |
| Specifications | |
| Capacity | 4 million worshippers[2] |
| Minaret(s) | 9 |
| Minaret height | 89 m (292 ft) |
| Site area | 356,000 square metres[3] |
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As of August 2020,[update] the Great Mosque is the largest mosque and the eighth largest building in the world. It has undergone major renovations and expansions through the years.[7] It has passed through the control of various caliphs, sultans and kings, and is now under the control of the King of Saudi Arabia who is titled the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques.[8]