Jeddah: Saudi Arabia is all set to demolish three of the world’s oldest mosques, including Prophet Mohammed (PBUH)’s tomb, as the kingdom plans to expand the second holiest site, Masjid an-Nabawi.
According to media reports, construction work on the Masjid an-Nabawi in Madinah, where the Prophet Mohammed is buried, is due to start next month. Under the proposed plans the site will be developed to include a mosque with a capacity for 1.6m worshippers.
The redevelopment is due to take place to the west of the existing mosque, which holds the tombs of Islam’s founder as well as his companions Abu Bakr Siddiq (R.A) and Umar Farooq (R.A).
Just outside the western walls of the current compound are mosques dedicated to Abu Bakr, Umar and Masjid Ghamama, built to mark the spot where the Prophet is thought to have given his first prayers for the Eid festival.
The numbers of pilgrims visiting the holy sites in Mecca and Medina have seen an increase during the Hajj in past years with almost four million people who visited the kingdom this year.
It will not be the first time authorities have bulldozed historic sites in Makkah and Medina to make way for new developments.
The Gulf state knocked down the Ottoman-era Ajyad Fortress and the hill it stood on to make way for the Jabal Omar complex and has also redeveloped the Prophet’s birthplace and the house of his first wife Khadijah.
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