Mecca Masjid Mosque

The Makkah Masjid mosque in Hyderabad, India is considered one of the largest in the world. The building is made of treated stone, according to various sources, 10,000 to 20,000 believers can be in it at the same time. The mosque is a monument of cultural heritage and is protected by the state.

History of creation

The initiator of the construction of the Mecca Masjid mosque was Sultan Mohammed Qutb Shah. He planned to build the grandest mosque in the city, which, when completed, should become the most magnificent in all of India. The word Mecca, sacred to Muslims, appeared in the name of the mosque thanks to bricks made from soil brought from holy Mecca. The bricks were used to build the central arch of the building.

There is a legend that before founding the temple, the sultan invited religious elders and offered the honorable right to lay the foundation stone of the mosque to those who did not skip a single prayer. There were no such people, so the foundation stone was laid by Sultan Mohammed himself, who had not missed a single prayer since childhood.

The Mecca Masjid mosque has a special sanctity for Muslims due to the rumor that a lock of hair of the holy prophet Muhammad is kept in one of the rooms.

Construction began in 1617 and was completed in 1693, employing approximately 8,000 people.

Architecture

For the time when the building was being designed and built, it was simply huge. Main hall size 67 * 54 * 23 It was three meters high and spacious enough to accommodate 10,000 believers at once. The roof of the main building is supported on three sides by fifteen arches. On the fourth side there is a wall where the Mihrab is located, indicating the direction of Mecca. On the tops of two elegant minarets, from which believers are called to prayer, there are small vaulted balconies and domes. The structures are decorated with arched galleries and lines from the Koran.

On the sides of the Mecca Masjid mosque there are solid granite monolith columns, which took at least 5 years to extract. 1400 of the hardiest bulls were harnessed to the carts to bring the huge blocks to the construction site. The entire building is surrounded by cornices, richly decorated with stone borders and floral motifs. There is a courtyard with a swimming pool at the main entrance. Here you can see a unique sundial, as well as the remains of a medieval hammam - an Islamic steam bath.

Preservation of the Makkah Masjid Mosque

Unfortunately, the religious center and historical monument are fully experiencing the negative effects of the environmental crisis. The mosque is gradually polluted and destroyed. In 1995, the building was thoroughly cleaned. In 2001, a pedestrian zone was established in historic Hyderabad to preserve architectural monuments. In 2007, an explosive device went off inside the Makkah Masjid Mosque during Friday prayers. As a result, 13 people were killed and dozens of believers were injured. The mosque is now heavily guarded, and bags are not allowed to enter the building. Women are also not allowed.