By MubMaj
My visit to the Holy city of Makkah this time was quiet different.
Is it just me or does everyone feel that the spirituality of The Haram (The Sanctuary) has been partially lost somwhere in the expansion of The Mosque? Lost somwhere in the dynamite blasts happening around the site?…in the renovation of the Safa and Marwa (the two hills ) area?
Below is an article I read from TIMES ONLINE by Chris Gourlay of Sunday times:
Foster to ease Makkah pilgrims’ progress
A new look for Islam’s holiest city – with hotels, flats and fast trains – has been likened to a ‘mini Dubai’
Norman Foster and Zaha Hadid are involved in plans to transform the landscape around Mecca, Islam’s holiest city, to make way for a high-rise metropolis complete with high-speed rail link for pilgrims.
Architectural designs being considered by King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia could see the mosque at the heart of the city expanded fivefold to hold 5m worshippers in one go.
However, much of the land around the historic site, including ancient mountains, is likely to be flattened to accommodate seven-star hotels and towering blocks of luxury flats.
Critics believe the 20-year redevelopment programme will turn Mecca into a “mini Dubai”, the Middle Eastern emirate that has become a byword for consumerism.
Hadid, the Iraqi-born architect who has designed the aquatics centre for the London 2012 Olympics, is believed to have submitted proposals to extend Mecca’s Haram mosque. At its centre lies the Kaaba, the black cube-shaped building which all Muslims face in prayer five times a day.
Although Hadid’s plans remain secret, she has previously produced bold designs for other mosque projects, including one in Strasbourg which featured a sweeping roof inspired by Islamic calligraphy.
Hadid is also thought to be involved in redesigning part of Mecca’s central district, which already boasts a Starbucks and chain stores such as Topshop.
Foster, who designed the Gherkin tower in London and Beijing airport, has been commissioned to design four stations along a new £3.5 billion high-speed railway line linking Mecca to Medina, the city to which the Prophet Muhammad fled in AD622, the first year of the Islamic calendar.
The 186mph link, nicknamed the “Pilgrim Express”, will shuttle worshippers between the two holy sites in 2½ hours. It will also pass through Jeddah and King Abdullah Economic City.
Foster and Partners, which is also believed to be involved in Mecca’s redevelopment, said each of the train stations would reflect its location and feature “filtered natural daylight throughout”. Leaked designs for one of the stations show a vaulted roof punctured by hundreds of small holes, creating a dappled light effect reminiscent of an Arab souk.
Non-Muslims are not allowed to visit Mecca, which means that Foster will have to send Muslim architects to inspect the site, and work on designs remotely.
Each year about 3m people take part in the main hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca, often leading to chronic overcrowding which has resulted in thousands of deaths.
The Saudi royal family claims its modernisation programme, the first phase of which could cost up to £13 billion, will provide pilgrims with improved facilities.
Neither Foster nor Hadid were prepared to discuss their plans. However, the designs of other architects and engineering firms, including the family of Osama Bin Laden, being considered by King Abdullah have shed light on the massive scale of the project.
Some show a new mosque complex surrounded by a motorway and skyscrapers aligned to face the Kaaba.
Leaked plans by Atkins, the British company, show an Ottoman-era section of the Haram mosque replaced by a multi-storey prayer hall, boosting capacity from 900,000 worshippers now to more than 3m. A proposed second phase of development controversially envisages demolishing the old mosque and replacing it with a modern doughnut-shaped building, capable of accommodating more than 5m pilgrims. Only the Kaaba would remain.
Irfan Al Alawi, founder of the London-based Islamic Heritage Research Foundation, which monitors developments in Mecca, said: “The majority of Muslims have no idea what is going on in Mecca because the Saudis are very secretive about their plans, but they are destroying the cradle of Islam.
“The place is being blown to pieces as we speak. They are dynamiting mountains and removing heritage buildings to make way for a ring of 130 skyscrapers around the grand mosque. Mecca has already lost much of its charm and spirituality.”
A spokesman for the Saudi embassy in London said King Abdullah was still considering all proposals and a final decision on a masterplan had not been made.
Link to similiar post: New architecture in Makkah
HishMaj
MubMaj
Hm…I’d hate to see the changes of which you write. On the other hand, the Grand Mosque has been expanded and improved numerous times in the past, and the results have been impressive.
Granted, I have not seen Mecca for more than ten years, but during my last visit, I was thankful for the doughnut shop and the air-conditioned hotel room a stone’s throw from the mosque.
What would our predecessors have said about that? Would they have lamented that Mecca had lost its spirituality?
What will be said fifty years from now, when this new project has been completed and operational and ready for another update to accomodate even more millions of pilgrims?
Though we cringe at the thought, we must remember that human beings are essentially spiritual creatures. No matter what they do to Mecca, it will always be Mecca.
Open space syndrome! it trigger’s a feeling of tranquility and harmony. (Sky, stars, moon etc.) Haram doesn’t have it any more.
Just a quick note, I have added a link in the end of the post that leads to the plan of Atkins that I had posted earlier.
Welcome to the Corporate world of modern day architecture, which I guess you havent seen yet. (Do I sound like a big brother?!?!)
Although the TIMES article will shoot over the top of our heads, it is not all trash.
Saudi Arabia has been turning towards other sources of revenue, for obvious reasons. Tourism to Saudi is currently limited to only the Haj and Umrah pilgrims and these are the places that they visit.
Check this out first: http://saudijeans.org/2009/04/20/wild-dreams/
If that is true, to get to that 900,000 mark, this and more has to be done.
Its sad that all this is costing us the spirituality.
The place is changing and has been changing since forever. every generation would probably say the same thing. Can you even imagine what the safa and marwa would look like if you had markets like they did before… run between the green flags, stop and buy something, continue… stop again to look at something else… I am sure the rent between the flags would be the lowest since people would be running or walking fast, and probably got the lowest compensation when they were bought out for the expansion(s)
I have to say,with a very cynical touch, , just like anything else in this whole world, Islam is also being marketed and valued as a source of revenue.