19m pray at Islam’s first mosque in Saudi Arabia
Current expansion of Quba Mosque in Medina set to raise its capacity to 66,000 worshippers
Cairo: More than 19 million Muslims have performed prayers since the start of this year at the first mosque built in Islam in the Saudi city of Medina, according to official figures.
The Quba Mosque was the first mosque built by the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) in the 7th century following his arrival in Medina from Mecca, a journey known in Islamic history as Hijira.
The mosque and its courtyards are currently undergoing a major expansion as part of a project launched in 2022 and named after King Salman bin Abdulaziz to expand the place and develop the surrounding area.
The project is the largest expansion in the history of the mosque since its building in the first year of the Hijira. After the completion of the project, the mosque will accommodate up to 66,000 worshipers, with an area of 50,000 square metres, or 10 times higher than the current area, the Saudi news agency SPA reported.
The Quba Mosque is surrounded by well-prepared courtyards, with round-the-clock transportation services.
The mosque and its courtyards are furnished with 8,000 square metres of new carpeting and the storage capacity of Zamzam water has reached 98,000 litres.
After performing Umrah or minor pilgrimage at the Grand Mosque, Islam’s holiest site in Mecca, many pilgrims would head to Medina to offer prayers at the Prophet’s Mosque, Islam’s second most sacred place, and visit other landmarks in the city.