Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Friday, Sep 05, 2025

Third Saudi expansion of Grand Mosque: Urban development and mega projects with Islamic identity

Third Saudi expansion of Grand Mosque: Urban development and mega projects with Islamic identity

The Grand Mosque has undergone extensive urban development and mega projects that are commensurate with its sanctity and the high number of visitors it receives daily.
The Saudi leaders have always shown great care and attention towards the Grand Mosque, starting from King Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman, who unified the country, to the era of his sons, and now in the prosperous era of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, and the Crown Prince.

There is ample evidence of this care for the Two Holy Mosques in all aspects that enrich the visitors' experience and provide them with comfort and facilitation.

The engineering aspect, especially in the 3rd Saudi expansion, is one of the most prominent aspects that reflect the state's concern for the Grand Mosque. The expansion was designed with architectural engineering details derived from the ancient Islamic heritage while keeping pace with modern design principles and harnessing technical capabilities to ensure the purpose is achieved aesthetically and practically.

Hamoud bin Saleh Al-Iyadah, Undersecretary of the General Presidency of the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and Prophet's Mosque, explained that the third Saudi expansion included 22 domes, of which 12 were movable glass domes, six fixed glass domes on the second floor, and four fixed domes on the middle halls on the second floor.

The portable dome is located at the top of the honorary corridor of the third Saudi expansion building, with an external diameter of 36m, an internal height of 25m, and a weight of 800 tons. It has internal and external facades of marble and glass for the openings, with the external surfaces made of colored mosaics and the internal ceilings made of wood inlaid with precious stones. The glass domes open through a central control unit to provide natural ventilation when the temperature is appropriate.

Al-Iyadah added that the 12 movable glass domes are located above the back and middle courtyards, with dimensions of 28.5 x 17 meters, an external height of 8.75 meters, and a weight of about 300 tons. The fixed glass domes are located on the second floor with a total of six units, with dimensions of 9 x 14 meters, an internal height of 35.5 meters, an external height of 2 meters, and a weight of about 20 tons.

Additionally, four fixed domes are located on top of the existing middle halls on the second floor. Their external diameter is 16.6 meters, internal height 9.6 meters, external height 13.6 meters, and the weight 25 tons per unit. These fixed domes have external and internal facades of marble and glass for the openings, with external surfaces of colored mosaics and internal ceilings made of wood inlaid with precious stones.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Iran Faces Escalating Water Crisis as Protests Spread
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
High-Stakes Trump-Putin Summit on Ukraine Underway in Alaska
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
×