His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Council of Economic and Development Affairs, announced the launch of the largest expansion in the history of Quba Mosque and the development of its surrounding area. HRH Crown Prince also directed to name the project after the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz.
King Salman project to expand Quba Mosque and develop its surrounding area aims to raise the total area of the mosque to 50,000 square meters, ten times its current area, and to a capacity to accommodate 66,000 worshipers, the largest expansion in the history of Quba Mosque since its establishment in the first year of the Prophet's Hijra.
This announcement coincided with the visit paid by HRH the Crown Prince to Madinah, during which he performed prayer in Quba Mosque and made an inspection tour of the project.
On the occasion, HRH the Crown Prince commended the great care being accorded by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud to Quba Mosque, Islam's first mosque ever, explaining that this project aims to accommodate the largest number of worshipers in times of seasons and peaks, and to highlight the religious importance and documenting the historical characteristics of Quba Center, preserving its urban and architectural old-fashioned as well as protecting and preserving the historical monuments located near the mosque.
Also, HRH the Crown Prince explained that this project comes to achieve the goals of the Kingdom's Vision 2030 within the two programs of serving pilgrims and the quality of life, as it will raise the area of the mosque from 5,035 square meters to 50,000 square meters, and the project as well as the efficiency of this historical Islamic landmark with the aim of enriching its visitor's experience.
The project also includes the development and revival of historical sites to include 57 sites covering many wells, farms and orchards and linking three of the Prophet's paths.
The expansion and development works of Quba Mosque aim to raise the capacity in order to bridge the gap between the current situation and the increasing demand. The project is based on linking the current Quba Mosque with shaded courtyards from four sides, functionally and visually connected to the independent prayer halls that are not structurally attached to the current mosque building, while providing all the necessary services belonging to the mosque. The efficiency of the existing mosque building will be raised with the accompanying services system, the improvement of the road network and the surrounding infrastructure to raise the efficiency of gathering, ease of access to the mosque, find radical solutions to overcrowding and enhance the security and safety of worshipers, in addition to developing and reviving a number of sites and prophetic monuments within the mosque and its squares.
It is worth mentioning that Quba Mosque has been important in architecture and expansion throughout history, starting with the Prophet, Rashidi, Umayyad and Abbasid eras, and ending with the prosperous Saudi era.
Since the era of late King Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman Al Saud and his sons, the kings after him, civilizations of Islamic architecture were mixed, reflecting the religious, cultural, social and touristic importance and providing the necessary services for visitors to Quba center at local and global levels to enrich the visitor’s emotional experience.
