Masjid al-Haram

Masjid al-Haram (Arabic: المسجد الحرام, romanized: al-Masjid al-Ḥarām, lit.'The Sacred Mosque'), also known as the Great Mosque of Mecca, is a mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, serving as the holiest and most important mosque in Islam. As of 2026, the Great Mosque is the largest mosque and most expensive building in the world.

The Great Mosque is considered, alongside the Quba Mosque in Medina, among the earliest mosques in Islam. According to Islamic scholars, Abraham is seen as having built the Kaaba in Mecca, and consequently its sanctuary, which according to the Muslim view is seen as the first mosque that ever existed.

It has undergone major renovations and expansions through the years. It has passed through the control of various caliphs, sultans and kings, and is now under the control of the King of Saudi Arabia who is titled the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques.

It encloses the vicinity of the Kaaba in Mecca, in the western region of the country. It is among the pilgrimage sites associated with the Hajj, which every Muslim according to orthodox Islamic belief, must perform at least once in their lives if able. It is also the main site for the performance of ʿUmrah, the lesser pilgrimage that can be undertaken any time of the year. The rites of both pilgrimages include circumambulating the Kaaba within the mosque. The Great Mosque contains other important sites, such as the Black Stone, the Zamzam Well, Maqam Ibrahim, and the hills of Safa and Marwa.