"Three of the world’s oldest mosques are about to be destroyed as
Saudi Arabia embarks on a multi-billion-pound expansion of Islam’s
second holiest site. Work on the Masjid an-Nabawi in Medina, where the
Prophet Mohamed is buried, will start once the annual Hajj pilgrimage
ends next month. When complete, the development will turn the mosque
into the world’s largest building, with the capacity for 1.6 million
worshippers.
But concerns have been raised that the development will see key historic sites bulldozed. Anger is already growing at the kingdom’s apparent disdain for preserving the historical and archaeological heritage of the country’s holiest city, Mecca. Most of the expansion of Masjid an-Nabawi will take place to the west of the existing mosque, which holds the tombs of Islam’s founder and two of his closest companions, Abu Bakr and Umar." (thanks Khaled)
But concerns have been raised that the development will see key historic sites bulldozed. Anger is already growing at the kingdom’s apparent disdain for preserving the historical and archaeological heritage of the country’s holiest city, Mecca. Most of the expansion of Masjid an-Nabawi will take place to the west of the existing mosque, which holds the tombs of Islam’s founder and two of his closest companions, Abu Bakr and Umar." (thanks Khaled)
