readers http://www.trifter.com/tags/readers New posts about readers The Grand Mosque http://www.trifter.com/Asia-&-Pacific/Saudi-Arabia/The-Grand-Mosque.57813 The Prophet's Mosque in Medina Munawarra is an extraordinary master piece of architecture crafted with pure dedication coupled with hard labor, uninterrupted flow of building material and incalculable amount of money spent. Artificial stones and bricks used in construction of the Mosque were made in factories located near Medina; Granite stone used in construction was taken from Saudi Arabian Desert in Najran area. Wood for making windows and doors was imported from Morocco; this wood is called “Sedar” and is regarded as one of the best wood all around the world, for making minor artifacts and minor things “Teak” wood has been used. Pure white marble stone has been used for making tiles and flooring of the mosque and has been imported from Italy. This marble stone is called “Karara” and has a natural quality to remain cool in hot conditions even under direct burning hot sun. In both the mosques white tiles of “Karara” marble have been excessively used, these stone tiles allow people to roam barefooted in the mosques with out feeling any heat. For decorating the walls and making ornamental designs expensive stones were imported from Kenya.

Masjid-e-Nabvi has an engineering marvel incorporated in its construction and that is the use of Floating Domes technique in the ceiling. A total of twenty-seven courtyards have been made in the mosque building and each has been covered with a floating dome. These domes have been specifically designed to evade suffocation by the pilgrims once the mosque is overcrowded. These domes can be moved from their places to let fresh air come in. This concept of floating domes was given during reconstruction of the mosque by Chief Architect of the project Doctor Kamal Ismael and were designed by a German Muslim engineer Mr Mehmood and the design was approved by than King Fahad Bin Abdul Aziz. For the benefit and comfort of pilgrims offering prayers in the courtyard of the mosque or out side the main building huge electronic umbrellas have been installed. When the sun is shinning at its peak these electronic umbrellas provide cool shade to the pilgrims sitting under them.

Masjid-e-Nabvi is centrally air-conditioned and the chilling unit for the mosque has been constructed outside the city and from there chilled air is pumped to the mosque through pipes. This whole cooling system is based upon cooling the air through chilled water. A comprehensive supply system for provision of Zamzam water has been established in the mosque and all pilgrims can take Zamzam water for personal usage from the supply point established. Zamzam water is provided within the premises of the mosque and is shipped from Makkah to Medina Munawarra through huge water tankers. Zamzam water is also available inside the mosque building in plastic water coolers. Big underground ablution / bath areas have been constructed around the main mosque and people can go to the areas by using stairs or escalators. Ablution / bath areas for men and women are separate.

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