Al-Mas'a is the place where Hajj pilgrims and Umrah performers perform the ritual of Sa'i between the hills of Safa and Marwa. It is located to the east of the Grand Mosque in Makkah al-Mukarramah, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The Sa'i is performed in laps different from those of the Tawaf around al-Kaaba al-Musharrafa. Walking from Safa to Marwa is counted as one lap, and walking back from Marwa to Safa is counted as another lap, continuing in this manner until completing seven laps.
Sa'i is one of the acts of worship commanded by Allah in Hajj and Umrah. It is performed in the place where Hajar, the wife of Prophet Ibrahim, peace be upon him (PBUH), walked when she was searching for water to quench the thirst of her son, Ismail (PBUH).
In previous centuries, al-Masa'a was located outside the Grand Mosque. During the Saudi era, it became part of the mosque's structure and is now connected to it by several entrances and exits.
The Saudi expansion project for al-Masa'a doubled its total width from twenty m to forty m. The number of floors in al-Masa'a was increased to four, with a total area exceeding 87,000 m, up from the previous area of about 29,000 m.
The total building area across all floors for the Sa'i areas and services in al-Masa'a is approximately 125,000 m. Al-Masa'a can now accommodate 118,000 people per hour. The length of al-Masa'a between the two hills is 394 m, and its width is forty m. The total distance covered by a Hajj pilgrim and Umrah performer performing Sa'i in seven laps is 2,761.5 m.
Related quizzes
