The First Saudi Expansion of the Prophet's Mosque is the first spatial and architectural enlargement of the Prophet’s Mosque in the Saudi era. It was first initiated by the Founder King Abdulaziz Bin Abdulrahman Al Saud in 1949, and was completed by his son King Saud Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud after the death of his father in 1955. It lasted for seven years.
Laying the foundation stone for the First Saudi Expansion of the Prophet's Mosque
Before the expansion, there had been several repairs and restorations, the first of which was directed by King Abdulaziz Bin Abdulrahman Al Saud in 1931, to improve and repair floors, corridors, entrances, minarets, and to enclose the cracked columns with iron belts that preserved them from further cracking and falling.
In 1946, a number of the stones relied upon for the integrity of the building disintegrated, and in 1949, King Abdulaziz Bin Abdulrahman Al Saud announced, through a radio statement, the beginning of the first Saudi expansion of the Prophet’s Mosque.
In 1952, the Crown Prince at that time, Prince Saud Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, laid the foundation stone for the Saudi expansion, on behalf of his father, King Abdulaziz. During the following year, King Saud placed four stones in the northwest corner of the expansion, completing the implementation of the expansion that his father had begun before he died.
The Main Expansion Work
The expansion extended from the Eastern Women’s Gate, Bab un Nisa, to Bab Uthman on the northern side of the Prophet’s Mosque, and included the northern and western parts. The work stopped at Bab al-Rahmah. An area of 6,247 m² was added, starting from the building of the northern side and reaching the mosque, an additional 6,024 m² was added, bringing the total of the first Saudi expansion to 12,271 m².
The expansion was executed using concrete structures, distributed among 706 round columns, including which 232 columns are clad with brass heads engraved with arches covered with artificial stones, in addition to forty-four windows and 170 flat domes.
The expansion consisted of fourteen porticos and two atria (an atrium is an unroofed floor). Also, five new doors were added to the five northern ones, bringing the total to ten doors. In addition, two minarets were constructed, each reaching a height of seventy-two m, divided into four floors, to double the minarets of the Prophet's Mosque to four, after they were only two.
In the First Saudi Expansion of the Prophet’s Mosque, the first station for lighting the Prophet’s Mosque was constructed, and the lamps were doubled to become 2,427 lamps. The old and dilapidated buildings in the vicinity of the mosque were also removed after the completion of the expansion to harmonize the neighboring buildings and facilities with the new form of the mosque’s architecture. For this purpose, a new door called Bab Al-Siddique was added, and new rooms were built next to the door, increasing the area of the mosque to 16,327 m².
Continuing the work of the First Saudi Expansion of the Prophet's Mosque
Expansion works continued during the reign of King Faisal Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, as the flow of visitors to the Prophet’s Mosque increased, which necessitated an enlargement in the area allocated for prayer. Therefore, in 1973, King Faisal Bin Abdulaziz decided to convert the areas west of the mosque to prayer sites, with an area of 35,000 m² in the first phase, while in the second phase, it reached 5,550 m², more than double the original area of the Prophet’s Mosque before the expansion.
During the reign of King Faisal, the expansion was paved, and fiberglass canopies were installed. Furthermore, it was provided by electricity services, fans, loudspeakers, and mattresses. Its total area, including halls and outdoor yards, is 40,550 m².
In 1977, King Khalid Bin Abdulaziz started the expansion of the Prophet's Mosque in the direction of the cloth market, the additional areas were added to the expansion implemented by King Faisal.
The Second Saudi Expansion of the Prophet's Mosque
After the First Saudi Expansion ordered by King Abdulaziz, implemented by King Saud, then doubled by King Faisal, and further increased by King Khalid, the Second Saudi Expansion of the Prophet's Mosque was the expansion of King Fahd Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud in 1984, and is called the "Second Saudi Expansion".
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