IBN JUBAIL was reported as having said that Ata described to him the way of their watering from Zamzam saying: (The Well of) Zamzam had two cisterns in the first era; one between it and (Ar-Rukn) the corner through which the pilgrims would have their drink of water and another cistern from behind for performing ablution. It had an attached reservoir to which water came through the gate of As-Safa and it had no window at that time. It was merely a well surrounded by a fence of stones. It continued to be so until the era of the Abbasid Caliph Abu Jafar Al-Mansour who was the first to build a dome above the Well of Zamzam in the year 145H. Zamzam was of 60 cubits length. Its bottom included three springs: one facing the black corner, another opposite the mountains of Abu Qubais and As-Safa, and the third one facing Al-Marwah. The width of the mouth of Zamzam was 3.2/3 cubits. The commander of the believers Abu Jafar was the first to recommend marble tiles for Zamzam, on the window, and its floor. Then, Al-Mahdi reconstructed them during his caliphate and built a wooden roof over Zamzam. The dome was covered with mosaic as well as the building of Zamzam was restored and a large dome of teak was constructed above the room allocated for giving water to the pilgrims. This was during the caliphate of Al-Mahdi in the year 160H. The Well of Zamzam and its dome was restored and covered with marble during the time of Abbasid Caliph Al-Mutasim in the year 220H. Zamzam cistern This cistern was 39 cubits from inside and 40 cubits from outside. Its diameter was 12 cubits and was tiled with marble. Its walls were covered with marble. The area of the cistern through which the pilgrims drank water was 28 cubits. This cistern was surrounded by 12 teak barrels. The length of each cylinder was 4 cubits. Above the room was a dome made of teak whose outside was green and painted yellow on the outside. Important repairs The dome of Zamzam underwent several repairs and restorations in the course of time. The most important of these repairs are the following: The Sacred Mosque was restored in the Mamluk period during the reign of Sultan An-Nasir Faraj Ibn Barquq after a fire started in the Sacred Mosque on the night of 28 Shawwal, 802H. The dome of Zamzam was also restored in the year 815H at the hands of the judge of Makkah Jamal Ad-Din Muhammad Ibn Abu Dhahirah. In the era of Sultan Qaitbai, the Well of Zamzam was restored and its marbles were replaced in 884H. In the Ottoman era, the Sacred Mosque received keen interest great attention from the rulers and several repairs were made to the building of Zamzam especially during the reign of Sultan Salim II, 982H. The dome of Zamzam was also restored in the era of Sultan Ahmad IV in 1083H. Then, the building of Zamzam was restored in the era of Sultan Abd Al-Hameed I, in 1187H and once again in 1203H. Before now, the greatest works of building with regard to the dome of Zamzam were accomplished during the era of Sultan Abd Al-Hameed the Second in 1300H. These works were made by Engineer As-Said Muhammad Sadiq. Eventually, during the modern era, the building of Zamzam was reconstructed but away from its original location since the old building that was located near the Ka'ba used to hinder Tawaf because of the large number of the pilgrims. The water system of Zamzam was shifted to its new location in the eastern part of the sanctuary by way of engines for lifting water and pipes. Separate places were assigned for men and women. Finally, it is worth mentioning that despite the passage of thousands of years after discovering the Well of Zamzam, its water remained and will continue to be a source of purity and cure. - Courtesy: Muslim World League Journal __
