Located less than two kilometers from the Holy Prophet's Mosque in Madinah, Bani Haram Mosque dates back to the era of the Prophethood. In its second stage, this mosque will be included in the Prince Mohammed bin Salman Project for Development of Historical Mosques. The project will restore the mosque's original image to reflect its ancient heritage from 14 centuries ago to address the changes and additions that occurred to the mosque during the past centuries built by human hands and influenced by its cultural and intellectual surroundings. Prince Mohammed bin Salman Project for Development of Historical Mosques will renew the Bani Haram Mosque in the traditional style of Madinah. The mosque's area will be increased from the previous size by 10 square meters to 236.42 square meters, while its capacity will remain at 172 worshipers. It will be rebuilt using natural materials of clay, stones, and wood from local trees. The mosque's construction is characterized by its capability to adapt to the climate. Cut stones are used in various formations and sizes and are reinforced with clay mortar. They also employ palm components in building roofs as a load-bearing and insulating layer. The project will utilize these materials to develop and clad the mosque's facades with basalt stone, which is sustainable, easy to form and polish, and unaffected by natural factors. Prince Mohammed bin Salman Project aims to achieve a balance between ancient and modern construction standards in a way that gives the components of mosques an appropriate degree of sustainability and integrates the effects of development with a set of heritage and historical characteristics. The development process is being carried out by Saudi companies and Saudi engineers specializing in heritage buildings. The Bani Haram Mosque is one of 30 mosques that the Prince Mohammed bin Salman Project will renovate in its second phase in all 13 regions of the Kingdom, including six mosques in Riyadh, five mosques in Makkah, four mosques in Madinah, three in Asir, two in each of the Eastern Region, Al-Jouf, and Jazan, and one mosque in each of the Northern Borders Region, Tabuk, Al-Baha, Najran, Hail, and Al-Qassim. The first phase of the project, completed earlier, included the renovation and restoration of 30 historical mosques in 10 regions. The Prince Mohammed bin Salman Project for the Development of Historical Mosques serves four strategic objectives: restoration of historical mosques for worship and prayer, restoration of the urban authenticity of historical mosques, highlighting the cultural dimension of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and enhancing the religious and cultural status of historical mosques. The project contributes to highlighting the cultural and civilizational extent of the Kingdom as one of the pillars of the Saudi Vision 2030 by preserving authentic urban characteristics and utilizing them to contribute to the development of modern mosque designs.
