Alharam Alsharif
A view of an outside wall of the haram hints at some of the incredible archictectural use of gold, marble and inlaid stones throughout the haram. The floors are indeed cleaned and polished enough you could eat off them.
This is an incredible satellite photo of the Haram and surroundings. Kind of scary that non-muslims are also monitoring this, but perhaps in the future we can use these images and GPS to control the flow of hajj better ;) The rest of us could watch as the satellite updates every couple of minutes to show the movement of ppl during the hajj!!
Cars, buildings and mountains surround the picturesque masjid. The haram looks as if it's hiding a mysterious, beautiful secret within.
An aerial view of the haram before much of the construction that exists today. Here you can almost imagine Makkah without any of these tall buildings...the Kaaba alone in the middle of a mountainous desert with only small houses in the hills surrounding it.
The Kaaba. The focus of the entire Muslim world and the most sacred building on earth. This photo shows how big the kaaba really is relative to the ppl constantly in motion around it. You can also see some of the beauty of the interior levels of the haram.
This picture shows the haram one night when it is jam-packed with ppl from in front of the kaaba all the way up to the rooftop. The haram glows with power an energy in the midst of Makkah.
Twilight at the haram filters everything into a blue light. Worshippers sit or stand right in front of the holy door to the Kaaba and the Maqam (station) of Ibrahim.
A lovely shot from the courtyard of the Prophet's Mosque. Underneath this green dome lies Rasulullah (saw), Abu Bakr (ra) & Umar (ra).
Row after row of pillars and arches follow each other inside the haram of Madinah. Beautiful carpets line the floors. A cleaner leans on a pillar, taking a break from attacking even the smallest speck of dust.
Hundreds of ppl take to the roof of the prophet's mosque in Madinah praying under the open sky. Pillars and zamzam coolers line the roof as well as the floors underneath.
A look at the interior of the orignial Masjid an-Nabi. Here the mihrab of rasulullah (saw) is shown along with a white flowered carpeted area which indicates the Rawdah. From my house to my minbar is a garden (rawdah) from the gardens of Paradise, said the prophet (saw). This area is always packed with ppl vying for even a hand span to do their sajdahs.
This photo evokes the feelings of solitude and peace inherent of Madinah. Behind this quiet wall lies Rasullullah (saw).
A man prays in one of the sacred mosques. This photo symbolizes the essence of Islam. Serenity, peace, faith in God, simplicity, beauty...