Al-Mukarramah

وَإِذْ جَعَلْنَا ٱلْبَيْتَ مَثَابَةًۭ لِّلنَّاسِ وَأَمْنًۭا وَٱتَّخِذُوا۟ مِن مَّقَام إِبْرَٰهِـۧمَ مُصَلًّۭى

The Holy Qur’an, chapter Al-Baqarah (2:125)

“And (remember) when We made the House (the Ka‘bah at Makkah) a place of resort for mankind and a place of safety. And take you (people) the Maqâm (place) of Ibrâhîm (Abraham) [or the stone on which Ibrâhîm (Abraham) عليه السلام stood while he was building the Ka‘bah] as a place of prayer (for some of your prayers, e.g. two Rak‘at after the Tawâf of the Ka‘bah at Makkah)”

A powerful dynamic exists between Makkah al-Mukarramah’s centrality and its universality. The Ka‘bah is deeply rooted in place, yet its significance transcends physical boundaries, holding universal meaning for Muslims everywhere. These qualities are embodied by Muslims when they circumambulate the Ka‘bah, and when, wherever in the world they might be, they orient their daily prayers towards it. 

The Ka‘bah’s unique materiality is conveyed in the Makkah Pavilion by historical items closely associated with the Ka‘bah, notably by a cupola that for many years protected the Maqam Ibrahim. 

The rite of circumambulation is encapsulated here in a work by Ahmed Mater that conveys the sense of the Ka‘bah as a centrifuge.

Makkah’s global significance is illustrated through extracts of a AH 1346/1928 CE film of Indonesian pilgrims, the earliest film footage of Makkah and the Hajj.