Mosque ProjectSince pre-Islamic times, Mecca has always been known as a sacred site, but due to the construction and of mass modernization, the sanctity of this holy city may be slowly dying. Mecca contains the Holy Mosque and the Kaaba. The Kaaba is a tall box-shaped structure that stands in a courtyard in the center of the Holy Mosque and has established itself as the main object of pilgrimages to Mecca (Dictionary of Islamic Architecture). Mecca is the birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad and contains many important historical sites such as the birthplace of Muhammad, the house of the Prophet's wife Khadijah and the house of Abu Bakr, as well as the house of the grandson son of Mohammed which was razed by the King's palace. All these historic sites have been demolished and replaced by hotels or even public toilets (The Guardian). The main building that dominates the Holy Mosque is Abraj al-Bait, which houses a series of luxury apartments and hotels. This building is the second tallest building in the world. Sami Angawi, architect and founder of the Hajj Research Center, says: “They are transforming the holy shrine into a machine, a city without identity, without heritage, without culture and without a natural environment (The Guardian). » Many sites important not only to Islam but also to the history of the Prophet have been demolished and replaced with new buildings. Eventually, the Holy Mosque will be surrounded by high-rise buildings and hotels. Residents were evicted with just a week's notice and many have still not received compensation from the government. Irfan al-Alawi, executive director of the UK-based Islamic Heritage Research Foundation, said "residents who have lived here for generations are forced... middle of paper... constructions around the mosque. takes away the seriousness, holiness and sanctity of the mosque, which I believe will affect future generations by making the pilgrimage less serious and spiritual, and could even possibly harm the meaning of the Hajj. Ashley FleetwoodWord count: 1,236BibliographyAnkara . "The Kaaba as imprisoned with constructions: Türkiye's highest religious official". Hurriyet Daily News. October 18, 2013. The web. November 26, 2013. http://archnet.org/library/dictionary/entry.jsp?entry_id=DIA0463&mode=fullButt, Riazat. "Mecca's mega-architecture casts shadow of hajj". The Guardian. October 23, 2013. The web. November 26, 2013. http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2012/oct/23/mecca-architecture-hajj1ArchNet Digital Library. "Mecca". Dictionary of Islamic Architecture. Internet. November 26, 2013. http://archnet.org/library/dictionary/entry.jsp?entry_id=DIA0463&mode=full