A Comparative Study of the Narration of Muslim Travelers from the Kaaba and Masjid al-Haram (8-3 centuries AH)

The Masjid al-Haram and the Kaaba have been rebuilt many times before and after Islam due to the occurrences of natural and unnatural disasters. General and partial changes in their dimensions took place and reached its maximum expansion by the second half of the second century (AH). The travelers' reports can provide first-hand information regarding the changes took place in their structures from the third to the eighth centuries (AH) along with the different variables involved. The researchers compared the travelers' reports while observing the chronological order to examine the possible changes in the dimensions of the Masjid al-Haram, the Hijr-Ismail, the Maqām Ibrāhīm and the Kaaba. The results indicate an approximate similarity in the propositions, slightly limited changes, and qualitative and artistic changes in the buildings. The differences in the narratives have been influenced by different views and the prevailing cultural atmosphere. The present article, in a descriptive-analytical manner with data matching, attempts to analyze and match the reports of the Muslim travelers on these buildings.