Crown Prince Project for Development of Historical Mosques restores Al-Khader Mosque in Jeddah
Al-Khader Mosque, which is more than 700 years old, is one of the oldest mosques in the Al-Balad district in Jeddah Governorate, to be included in HRH Prince Muhammad bin Salman’s project to develop historical mosques in its second phase.
This is to restore it to its former state as an architectural masterpiece with additions imposed by the current urban developments so that the project preserves the aesthetic facades of the mosque and its original architectural elements such as carved stone, bricks, gypsum, and wood.
Al-Khader Mosque
Prince Muhammad bin Salman’s project for the development of historical mosques is renovating Al-Khader Mosque, whose area after the completion of the development will be 355.09 square meters, to accommodate 355 worshipers, in the architectural style of the western region.
Through the development of the facades of the mosque, the Rawashin, and the Mashrabiyas, which express the prominent window or balcony made of the finest wood panels, and are used to cover windows and external openings.
Architectural Style
The building is characterized by the architectural style of the western region withstanding the surrounding natural conditions on the coast, while the historical mosques in it constitute architectural masterpieces that reflect an elaborate building culture, and wood represents a prominent element since the early fourteenth century AH.
The mosques are characterized by the simple design of the facades, the prominence of the wooden element, and the maintenance of moderate temperatures inside the mosque.
Goals of Developing Mosques
The Prince Mohammed bin Salman project for the development of historical mosques aims to achieve a balance between ancient and modern building 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.
Mosques are being developed by Saudi companies specializing in heritage buildings with experience in their field, with the importance of involving Saudi engineers to ensure the preservation of the authentic urban identity of each mosque since its establishment.
Al-Khader Mosque is part of Prince Muhammad bin Salman’s project to develop historical mosques in its second phase, which included 30 mosques in all 13 regions of the Kingdom.
Mosques included in the Crown prince project
The project included 6 mosques in the Riyadh region, 5 mosques in the Makkah Al-Mukarramah region, 4 mosques in the Medina region, 3 mosques in the Asir region, and two mosques in the eastern region, and the same in each of Al-Jawf, Jizan, and one mosque in each of the northern borders, Tabuk, Al-Baha, Najran, Hail, and Al-Qassim.
It is noteworthy that the launch of the second phase of the Historic Mosques Development Project came after the completion of the first phase, which included the rehabilitation and restoration of 30 historical mosques in 10 regions.
The project stems from 4 strategic objectives, summarized by rehabilitating historical mosques for worship and prayer, restoring the architectural authenticity of historical mosques, highlighting the civilizational dimension of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and strengthening the religious and cultural status of historical mosques.
It contributes to highlighting the cultural and civilizational dimension of the Kingdom, which Vision 2030 focuses on, by preserving the original urban characteristics and benefiting from them in developing the design of modern mosques.
