One of the Kingdom's oldest mosques Al-Safa historical mosque will undergo a thorough renovation process

The second phase of the Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Project for the Development of Historical Mosques will see the Al-Safa historical mosque, one of the Kingdom's oldest mosques and one of the oldest in the Al-Baha area, undergo a thorough renovation process.

By restoring the mosque's aesthetic components and modernising its construction with natural materials like stone from the Sarawat Mountains and local wood used in ceilings, columns, windows, and doors, the renovation project will ensure preservation of the mosque's distinctive Sarat style and its historical value.

The Baljurashi Governorate mosque's size and footprint will remain unaltered during the renovation procedure. The mosque currently has a 78 square metre floor space and can hold 31 worshippers. The repair will be carried out using a series of techniques that protect the mosque's architectural and historical significance.

By restoring the mosque's aesthetic components and modernising its construction with natural materials like stone from the Sarawat Mountains and local wood used in ceilings, columns, windows, and doors, the renovation project will ensure preservation of the mosque's distinctive Sarat style and its historical value.

Sufyan Bin Auf Al-Ghamdi is credited with being the first to construct the Al-Safa Mosque. At the time, the mosque played a significant social role as a gathering spot for villagers to congregate, discuss their concerns, and settle disagreements in between the Maghrib and Isha prayers.

30 historic mosques were included in the project's second phase, which was spread out among the Kingdom's 13 regions. These mosques included six in Riyadh, five in Makkah, four in Madinah, three in Asir, two in the Eastern Region, one each in Al-Jouf and Jazan, and one in each of the Northern Borders Region, Tabuk, Al-Baha, Najran, Hail, and Al-Qassim.

This follows the first phase's conclusion, which involved renovating and restoring 30 historic mosques spread across 10 areas.

In order to give mosque components a suitable level of sustainability and to combine the effects of development with a set of heritage and historical characteristics, the project seeks to strike a balance between ancient and contemporary construction standards.

Saudi heritage building specialists are handling the renovation process, with a focus on enlisting Saudi architects to guarantee the preservation of each mosque's original urban identity from when it was first built.

Four strategic goals are served by the Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Project for the Development of Historical Mosques: the restoration of historic mosques for worship and prayer; the restoration of historic mosques' urban authenticity; highlighting the cultural aspect of Saudi Arabia; and raising the status of historical mosques in terms of their religion and culture.

By preserving genuine urban characteristics and utilising them to help create contemporary mosque designs, the project also highlights the Kingdom's rich cultural and civilizational heritage, one of the cornerstones of the Saudi Vision 2030.