RIYADH — As part of its second phase, the Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Project for Developing Historical Mosques reconstructs and renovates the mosques of the Eastern Region according to a set of effective methods and approaches.

The methods maintain the importance of the historical heritage of mosques to restore them to the closest shape of their original status through renovating and rehabilitating them according to vocational standards followed in implementing and constructing cultural sites.

The project seeks to grant Jawatha and Umm Zriniq mosques in the Eastern Region a historical and beautiful identity with their unique and distinguished features that maintain their beautiful history.

It also seeks to transfer them to the future via multiple stages of systematic works that rely on several studies, research and analysis to restore them into their original status with the use of proper materials.

Jawatha Mosque is considered among the oldest historical mosques in the Islamic world that was built in the seventh century of the Hijri calendar and is considered the first mosque to witness a Friday prayer after the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah.

The mosque was built by Bani Abd Al-Qais after their second visit to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) where the area of the mosque before and after renovation stands at 205.5 square meters with its capacity remaining the same at 170 worshippers.

The Umm Zriniq Mosque in Al-Owemariah neighborhood in Al-Hofouf City is among the mosques that were built more than 100 years ago next to the Umm Zriniq Cemetery. T

he area of the mosque will increase from 30 square meters to 213.96 square meters and its capacity will reach 94 worshippers after it ceased to receive worshippers during the past period.

The Prince Mohammed Bin Salman’s project to develop historical mosques aims to rehabilitate and restore 130 historical mosques in various regions of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in addition to highlighting their civilizational and cultural dimensions by preserving their original urban characteristics.

The second phase of the historical mosques development project includes 30 historical mosques distributed over the 13 regions of the Kingdom, six mosques in Riyadh region, five mosques in Makkah region, four mosques in Madinah region, three mosques in Asir region and two mosques in each of Eastern region, Al-Jouf and Jazan, and one mosque in each of the Northern Borders, Tabuk, Baha, Najran, Hail and Qassim. — SPA