Saudi Arabia's Grand Mosque has undergone an extensive revamp as part of the government's efforts to enrich the visitors' experience through Islamic heritage-inspired architectural designs. 

 

The engineering aspect, especially in the third expansion, is one of the most prominent aspects that reflect the state's concern for the Grand Mosque, reported SPA. 

 

The expansion was designed with architectural engineering details derived from the Islamic heritage while keeping pace with modern design aspects and harnessing technical capabilities to ensure the purpose is achieved aesthetically and practically, it stated.

 

The scope of work included erection of 22 domes, of which 12 are movable glass domes, six fixed glass domes that have been set up on the second floor, and four fixed domes on the middle halls on the second floor. 

 

The movable dome, weighing around 800 tonnes, is located at the top of the corridor of the third Saudi expansion building, with an external diameter of 36 m, an internal height of 25m, and a weight of 800 tons. 

 

It has internal and external facades of marble and glass for the openings, with the external surfaces made of colored mosaics and the internal ceilings made of wood inlaid with precious stones. The glass domes open through a central control unit to provide natural ventilation when the temperature is appropriate.