Station of Abraham, Holy place at Great Mosque of Mecca, Saudi Arabia
The Station of Abraham is a sacred place within the Great Mosque of Mecca in Saudi Arabia, housing a stone block with imprints. The stone rests in a hexagonal golden shrine secured by thick glass panels and stands in the courtyard near the central sanctuary.
The stone served Ibrahim as a raised platform when he built the Kaaba and needed to reach higher sections. Later generations enclosed it in a shrine to preserve the block for future pilgrims.
Worshippers circle the golden shrine regularly during their prayers in the mosque, pausing to look through the glass panels. The name refers to Ibrahim, whose footprints in the stone are honored as a sign of his role in building the Kaaba.
Visitors view the stone only through the glass panels of the shrine, as direct contact is not possible. The site sits in the open courtyard of the mosque, where large crowds gather and perform the circling of the central building.
The indentations in the stone are surrounded by a metallic-looking substance that has preserved their form over centuries. Many worshippers try to catch a glimpse through the glass panels as they pass the shrine in a clockwise direction.
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