Mecca Gate, Monument at Jeddah-Makkah Highway, Saudi Arabia
The Mecca Gate is an arch over the Jeddah–Makkah Highway built in 1979, shaped as an open Qur'an resting on a wooden rehal. Its reinforced concrete spans 152 metres long and 31 metres wide, with two 30-by-48-metre side blocks and wings rising about 23 metres above the road. The open book's two pages each measure 16.5 by 26 metres.
The gate was built in 1979 to mark the entrance to the holy city for millions of pilgrims. Its construction marked an important effort to formally recognize and welcome visitors arriving for pilgrimage.
The gate carries a Qur'anic inscription, verse 126 of Surah Al-Baqarah, in which Ibrahim asks God to make this a secure city and to provide its people with fruits. The open-book form sits on a rehal, and its two ends meet at the centre so that travellers arriving in Mecca and those leaving see it at the same visual level.
The gate sits on the main highway and serves as a clear reference point for vehicles traveling between the two cities. You can easily spot the structure from the road and immediately understand you are approaching the sacred area.
The open Qur'an pages measure 16.5 m long and 26 m wide each, resting on a rehal at 23 to 31 m above the road. A verse from Surah Al-Baqarah (2:126), Abraham's prayer for a safe city, is inscribed on the gate. In 2022 the municipality began repairs, replacing damaged parts with lightweight metal panels.
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