 In 2009, I curated an exhibition called Sans Style. The main idea was to highlight and respond to the threat the current mixture of visual architectural styles and design influences that the Holy Mosque in Makka had been subjected to over the many centuries. How with any new caliphate, empire or authority, new architectural styles were introduced bringing their own interpretations of what was most appropriate as an aesthetic for the Mosque and the ideal backdrop for the cabin. My belief was that both the Holy Mosque and Kaaba really didn't need style, design or decoration to be awe-inspiring. They already commanded the attention of all. This was a place for reverence and humility. And in response, the exhibit attempted to showcase a simpler holy place by removing all the stylization of the Holy Mosque and returned the architecture in circling the black cuboid to one of archetypical elements, simple and without decor or ornamentation. A return to a more timeless and respectful context for the holiest of holies, the Kaaba. I was wrong though. The threat on the sanctity of this holy site in Makka wasn't about style or ornamentation. No, not at all. The real threat is something that has more recently taken on an existence of its own and this threat is not subtle. It is the out of control urbanization and development of property around the holy site that is having an immediate perceptual as well as real impact on the relationship Muslims have with their place of pilgrimage. Throughout its history and all its various theological iterations, at just over 13 meters tall, the Kaaba towered above humans. There was only the Kaaba, alone in all its purity, within a courtyard contextualized by a backdrop of private homes and then eventually a plaza to then be enclosed by the mosque and its simple yet beautifully repetitive colonnades. And for centuries beyond that, Muslims would be in awe of this black mystical form. In Islam, the concept and word khashur has always been vital. Literally, it means reverence, yet it is imbued with so much more. It includes humility and respect, an eruption of emotional and spiritual amazement, an out-of-body elation that physically made Muslims feel their submission to Allah. At Makka, this khashur has existed for many centuries, until... Until it was recently decided that the exploit of religious rights in a commercial sense would trump the maintaining of the spiritual impact and presence of such a sacred form as the Kaaba and its surrounding context, the Holy Mosque. The Kaaba is the most important physical element in all of Islam. For a religion that frowns upon symbols and icons, it comes closest for Muslims. Built by the Prophet Abraham, the Kaaba houses a sacred black stone brought down from the heavens during the times of Adam and Eve. Up until the 7th century CE, the Kaaba never had a roof, hence was exposed to the elements and thievery and repetitive collapse. Over the millennia, the Kaaba was rebuilt several times with the most comprehensive coming in 1631, when the Kaaba and Holy Mosque were totally destroyed due to the extreme flooding. Rebuilt in 1996, the current Kaaba is constructed using rock, marble and limestone, referred to as Baytullah, the house of God, and since pre-Islamic times, the Kaaba was covered by a silk and woolen shroud called a kiswah. Weighing up to two-thirds of a ton, the shroud used to be made of different colors, such as white, then red and green, but eventually the black color with silver and gold decorations became the norm. Please subscribe to our channel, as it would support us greatly in generating more content that documents our Arabian and Muslim heritage, history and culture. Now back to our story. The Kaaba itself wasn't the only element that has evolved over the ages. The whole holy site has seen significant changes that have impacted its simplicity and ability to accommodate greater and even greater numbers of pilgrims. A century ago, the capacity of the Holy Mosque could receive a total of 80,000 pilgrims per year. Today, that number is closer to 30 million. Since the middle of the last century, an increase in the number of pilgrims has driven the redevelopment of the holy site. What was originally based on organic growth that was both balanced and subservient to the Kaaba and the rights of the pilgrimage, modernity completely changed. Speed and affordability of transportation completely accelerated the required growth. In addition, the invention of religious tourism became an attractive means for investment and profitability. All these advancements would only feed the perfect storm of development that was about to take place. New projects would be pushed through without any considered thought or discovery of long-term consequences. Towers have been growing at an alarming rate at the immediate boundary between the Holy Shrine and the start of the city. A density of towers that are 50, 60 and even 120 stories high looking down upon the Holy Mosque and Kaaba. These hotels and residential buildings and their expensive Kaaba views are casting their shadows onto the holy site and in some cases almost appearing to compete for the attention of the pilgrim masses. How can such projects be allowed to have such presence? To become distractions from what is most important, the Kaaba and the Holy Mosque? Change and development are eternal and as eternal is the existence of this holy site, both the Kaaba and the Holy Mosque. But what is not eternal are these buildings that are being randomly introduced and justified as addressing the strong demands of religious duty but in reality to commercially take advantage and benefit from Mecca's importance in the life journey of all Muslims. In the grand scheme of things, the life spans of these buildings will be for a hundred years, an infinitesimal existence when compared to that of the holy shrines that have been part of human history for many millennia. Neither their cost nor their supposed beauty is worth or justified in impacting the sanctity of this holy site. This modern architecture must be removed and new structures are to be introduced with a much more sensitive touch and humility, respectful of the place and with a comprehensive understanding that no building shall overbear, distract or overshadow the holy site. If not and with time and with more senseless insensitivity and greed, Mecca the city might be going down a path that might be irreversible and ultimately maybe even sacrilegious.