Maqam Ibrahim

 ( Islamic Holy Places ) 

The Maqām Ibrāhīm () is a small square stone associated with Ibrahim (Abraham), Ismail (Ishmael) and their building of the Kaaba in what is now the Great Mosque of Mecca in the region of Saudi Arabia. According to Islamic tradition, the petrosomatoglyph came from Abraham's feet.

It is the only standing historic structure in the Mataf area out of at least six other, which were removed to clear the area for the circumambulation ( tawaf).

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Formation According to one tradition, it appeared when Ibrahim stood on the stone while building the Kaaba; when the walls became too high, Ibrahim stood on the maqām, which miraculously rose up to let him resume building and also miraculously went down in order to allow Ismail to hand him stones. Other traditions held that the footprint appeared when the wife of Ismail washed Ibrahim's head, or alternatively when Ibrahim stood atop it in order to summon the people to perform the pilgrimage to Mecca.

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The stone

The stone inside the casing is square shaped and measures in length and width, and in height. It used to be enclosed by a structure called the Maqsurat Ibrahim which was covered by a sitara: an ornamental, embroidered curtain that was replaced annually.

Nahla Nassar (2025). 9780861591930, The British Museum. ISBN 9780861591930

Currently, it is placed inside a golden-metal enclosure. The outer casing has changed a number of times over the years; historic photographs show that the arch of the Banu Shaybah Gate stood next to it.

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See also

• List of individual rocks
• Arabian Peninsula
• Holiest sites in Islam
• Kaaba
• Zamzam Well

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Further reading

Categories: Islamic Holy Places, Religious Buildings And Structures In Saudi Arabia, Sacred Rocks, Abraham In Islam, Masjid Al-haram, Kaaba, Legendary Footprints

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