subject: Miracles and Mysticism at Makkah's Holy Well of Zamzam [print this page] Miracles and Mysticism at Makkah's Holy Well of Zamzam
Situated within the scared quarter of Masjid al Haram in Mecca, just 20 meters from Kaaba, the holiest site in all of Islam, lies a miraculous well that devotees believe is a gift from God himself. According to legend the well first started sprouting water in 2000 BC when Abraham's son cried for water to quench an unbearable feeling of thirst. His mother Hajar ran back and forth between the Safa and Marwa mountains before the Angel Gabriel inspired a gush of water to come sprouting out of the site that is now identified as that of the Zamzam Well. Attracting millions of pilgrims annually during the holy periods of Umrah and Hajj, the Zamzam Well occupies a mythical and mystical position in Islamic folklore and belief which states that the divine water can cure all ills and rid its drinkers of not just thirst but also hunger.
Frequented by devotees from across the globe the rites performed before drinking from the well rightly commemorates the journey of Hajar as male pilgrims run between the two hills seven times while women folk walk the length an equal number of times before taking a drink from the well.
Excavated by hand, the well reaches 30-meters in to the earth at a diameter that ranges between 1.08 and 2.66 meters and is mostly accessed via coolers positioned all over Masjid al Haram in Mecca and the Masjid al Nabawi region. Special taps connected to the well also distribute the holy water in the region as pilgrims also wash their pilgrimage attire and ihram in the water and also collect water in to bottles to take home as gifts for loved ones or ailing relatives. The ihram clothes that have been soaked in the water are later preserved to cloth the pilgrim once he/she passes away as it s believed to be a privileged to be buried in attire dipped in the holy waters of the Zamzam. Containing high levels of calcium, potassium, sodium, magnesium, sulphate, chloride, nitrate and low levels of fluoride, it is curious that the source of the well water's healing powers have yet to be identified by researchers and scientists.
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