In 1988, King Fahd laid the foundation stone for the third Saudi expansion of the Holy Mosque in Makkah and so initiated an expansion of the Holy Mosque which in scale and grandeur was unprecedented. Work began in 1989.

There were many difficulties to be overcome. The work had to be carried out with minimum disruption to the movement of pilgrims and the normal life of the Holy City of Makkah. The area designated for the expansion contained a number of utilities (water, electricity and telephone services) which had to be removed and replaced elsewhere without interrupting supplies, disrupting the commercial activities of the city or impeding the progress of pilgrims. The extension of the Holy Mosque had to be joined to the existing structure in such a way that the existing structure was undamaged and the old and new structures merged seamlessly with each other.

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