Editing Mecca (section)

=== Sources of water ===

[[File:بئر زمزم الأثري.jpg|thumb|The mouthpiece of the [[well of Zamzam]]]]
Due to Mecca's climatic conditions [[water scarcity]] has been an issue throughout its history. In pre-modern Mecca, the city used a few chief sources of water. Among them were local wells, such as the [[Zamzam Well]], that produced generally brackish water. Finding a sustainable water source to supply Mecca's permanent population and the large number of annual pilgrims was an undertaking that began in the Abbasid era under the auspices of [[Zubaidah bint Ja'far|Zubayda]], the wife of the caliph [[Harun al-Rashid|Harun ar-Rashid]].{{Efn|Possibly following their pilgrimage in 805 and seeing the city's issues with its water supply.}} She donated funds for the deepening of Zamzam Well and funded a massive construction project likely costing 1.75 million [[gold dinar]]s. The project encompassed the construction of an underground [[Aqueduct (water supply)|aqueduct]] from the {{Langx|ar|عين حنين|translit=ʿAyn Ḥunayn|lit=Spring of [[Hunayn, Saudi Arabia|Hunayn]]}} and smaller water sources in the area to Mecca in addition to the construction of a waterworks on [[Mount Arafat]] called {{Langx|ar|عين زبيدة|translit=ʿAyn Zubayda|lit=Spring of [[Zubaidah bint Ja'far|Zubayda]]}} using a separate conduit to connect it to Mecca and the Masjid al-Haram. Over time however the system deteriorated and failed to fulfil its function. Thus in 1245, 1361, 1400, 1474, and 1510 different rulers invested into extensive repairs of the system. In 1525, due to the system's troubles persisting however the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] sultan [[Suleiman the Magnificent]] began a construction project to rebuild the aqueduct in its entirety, the project took until 1571 to be completed. Its water quality was greatly lacking during the 19th century until a restoration and cleaning project by Osman Pasha began.<ref name="Literary">{{Cite book |last=Peters |first=F. E. |title=Mecca: a Literary History of the Muslim Holy Land. |date=1994 |publisher=Princeton University Press |isbn=978-1-4008-8736-1 |location=Princeton |pages=135–136 |oclc=978697983}}</ref>

Another source which sporadically provided water was rainfall which was stored by the people in small reservoirs or [[cistern]]s. According to al-Kurdī, there had been 89 floods by 1965. In the last century, the most severe flood was that of 1942. Since then, dams have been built to ameliorate this problem.<ref name="EIModern" />

In the modern day, [[water treatment]] plants and [[desalination]] facilities]] have been constructed and are being constructed to provide suitable amounts of water fit for human consumption to the city.<ref>{{Cite web |title=FCC Aqualia wins contract to operate two wastewater treatment plants in Mecca, Saudi Arabia |url=https://www.water-technology.net/uncategorised/newsfcc-aqualia-wins-contract-to-operate-two-wastewater-treatment-plants-in-mecca-saudi-arabia-4617046/ |access-date=2022-10-11 |website=water-technology.net |archive-date=11 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221011162006/https://www.water-technology.net/uncategorised/newsfcc-aqualia-wins-contract-to-operate-two-wastewater-treatment-plants-in-mecca-saudi-arabia-4617046/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Sun, Sand And Water: Solar-Powered Desalination Plant Will Help Supply Saudi Arabia With Fresh Water |website=GE News |url=https://www.ge.com/news/reports/sun-sand-and-water-solar-powered-desalination-plant-will-help-supply-saudi-arabia-with |access-date=2022-10-11 |language=en}}</ref>