It then moves to the city of the Prophet (PBUH), showing the expansions sketched by Rasch, expanding the total area of the Prophet's mosque's to about 78 million square feet to accommodate the ever-increasing number of Muslims visiting the site.

The original mosque, built with mud bricks and tree trunks in 622 A.H., covered an area of 8,661 square feet.

The last expansion before the modern era was completed in 1849 by Sultan Abdul Majid II, bringing the mosque's total area to a little more than 120,000 square feet.

The Rasch-designed expansions also provided extensive roofed prayer area with 27 retractable and mechanized domes weighing close to eight tons each, in a sight which blends in harmony breath-taking geometric Islamic designs with state-of-the-art technology.

He also added 12 huge retractable non-flammable umbrellas, which shade the prayer courtyard from the searing sun.

The mechanized umbrellas are opened or closed depending on the weather.

The German Muslim architect is displaying lifelike models of these umbrellas outside his company in Stuttgart.

The expansions also saw a new air conditioning system, one of the largest and most innovative of its kind.

The system pumps 17,000 gallons of chilled water per minute through pipes into the basement of the mosque, used to cool air circulating throughout the complex.

Rasch, one of the leading contemporary architects in Germany, embraced Islam some 30 years ago

He has been living since 1985 between Germany and Saudi Arabia, where he did his second dissertation on the holy journey undertaken by the pilgrims.