You've probably had a sip or two of Zamzam water that was brought back to you from someone who has visited Masjid al-Haram in Mecca .
Located approximately two meters east of the Kaaba, the Zamzam well is a destination for millions of pilgrims each year, who visit specifically to drink the holy water.
Here are some facts you might want to know about the well:
1. Muslims believe that the well is a miraculously generated source of water from God, which began thousands of years ago
2. The story of the well dates back to Prophet Abraham and his son Ishmael, who was crying out of thirst
The Zamzam well was revealed to Hajar, Abraham's wife, when the prophet left her and Ishmael in the middle of the desert one day. Hajar ran seven times back and forth between the hills of Safa and Marwah looking for a drop of water for her son. That's when Ishmael started scraping the land with his feet and suddenly the water sprang out.
3. Upon finding the spring, Hajar enclosed it in sand and stones
4. The name Zamzam originates from the phrase Zomë Zomë meaning "stop flowing"
It was a phrase repeated by Hajar during her attempt to contain the spring water.
5. During the first era, the well was surrounded by a simple fence of stone
It is believed that the well had two cisterns in the first era, one for drinking and one for ablution.
6. Under Abbasid Caliph Al-Mansur in 771 AD, a dome was built above the well, which was then tiled with marble
In 775 AD, Al-Mahdi rebuilt the well during his caliphate with a dome covered with mosaic. The well was further restored in 835 AD, when the dome was again covered with marble under Al-Mu'tasim.
7. In more modern times, the most extensive restoration to the well was in 1915, under the rule of Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid
The building housing the Zamzam was relocated, and the water of the well is now pumped to the eastern part of the mosque.
8. The water is available in separate locations for men and women
9. It is illegal to sell Zamzam water in the UAE; The Saudi government has also banned the commercial export of Zamzam water from the kingdom
There has been some controversy over the safety of the water on one's health. A BBC investigation revealed that the water may have dangerous chemicals, which showed "high levels of nitrate and potentially harmful bacteria," according to the BBC . However, it remains a sensitive topic considering the religious link to the water.