Facts about Zam-Zam Water

Zamzam well is 3.5 meters deep, 17 meters of which are of granite rocks. The well’s diameter is irregular. The part above the rocky layer is of lime with a constructed well, a linear section leaning toward the Holy Ka’ba.At this stage of work, Zamzam was cleared of many objects thrown in by people who wrongly believed that doing so brought luck and prosperity – metal money of different epochs, seals, emblems, pottery, earthen vessels and copper objects.

Down the ages, many people have examined the qualities of Zamzam. Muhammad Labib Al-Bitnoni, an Egyptian author, wrote in his book “Al-Rehlat Al-Hijaziyah” that “the water is alkaline; rich in sodium, calcium, potassium and chloride salts. It has sulfuric and nitric acids too. The combination makes it similar to mineral waters that have healing effects.”
It is difficult to describe the exact taste of Zamzam. “It is not that of water to which salt has been added, nor is it that of diluted water. Its true taste, a slight salinity is clear only to the person who drinks it,” writes Koshak.The well has never been infected by germs or microbes. It has never been polluted by floodwater or drainage of nearby houses. No one has ever contracted any disease by drinking the water. The well miraculously cleans itself.
It springs forth from beneath the venerated House of Allah – the Ka’ba – from the direction of Safa and Marwa.“The main source of Zamzam is an opening tending toward the Holy Ka’ba. It is 45 cm long and 30 cm wide and slopes downwards. It supplies the main volume of Zamzam as stated in historical references,” mentions Dr. Koshak, who was asked to supervise the cleaning and sterilization of the well in 1980. “The second main source is a broad gash measuring 70 cm long and 30 cm wide, that divides into two openings within. It lies in the direction of Ajyad,” he adds.
There are also secondary sources. These are small outlets between the stones at the junction of the built-and-hewn-parts of the well.
There are five openings in the one-meter gap separating the two main sources. Besides, there are 21 inlets distributed from near the first main source that opens in the direction of JabalAbu Qubais, the Safa and the Marwa, to the second main source. These inlets are at different levels and they discharge varying amounts of water.