MECCA... Mecca (Arabic, Makkah; ancient Macoraba), city in western Saudi Arabia, capital of Al Ḩijāz (Hejaz) Province, near Jiddah. Situated in a narrow valley surrounded by the barren hills of the Sirat Mountains, Mecca is a picturesque city of boulevards, shops, open-air markets, and stone houses. Its location on several trade routes has made the city commercially important since ancient times. Mecca is the birthplace of the prophet Muhammad, founder of Islam, and therefore the most sacred of the Muslim holy cities. Each year, during the Islamic month of Dhu al-Hijja, almost 2 million Muslims make a pilgrimage (or hajj) to Mecca. Islamic law strictly forbids non-Muslims from visiting Mecca, and punishment is death for those caught violating this mandate. Foremost among important sites in Mecca is the al-Haram, or Great Mosque, which sits in the centre of the city and boasts seven minarets. Mecca was a religious centre before the time of Muhammad, and several holy sites within the sacred precincts of al-Haram had religious significance in pre-Islamic times. The Kaaba (or Caaba)—which Muslims face when they worship anywhere in the world—is a windowless cube-shaped building in the courtyard of al-Haram, and is believed to have been built by the Hebrew patriarch Abraham. In the south-eastern corner of the Kaaba is the Black Stone, supposedly given to Abraham by the angel Gabriel. Also within the precincts of the mosque is the sacred well known as the Zamzam (Zemzem), which was reputedly used by Hagar, the mother of Abrahams son Ishmael. Although the annual pilgrimage, or hajj, to Mecca is the city’s major source of economic prosperity and activity, industrial production of furniture, pottery, and textiles has brought some economic diversity to the city. Large fairs and celebrations are also held during the month of the pilgrimage, during which the population of Mecca swells with Muslims who have come to worship. The city is first mentioned by the Egyptian geographer Ptolemy, who in the 2nd century ad called it Makoraba. From the time of Muhammad, Mecca was besieged on various occasions. It was taken by the Egyptians in the 13th century. In the 16th century control passed to Turkey. From 1517 the sharifs (descendants of Muhammad through Hasan, son of Muhammads son-in-law Ali) governed Mecca for the Turks. The latter were driven from the city in 1916 by Grand Sharif Husein ibn Ali, later first king of Al Ḩijāz. In 1924 the city was occupied by Abdul Aziz ibn Saud, then sultan of Najd (Nejd), who made Mecca the religious capital of Saudi Arabia. Population 770,000 (1995 estimate)....
Posted on: Sun, 10 Nov 2013 19:09:44 +0000