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MeccaMecca (Makkah) is the holiest city in Islam and the focus of the biggest annual pilgrimage in the world. Mecca is the holiest city in Islam. It is located 80 kilometres (50 miles) from the Red Sea, 73 kilometres (45 miles) inland from Jeddah, in a narrow valley, 277 metres (910 ft) above sea level. Mecca is the focal point of the annual Hajj pilgrimage. The city is reserved for Muslims, and people of other faiths are not allowed to enter it. Within Mecca is the Masjid al-Haram, Sacred Mosque of Mecca, the holiest site in Islam.According to the 2004 census, there are 1,294,167 people living in Mecca, the majority of whom work in the Hajj industry. During the last weeks of Dhull-Hijjah, the number of people in Mecca swell to over four million as the city takes part in the rites of Hajj. Mecca is believed to have been founded by the descendants of Ishmael (Ismail in Arabic). The Kaaba is said to have been built by Abraham (Ibrahim in Arabic), with help from Ishmael, around 2000 BC, and the city of Mecca had grown around it. Kaaba, which Muslims consider the holiest place on earth, is today surrounded by the Grand Mosque, or Masjid al-Haram, which is the biggest mosque in the world. According to historians, for a period of time the city fell away from monotheism, and the Kaaba became a repository of pagan idols of the nomadic tribes of Arabia. When the pagan Quraysh tribe conquered Mecca in the 5th century, their most important god, Hubal, was placed there until the 7th century, when Prophet Muhammad proclaimed Islam there. Non-Muslims are not permitted to enter Mecca. This law was put in place because Muslims were once persecuted in the city. When Muhammad and his followers managed to reclaim the city for Islam, it was declared a place where Muslim can feel safe. Mecca had played a central role in Islam right from the start of its history. From 966AD until 1924, it was governed by local sharifs, after which, it came under the rule of the Saudis. The name of the city was written Mecca until the 1980's, when the Saudi Arabian government, in an effort to bring the English name closer to the Arabic pronunciation, began promoting Makkah, or Makkah al-Mukarrammah in full, as the acceptable form of writing the name. This spelling Makkah has since been adopted by major organizations including the United Nations. Today the economy of Mecca is strongly tied to the Hajj pilgrimage. Traditionally, the city depended on pilgrimage tax as a source of revenue, and as late as 1972, many of these pilgrimage taxes existed to support the running of Mecca. But with increased income from petroleum, the Saudi government had been able to do away with all unnecessary charges. Still, the city makes more than $100 million during the Hajj. Most pilgrims arrive via either the Hajj terminal at the King Abdulaziz International Airport (JED) or the Jeddah Seaport. Both are in Jeddah. The last few decades have seen rapid expansion of Mecca and new infrastructure in the form of new freeways, shopping malls and hotels, almost everything catering to the hajj industry. Immediately to the south of the Grand Mosque is the massive Abraj Al-Bait complex, a multi-purpose development to be completed in 2009. It includes the 595 meter (1952 feet) tall hotel tower, slated to be the tallest building in Saudi Arabia. It will also have the highest clock in the world. Mecca linksFor more information about Mecca and the sites of the Hajj pilgrimage, visit the following pages in EarthDocumentary, our associated website:
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