History of Islam.

Mecca

Islam

History of Islam

Beliefs and practices
Oneness of God
Profession of Faith
Prayer • Fasting
Pilgrimage • Charity

Major figures
Muhammad
Ali • Abu Bakr
Companions of Muhammad
Household of Muhammad
Prophets of Islam

Texts & Laws
Qur'an • Hadith • Sharia
Jurisprudence • Theology
Biographies of Muhammad

Branches of Islam
Sunni • Shi'a • Sufi


Sociopolitical aspects
Art • Architecture
Cities • Calendar
Science • Philosophy
Religious leaders
Women in Islam
Political Islam • Jihad
Liberal Islam


See also
Vocabulary of Islam
Index of articles on Islam

This article is about the holy city in Saudi Arabia. For other uses, see Mecca (disambiguation)
Mecca or Makkah (in full: Makkah al-Mukarramah; Arabic: مكة المكرمة) is the capital city of Saudi Arabia's Makkah province, in the historic Hijaz region. It has a population of 1,294,168 (2004 census). The city is located at 21°25′N 39°49′E, 73 kilometers (45 mi) inland from Jeddah, in the narrow sandy Valley of Abraham, 277 meters (909 ft) above sea level. It is located 80 kilometers (50 mi) from the Red Sea.

The city is revered as the holiest site of Islam, and a pilgrimage to it is required of all able-bodied Muslims who can afford to go, at least once in their lifetime. Muslims regard the al-Masjid al-Haram (or 'The Sacred Mosque') as the holiest place on Earth.

The term 'Mecca' has come into common usage metaphorically to mean any all-important site for any particular group of people. In the 1980s the government of Saudi Arabia changed the official English transliteration of the city's name from 'Mecca', as it had been commonly spelled by westerners, to 'Makkah'. See below for the reasons.

Contents
1 Muhammad
2 Non-Muslims and Mecca
3 Is Mecca the city of the Valley of Bakkah?
4 The spelling of the name
5 See also
6 External links




Muhammad

Muhammad, the final prophet of Islam, was born in Mecca in 571 CE. When he was forty years old, he received the first revelation in a cave called Hira in Jabal al-Nour (Mountain of Light), approximately 2 miles from Mecca. In the year 622, after suffering persecution and numerous attempts on his life, he moved to Yathrib (now Madinah), which also became a holy city. Later, Muhammad led the Muslims and conquered Mecca from the pagans.


Non-Muslims and Mecca

Non-Muslims are not permitted to enter Mecca, according to the Saudi embassy in London
. Road blocks are stationed along roads leading to the city. The most celebrated case of a non-Muslim visiting Mecca was that of the British explorer Sir Richard Burton in 1853. Burton disguised himself as an Afghan Muslim to visit and write his Personal Narrative of a Pilgrimage to Al Madinah and Meccah.


The Kaaba in the Masjid al-Haram, Mecca[edit]

-Is Mecca the city of the Valley of Bakkah?
-See main article: Bakkah
-Some have identified Mecca as the ancient city Bakkah, the Biblical "valley of Baca" in Psalm 84, but this association is controversial. It is known that the name Bakkah was changed to Mecca at some time, which is the location identified in the Qur'an.


The spelling of the name

For most English-speakers, Mecca has long been the accepted spelling for the holy city. The word is a transliteration of the original Arabic, and has become part of the English language. In an effort to distinguish between the metaphorical and official references to the holy site, the Saudi Arabian government in the 1980s began promoting a new transliteration, 'Makkah al-Mukarramah', which is even closer to the original Arabic. This new usage has been adopted in many places and by certain organizations, such as the U.S. Department of State, but is not part of the active vocabulary of English-speakers at large. Some leading media organisations such as the BBC and the New York Times continue to use Mecca.