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| Home : Islam : Mecca - Birthplace of Prophet Muhammad |
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 Description: 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 is located at 21°29′ N 39°45′ E (http://kvaleberg.com/extensions/mapsources/index.php?params=21_29_N_39_45_E_), 73 kilometers inland from Jaddah, in the narrow sandy Valley of Abraham, 277 meters (909 feet) above sea level.
The city is revered as the holiest site of Islam, and a pilgrimage to it is required of all Muslims who can afford to go. 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 known to Westerners for centuries, to 'Makkah'. See below for the reasons.
For Muslims, a pilgrimage to Makkah is required as one of the Five Pillars of the faith. Every year about three million gather for the major pilgrimage or 'Hajj', during the Muslim month of Dhu'l-Hijjah, and many more perform the minor pilgrimage or 'Umrah', which may be performed at any time of year. Few non-Muslims have ever seen the rites and rituals of the Hajj as non-Muslims are strictly prohibited from entering Makkah and Madinah.
The focal point of Makkah is the Ka'bah, the "House of God" believed by Muslims to have been built by Abraham and his son Ishmael, and is covered in a gold-embroidered black fabric. The Pilgrims circle the Ka'bah seven times and may also try to touch or kiss its cornerstone, the Black Stone. Pilgrims then drink from the well of Zamzam. The water of Zamzam is believed to have special properties. Few pilgrims return from the Hajj without a large plastic bottle of the Zamzam water.
During the Hajj the pilgrims travel to Mina, a small village, where the Devil, symbolised by stone columns, is ritually stoned. In some years the hysterical crowds have crushed people to death during this ritual. They then proceed to the Hill of Arafat (sometimes called the Mountain, but it is only 70 meters high), a site for prayers, where the Prophet Muhammad is believed to have delivered his final Sermon.
The importance of Makkah for Muslims is inestimable. All Muslims, wherever they are on the earth, pray five times a day in the direction of the Ka'bah in Makkah (located at 21° 25′ 24″ N 39° 49′ 24″ E (http://kvaleberg.com/extensions/mapsources/index.php?params=21_25_24_N_39_49_24_E_)). The direction of prayer is known as the qiblah.
The al-Masjid al-Haram (or 'The Sacred Mosque'), is for Muslims the holiest mosque on Earth. Both the mosque and the city itself are strictly off-limits to non-Muslims.
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| Resource Specification | | CustomTeaserText: | 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 is located at 21°29′ N 39°45′ E (http://kvaleberg.com/extensions/mapsources/index.php?params=21_29_N_39_45_E_), 73 kilometers inland from Jaddah, in the narrow sandy Valley of Abraham, 277 meters (909 feet) above sea level. | | Date Added: | 24pm30UTC_f2005Fri, 24 Jun 2005 18:05:50 +000006pm30 |
| Last Updated: | 24pm30UTC_f2005Fri, 24 Jun 2005 18:05:50 +000006pm30 | | Author: | admin |
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