Mecca - wikipedia Mecca Saudi Arabian city and capital of the Makkah province For other uses, see Mecca ( disambiguation ). City in Makkah Region, Saudi Arabia Mecca Makkah ( Arabic : مَـكَّـة ‎ ) Bakkah ( Arabic : بَـكَّـة ‎ ) Makkah al - Mukarramah ( Arabic : مَـكَّـة الْـمُـكَـرَّمَـة ‎ ) Umm al - Qurā ( Arabic : أُمّ الْـقُـرَى ‎, `` Mother of All Settlements '' ) City Clockwise from top left : Jabal al - Nour, the Kaaba in the Great Mosque of Mecca ( prior to the completion of the Abraj Al - Bait ), overview of central Mecca, Mina and the modern Jamaraat Bridge Mecca Location of Mecca Coordinates : 21 ° 25 ′ N 39 ° 49 ′ E ﻿ / ﻿ 21.417 ° N 39.817 ° E ﻿ / 21.417 ; 39.817 Coordinates : 21 ° 25 ′ N 39 ° 49 ′ E ﻿ / ﻿ 21.417 ° N 39.817 ° E ﻿ / 21.417 ; 39.817 Country Saudi Arabia Region Makkah Region Government Mayor Osama al - Bar Provincial Governor Khalid bin Faisal Al Saud Area City 760 km ( 290 sq mi ) Urban 850 km ( 330 sq mi ) Metro 1,200 km ( 500 sq mi ) Elevation 277 m ( 909 ft ) Population ( 2010 ) City 1,675,368 Density 2,200 / km ( 5,700 / sq mi ) Time zone AST ( UTC + 3 ) Area code ( s ) ( + 966 ) 12 Website www.holymakkah.gov.sa This article contains Arabic text. 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Part of a series on Islam Beliefs Oneness of God Prophets Revealed books Angels Predestination Day of Resurrection Practices Profession of faith Prayer Fasting Alms - giving Pilgrimage Texts and laws Quran Tafsir Sunnah ( Hadith, Sirah ) Sharia ( law ) Fiqh ( jurisprudence ) Kalam ( dialectic ) History Timeline Muhammad Ahl al - Bayt Sahabah Rashidun Imamate Caliphate Spread of Islam Culture and society Academics Animals Art Calendar Children Demographics Denominations Economics Education Feminism Festivals Finance LGBT Madrasa Moral teachings Mosque Mysticism Philosophy Poetry Politics Proselytizing Science Social welfare Women Related topics Criticism of Islam Islam and other religions Islamism Islamophobia Glossary Islam portal Mecca ( / ˈmɛkə / ; Arabic : مكة ‎ Makkah ( Hejazi pronunciation : ( ˈmakːa, ˈmäkːä ) ) is a city in the Hejazi region of the Arabian Peninsula, and the plain of Tihamah in Saudi Arabia, and is also the capital and administrative headquarters of the Makkah Region. The city is located 70 km ( 43 mi ) inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of 277 m ( 909 ft ) above sea level, and 340 kilometres ( 210 mi ) south of Medina. Its resident population in 2012 was roughly 2 million, although visitors more than triple this number every year during the Ḥajj ( Arabic : حَـجّ ‎, `` Pilgrimage '' ) period held in the twelfth Muslim lunar month of Dhūl - Ḥijjah ( Arabic : ذُو الْـحِـجَّـة ‎ ). As the birthplace of Muhammad, and the site of Muhammad 's first revelation of the Quran ( specifically, a cave 3 km ( 2 mi ) from Mecca ), Mecca is regarded as the holiest city in the religion of Islam and a pilgrimage to it known as the Hajj is obligatory for all able Muslims. Mecca is home to the Kaaba, by majority description Islam 's holiest site, as well as being the direction of Muslim prayer. Mecca was long ruled by Muhammad 's descendants, the sharifs, acting either as independent rulers or as vassals to larger polities. It was conquered by Ibn Saud in 1925. In its modern period, Mecca has seen tremendous expansion in size and infrastructure, home to structures such as the Abraj Al Bait, also known as the Makkah Royal Clock Tower Hotel, the world 's fourth tallest building and the building with the third largest amount of floor area. During this expansion, Mecca has lost some historical structures and archaeological sites, such as the Ajyad Fortress. Today, more than 15 million Muslims visit Mecca annually, including several million during the few days of the Hajj. As a result, Mecca has become one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the Muslim world, even though non-Muslims are prohibited from entering the city. Contents 1 Etymology and usage 2 Government 3 History 3.1 Early history 3.1. 1 Potential ancient references 3.1. 2 Islamic view 3.2 Thamudic inscriptions 3.3 Islamic tradition 3.4 Muhammad and conquest of Mecca 3.5 Medieval and pre-modern times 3.5. 1 Ibn Battuta description of Mecca 3.6 Revolt of the Sharif of Mecca 3.7 Saudi Arabia 3.8 Destruction of historic buildings 4 Pilgrimage 4.1 Incidents during pilgrimage 5 Geography 5.1 Neighborhoods 6 Climate 7 Landmarks 8 Economy 9 Health care 10 Culture 10.1 Cuisine 10.2 Demographics 11 Education 12 Paleontology 13 Communications 14 Transportation 14.1 Air 14.2 Rail 14.2. 1 Al Mashaaer Al Mugaddassah Metro 14.2. 2 Mecca Metro 14.2. 3 Intercity 14.3 Roads 15 Sister cities 16 See also 17 References 18 Bibliography 19 Further reading 20 External links Etymology and usage `` Mecca '' is the familiar form of the English transliteration for the Arabic name of the city, although the official transliteration used by the Saudi government is Makkah, which is closer to the Arabic pronunciation. The word `` Mecca '' in English has come to be used to refer to any place that draws large numbers of people, and because of this some English speaking Muslims have come to regard the use of this spelling for the city as offensive. The Saudi government adopted Makkah as the official spelling in the 1980s, but is not universally known or used worldwide. The full official name is Makkah al - Mukarramah ( Arabic : مَـكَّـة الْـمُـكَـرَّمَـة ‎ ) or Makkatu l - Mukarramah ( Arabic : مَـكَّـةُ الْـمُـكَـرَّمَـة ‎, ( ˈmæk. kæl mʊkarˈrama, ˈmæk. kætʊl - ) ), which means `` Mecca the Honored '', but is also loosely translated as `` The Holy City of Mecca ''. The ancient or early name for the site of Mecca is Bakkah ( Arabic : بَـكَّـة ‎, also transliterated Baca, Baka, Bakah, Bakka, Becca, Bekka, etc. ). An Arabic language word, its etymology, like that of Mecca, is obscure. Widely believed to be a synonym for Mecca, it is said to be more specifically the early name for the valley located therein, while Muslim scholars generally use it to refer to the sacred area of the city that immediately surrounds and includes the Ka'bah ( Arabic : كَـعْـبَـة ‎, Kaaba ). This form is used for the name Mecca in the Quran in 3 : 96, while the form Mecca is used in 48 : 24. In South Arabic, the language in use in the southern portion of the Arabian Peninsula at the time of Muhammad, the b and m were interchangeable. Other references to Mecca in the Quran ( 6 : 92, 42 : 5 ) call it Umm al - Qurā ( Arabic : أُمّ الْـقُـرَى ‎ ), meaning `` Mother of All Settlements '' / `` mother of villages ''. Another name of Mecca is Ṫihāmah ( Arabic : تِـهَـامَـة ‎ ). Another name for Mecca, or the wilderness and mountains surrounding it, according to Arab and Islamic tradition, is Faran or Pharan, referring to the Desert of Paran mentioned in the Old Testament at Genesis 21 : 21. Arab and Islamic tradition holds that the wilderness of Paran, broadly speaking, is the Tihamah and the site where Ishmael settled was Mecca. Yaqut al - Hamawi, the 12th century Syrian geographer, wrote that Fārān was `` an arabized Hebrew word, one of the names of Mecca mentioned in the Torah. '' Government Mecca is governed by the Municipality of Mecca, a municipal council of fourteen locally elected members headed by a mayor ( called Al - Amin ) appointed by the Saudi government. As of May 2015, the mayor of the city was Dr. Osama bin Fadhel Al - Bar. Mecca is the capital of the Makkah Region, which includes neighboring Jeddah. The provincial governor was prince Abdul Majeed bin Abdulaziz Al Saud from 2000 until his death in 2007. On 16 May 2007, prince Khalid bin Faisal Al Saud was appointed as the new governor. History See also : Timeline of Mecca Early history Mecca, as seen from Jabal al - Nour, 2009 1787 Ottoman Turkish map of Al - Haram Mosque, and related religious sites, such as Jabal al - Nour The early history of Mecca is still largely disputed, as there are no unambiguous references to it in ancient literature prior to the rise of Islam. The Roman Empire took control of part of the Hejaz in 106 CE, ruling cities such as Hegra ( now known as Mada'in Saleh ), located to the north of Mecca. Even though detailed descriptions were established of Western Arabia by Rome, such as by Procopius, there are no references of a pilgrimage and trading outpost such as Mecca. The first direct mention of Mecca in external literature occurs in 741 CE, in the Byzantine - Arab Chronicle, though here the author places it in Mesopotamia rather than the Hejaz. Given the inhospitable environment and lack of historical references in Roman, Persian and Indian sources, historians including Patricia Crone and Tom Holland have cast doubt on the claim that Mecca was a major historical trading outpost. Potential ancient references The Greek historian Diodorus Siculus writes about Arabia in his work Bibliotheca historica, describing a holy shrine : `` And a temple has been set up there, which is very holy and exceedingly revered by all Arabians ''. Claims have been made this could be a reference to the Kaaba in Mecca. However, the geographic location Diodorus describes is located in northwest Arabia, around the area of Leuke Kome, closer to Petra and within the former Nabataean Kingdom and Rome 's Arabia Petraea. Ptolemy lists the names of 50 cities in Arabia, one going by the name of `` Macoraba ''. There has been speculation this is could be a reference to Mecca. However, due to the lack of a description or any other supporting literature, the claim is seen as contentious. Islamic view In the Islamic view, the beginnings of Mecca are attributed to Ishmael 's descendants. The Old Testament chapter Psalm 84 : 3 -- 6, and a mention of a pilgrimage at the Valley of Baca, that Muslims see as referring to the mentioning of Mecca as Bakkah in Quran 's Surah 3 : 96. Some time in the 5th century, the Kaaba was a place of worship for the deities of Arabia 's pagan tribes. Mecca 's most important pagan deity was Hubal, which had been placed there by the ruling Quraysh tribe and remained until the 7th century. In the Sharḥ al - Asāṭīr, a commentary on the Samaritan midrashic chronology of the Patriarchs, of unknown date but probably composed in the tenth century C.E., it is claimed that Mecca was built by the sons of Nebaioth, the eldest son of Ishmael. In the 5th century, the Quraysh took control of Mecca, and became skilled merchants and traders. In the 6th century they joined the lucrative spice trade, since battles elsewhere were diverting trade routes from dangerous sea routes to more secure overland routes. The Byzantine Empire had previously controlled the Red Sea, but piracy had been increasing. Another previous route that ran through the Persian Gulf via the Tigris and Euphrates rivers was also being threatened by exploitations from the Sassanid Empire, and was being disrupted by the Lakhmids, the Ghassanids, and the Roman -- Persian Wars. Mecca 's prominence as a trading center also surpassed the cities of Petra and Palmyra. The Sassanids however did not always pose a threat to Mecca, as in 575 CE they protected Mecca city from invasion by the Kingdom of Axum, led by its Christian leader Abraha. The tribes of southern Arabia asked the Persian king Khosrau I for aid, in response to which he came south to Arabia with foot - soldiers and a fleet of ships into Mecca. The Persian intervention prevented Christianity from spreading eastward into Arabia, and Mecca and the Islamic prophet Muhammad, who was at the time six years old in the Quraysh tribe, `` would not grow up under the cross. '' By the middle of the 6th century, there were three major settlements in northern Arabia, all along the south - western coast that borders the Red Sea, in a habitable region between the sea and the great mountains to the east. Although the area around Mecca was completely barren, it was the wealthiest of the three settlements with abundant water via the renowned Zamzam Well and a position at the crossroads of major caravan routes. The harsh conditions and terrain of the Arabian peninsula meant a near - constant state of conflict between the local tribes, but once a year they would declare a truce and converge upon Mecca in an annual pilgrimage. Up to the 7th century, this journey was intended for religious reasons by the pagan Arabs to pay homage to their shrine, and to drink from the Zamzam Well. However, it was also the time each year that disputes would be arbitrated, debts would be resolved, and trading would occur at Meccan fairs. These annual events gave the tribes a sense of common identity and made Mecca an important focus for the peninsula. The Year of the Elephant is the name in Islamic history for the year approximately equating to 570 CE. According to Islamic tradition, it was in this year that Muhammad was born. The name is derived from an event said to have occurred at Mecca. According to early Islamic historians such as Ibn Ishaq, Abraha the Christian ruler of Yemen, which was subject to the Kingdom of Aksum of Ethiopia, built a great church at Sana'a known as al - Qullays in honor of the Aksumite king Negus. It gained widespread fame, even gaining the notice of the Byzantine Empire. Abraha attempted to divert the pilgrimage of Arab people from Kaaba to al - Qullays and appointed a man named Muhammad ibn Khuza'i to Mecca and Tihamah as a king with a message that al - Qullays was both much better than other houses of worship and purer, having not been defiled by the housing of idols. When Muhammad ibn Khuza'i got as far as the land of Kinana, the people of the lowland, knowing what he had come for, sent a man of Hudhayl called ʿUrwa bin Hayyad al - Milasi, who shot him with an arrow, killing him. His brother Qays who was with him fled to Abraha and told him the news, which increased his rage and fury and he swore to raid the Kinana tribe and destroy the temple. Ibn Ishaq further states that one of the men of the Quraysh tribe was angered by this, and going to Sana'a, slipped into the church at night and defiled it ; it is widely assumed that they did so by defecating in it. Abraha marched upon the Kaaba with a large army, which included one or more war elephants, intending to demolish it. When news of the advance of Abraha 's army came, the Arab tribes of the Quraysh, Banu Kinanah, Banu Khuza'a and Banu Hudhayl united in defense of the Kaaba. A man from the Himyarite Kingdom was sent by Abraha to advise them that Abraha only wished to demolish the Kaaba and if they resisted, they would be crushed. Abdul Muttalib told the Meccans to seek refuge in the hills while he with some leading members of the Quraysh remained within the precincts of the Kaaba. Abraha sent a dispatch inviting Abdul - Muttalib to meet with Abraha and discuss matters. When Abdul - Muttalib left the meeting he was heard saying, `` The Owner of this House is its Defender, and I am sure he will save it from the attack of the adversaries and will not dishonor the servants of His House. '' Abraha attacked Mecca However, the lead elephant, known as Mahmud, is said to have stopped at the boundary around Mecca and refused to enter. It has been theorized that an epidemic such as by smallpox could have caused such a failed invasion of Mecca. The reference to the story in Qur'an is rather short. According to the Surah of Al - Fil, the next day, ( as Abraha prepared to enter the city ), a dark cloud of small birds sent by Allah appeared. The birds carried small rocks in their beaks, and bombarded the Ethiopian forces and smashed them like `` eaten straw ''. Camel caravans, said to have first been used by Muhammad 's great - grandfather, were a major part of Mecca 's bustling economy. Alliances were struck between the merchants in Mecca and the local nomadic tribes, who would bring goods -- leather, livestock, and metals mined in the local mountains -- to Mecca to be loaded on the caravans and carried to cities in Shaam and Iraq. Historical accounts also provide some indication that goods from other continents may also have flowed through Mecca. Goods from Africa and the Far East passed through en route to Syria including spices, leather, medicine, cloth, and slaves ; in return Mecca received money, weapons, cereals and wine, which in turn were distributed throughout Arabia. The Meccans signed treaties with both the Byzantines and the Bedouins, and negotiated safe passages for caravans, giving them water and pasture rights. Mecca became the center of a loose confederation of client tribes, which included those of the Banu Tamim. Other regional powers such as the Abyssinian, Ghassan, and Lakhm were in decline leaving Meccan trade to be the primary binding force in Arabia in the late 6th century. Thamudic inscriptions Some Thamudic inscriptions which were discovered in the south Jordan contained names of some individuals such as ' Abd Mekkat ( Arabic : عَـبْـد مَـكَّـة ‎, `` Servant of Mecca '' ). There were also some other inscriptions which contained personal names such as Makky ( Arabic : مَـكِّي ‎, `` Meccan '' ), but Jawwad Ali from the University of Baghdad suggested that there 's also a probability of a tribe named `` Mecca ''. Islamic tradition According to Islamic tradition, the history of Mecca goes back to Abraham ( Ibrahim ), who built the Kaaba with the help of his elder son Ishmael in around 2000 BCE, when the inhabitants of the site then known as Bakkah had fallen away from the original monotheism of Abraham through the influence of the Amalekites. Muhammad and conquest of Mecca Campaigns of Muhammad Ghazwah ( expeditions where he took part ) Abwa Buwat Safwan Dul 1st Badr Kudr Sawiq Qaynuqa Thi Bahran Uhud Asad Nadir 2nd Nejd 2nd Badr Jandal Trench Qurayza Lahyan Mustaliq Treaty Khaybar Fadak Qura Dhat Baqra Mecca Hunayn Autas Ta'if Tabouk Main articles : Muhammad, Conquest of Mecca, Muhammad in Mecca, and List of expeditions of Muhammad Jabal al - Nour is where Muhammad is believed to have received the first revelation of God through the Archangel Gabriel Muhammad was born in Mecca in 570, and thus Islam has been inextricably linked with it ever since. He was born in a minor faction, the Hashemites, of the ruling Quraysh tribe. It was in Mecca, in the nearby mountain cave of Hira on Jabal al - Nour, that, according to Islamic tradition, Muhammad began receiving divine revelations from God through the Archangel Gabriel in 610 AD, and advocated his form of Abrahamic monotheism against Meccan paganism. After enduring persecution from the pagan tribes for 13 years, Muhammad emigrated ( see Hijrah ) in 622 with his companions, the Muhajirun, to Yathrib ( later called Medina ). The conflict between the Quraysh and the Muslims, however, continued : The two fought in the Battle of Badr, where the Muslims defeated the Quraysh outside Medina ; while the Battle of Uhud ended indecisively. Overall, Meccan efforts to annihilate Islam failed and proved to be costly and unsuccessful. During the Battle of the Trench in 627, the combined armies of Arabia were unable to defeat Muhammad 's forces. In 628, Muhammad and his followers wanted to enter Mecca for pilgrimage, but were blocked by the Quraysh. Subsequently, Muslims and Meccans entered into the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, whereby the Quraysh promised to cease fighting Muslims and promised that Muslims would be allowed into the city to perform the pilgrimage the following year. It was meant to be a ceasefire for 10 years. However, just two years later, the Quraysh violated the truce by slaughtering a group of Muslims and their allies. Muhammad and his companions, now 10,000 strong, marched into Mecca. However, instead of continuing their fight, the city of Mecca surrendered to Muhammad, who declared peace and amnesty for its inhabitants. The pagan imagery was destroyed by Muhammad 's followers and the location Islamized and rededicated to the worship of God. Mecca was declared as the holiest site in Islam ordaining it as the center of Muslim pilgrimage, one of the faith 's Five Pillars. Then, Muhammad returned to Medina, after assigning Akib ibn Usaid as governor of the city. His other activities in Arabia led to the unification of the peninsula. Muhammad died in 632, but with the sense of unity that he had passed on to his Ummah ( Islamic nation ), Islam began a rapid expansion, and within the next few hundred years stretched from North Africa into Asia and parts of Europe. As the Islamic Empire grew, Mecca continued to attract pilgrims from all across the Muslim world and beyond, as Muslims came to perform the annual Hajj pilgrimage. Mecca also attracted a year - round population of scholars, pious Muslims who wished to live close to the Kaaba, and local inhabitants who served the pilgrims. Due to the difficulty and expense of the Hajj, pilgrims arrived by boat at Jeddah, and came overland, or joined the annual caravans from Syria or Iraq. Medieval and pre-modern times The First Saudi State Mecca was never the capital of any of the Islamic states but Muslim rulers did contribute to its upkeep. During the reigns of Umar ( 634 -- 644 CE ) and Uthman ibn Affan ( 644 -- 656 ) concerns of flooding caused the caliphs to bring in Christian engineers to build barrages in the low - lying quarters and construct dykes and embankments to protect the area round the Kaaba. Muhammad 's migration to Medina shifted the focus away from Mecca. This focus moved still more when Ali, the fourth caliph, took power choosing Kufa as his capital. The Umayyad Caliphate moved the capital to Damascus in Syria and the Abbasid Caliphate to Baghdad, in modern - day Iraq, which remained the center of the Islamic Empire for nearly 500 years. Mecca re-entered Islamic political history during the Second Islamic Civil War, when it was held by Abd Allah ibn al - Zubayr, an early Muslim who opposed the Umayyad caliphs. The city was twice besieged by the Umayyads, in 683 and 692. For some time thereafter the city figured little in politics, remaining a city of devotion and scholarship governed by the Hashemite Sharifs. In 930, Mecca was attacked and sacked by Qarmatians, a millenarian Ismaili Muslim sect led by Abū - Tāhir Al - Jannābī and centered in eastern Arabia. The Black Death pandemic hit Mecca in 1349. In 1517, the Sharif, Barakat bin Muhammed, acknowledged the supremacy of the Ottoman Caliph but retained a great degree of local autonomy. In 1803 the city was captured by the First Saudi State, which held Mecca until 1813. This was a massive blow to the prestige of the ( Turkish ) Ottoman Empire, which had exercised sovereignty over the holy city since 1517. The Ottomans assigned the task of bringing Mecca back under Ottoman control to their powerful Khedive ( viceroy ) of Egypt, Muhammad Ali Pasha. Muhammad Ali Pasha successfully returned Mecca to Ottoman control in 1813. In 1818, followers of the Salafi juristic school were again defeated, but some of the Al Saud clan survived and founded the Second Saudi State that lasted until 1891 and led on to the present country of Saudi Arabia. Mecca was regularly hit by cholera outbreaks. Between 1830 and 1930 cholera broke out among pilgrims at Mecca 27 times. Mecca in 1718 Mecca, ca. 1778 In the late 1880s In 1910 Bird 's - eye view of Kaaba crowded with pilgrims in 1910 Ibn Battuta description of Mecca One of the world travelers to Mecca in the fifteenth century was Ibn Battuta. In his travels, he provides us with an important description of the city. Around the year 729, Ibn Battuta arrived in Mecca. Immediately when Battuta arrived in Mecca it felt like a holy sanctuary and thus he started the rites of the pilgrimage. He remained in Mecca for a couple of years. During Battuta 's second year there, his caravan arrived `` with a great quantity of alms for the support of those who were staying in Mecca and Medina '' ( p. 51 ). Giving these alms to the poor also helped to fulfill another pillar of faith, while he was also fulfilling the pillar of making the Pilgrimage to Mecca. While in Mecca, prayers were made for the King of Irak and then also for El Melik El Nasir. The prayers were made in the Temple of Mecca. This temple is very large, but was also destroyed once and was rebuilt a little bit smaller than the original. The temple also contained images of angels, prophets, Jesus, his mother Mary and many others. This temple is one of the most important parts of Mecca due to the fact that many people make the pilgrimage to Mecca for the purpose of going to the temple. The people of Mecca were also an important aspect of the village. They were described as being humble and kind, also willing to give a part of everything they had to someone who had nothing. The inhabitants of Mecca and the village itself was very clean. There was also a sense of elegance to the village. Ibn Battuta spent about three years in Mecca before he left with intentions of moving on to Yemen. Mecca nowadays is a lot different than Battuta saw it, but it still is a place of holiness. The city has become more advanced with new technology, but along with new skyscrapers and event centers, it still contains temples that are important for the pilgrimages to Mecca. Revolt of the Sharif of Mecca In World War I, the Ottoman Empire was at war with Britain and its allies, having sided with Germany. It had successfully repulsed an attack on Istanbul in the Gallipoli Campaign and on Baghdad in the Siege of Kut. The British agent T.E. Lawrence conspired with the Ottoman governor Hussain bin Ali, the Sharif of Mecca. Hussein bin Ali revolted against the Ottoman Empire from Mecca, and it was the first city captured by his forces in the Battle of Mecca ( 1916 ). Sharif 's revolt proved a turning point of the war on the eastern front. Sharif Hussein declared a new state, the Kingdom of Hejaz, and declared Mecca as the capital of the new kingdom. News reports in November 1916 via contact in Cairo with returning Hajj pilgrims, said that with the Ottoman Turkish authorities gone, Mecca at Hajj 1916 was thankfully free of the previous massive extortion and illegal money - demanding by Turks who were agents of the Ottoman government. Saudi Arabia Following the 1924 Battle of Mecca, the Sharif of Mecca was overthrown by the Saud family, and Mecca was incorporated into Saudi Arabia. Under Saudi rule, much of the historic city has been demolished as a result of construction programs -- see below. On 20 November 1979 two hundred armed Islamist dissidents led by Saudi preacher Juhayman al - Otaibi seized the Grand Mosque. They claimed that the Saudi royal family no longer represented pure Islam and that the Masjid al - Haram ( The Sacred Mosque ) and the Kaaba, must be held by those of true faith. The rebels seized tens of thousands of pilgrims as hostages and barricaded themselves in the mosque. The siege lasted two weeks, and resulted in several hundred deaths and significant damage to the shrine, especially the Safa - Marwa gallery. Pakistani forces carried out the final assault ; they were assisted with weapons, logistics and planning by an elite team of French commandos from the French GIGN commando unit. Destruction of historic buildings See also : Destruction of early Islamic heritage sites in Saudi Arabia Under Saudi rule, it has been estimated that since 1985 about 95 % of Mecca 's historic buildings, most over a thousand years old, have been demolished. Historic sites of religious importance which have been destroyed by the Saudis include five of the renowned `` Seven Mosques '' initially built by Muhammad 's daughter and four of his `` greatest Companions '' : Masjid Abu Bakr, Masjid Salman al - Farsi, Masjid Umar ibn al - Khattab, Masjid Sayyida Fatima bint Rasulullah and Masjid Ali ibn Abu Talib. It has been reported that there are now fewer than 20 structures remaining in Mecca that date back to the time of Muhammad. Other buildings that have been destroyed include the house of Khadijah, the wife of Muhammad, demolished to make way for public lavatories ; the house of Abu Bakr, Muhammad 's companion, now the site of the local Hilton hotel ; the house of Muhammad 's grandson Ali - Oraid and the Mosque of abu - Qubais, now the location of the King 's palace in Mecca ; Muhammad 's birthplace, demolished to make way for a library ; and the Ottoman - era Ajyad Fortress, demolished for construction of the Abraj Al Bait Towers. The reason for much of the destruction of historic buildings has been for the construction of hotels, apartments, parking lots, and other infrastructure facilities for Hajj pilgrims. However, many have been destroyed without any such reason. For example, when the house of Ali - Oraid was discovered, King Fahd himself ordered that it be bulldozed lest it should become a pilgrimage site. Pilgrimage The Hajj involves pilgrims visiting Al - Haram Mosque, but mainly camping and spending time in the plains of Mina and Arafah The pilgrimage to Mecca attracts millions of Muslims from all over the world. There are two pilgrimages : the Hajj and the Umrah. The Hajj, the ' greater ' pilgrimage is performed annually in Mecca and nearby sites. During the Hajj, several million people of varying nationalities worship in unison. Every adult, healthy Muslim who has the financial and physical capacity to travel to Mecca and can make arrangements for the care of his / her dependents during the trip, must perform the Hajj at least once in a lifetime. Umrah, the lesser pilgrimage, is not obligatory, but is recommended in the Qur'an. Often, they perform the Umrah while visiting Al - Haram Mosque. Incidents during pilgrimage Main article : Incidents during the Hajj Mecca has been the site of several incidents and failures of crowd control because of the large numbers of people who come to make the Hajj. For example, on 2 July 1990, a pilgrimage to Mecca ended in tragedy when the ventilation system failed in a crowded pedestrian tunnel and 1,426 people were either suffocated or trampled to death in a stampede. On 24 September 2015, 700 pilgrims were killed in a stampede at Mina during the stoning - the - Devil ritual at Jamarat. Geography Mecca is at an elevation of 277 m ( 909 ft ) above sea level, and approximately 80 km ( 50 mi ) inland from the Red Sea. Central Mecca lies in a corridor between mountains, which is often called the `` Hollow of Mecca ''. The area contains the valley of Al Taneem, the Valley of Bakkah and the valley of Abqar. This mountainous location has defined the contemporary expansion of the city. The city centers on the Masjid al - Haram area, which is lower than most of the city. The area around the mosque is the old city. The main avenues are Al - Mudda'ah and Sūq al - Layl to the north of the mosque, and As - Sūg Assaghīr to the south. As the Saudis expanded the Grand Mosque in the center of the city, hundreds of houses were replaced by wide avenues and city squares. Traditional homes are built of local rock and are generally two to three stories. The total area of Mecca today is over 1,200 km ( 460 sq mi ). In pre-modern Mecca, the city used a few chief sources of water. The first were local wells, such as the Zamzam Well, that produced generally brackish water. The second source was the spring of Ayn Zubayda. The sources of this spring are the mountains of J̲abal Saʿd ( Jabal Sa 'd ) and Jabal Kabkāb, which are a few kilometers east of Jabal Arafa or about 20 km ( 12 mi ) southeast of Mecca. Water was transported from it using underground channels. A very sporadic third source was rainfall which was stored by the people in small reservoirs or cisterns. The rainfall, scant as it is, also presents the threat of flooding and has been a danger since earliest times. According to Al - Kurdī, there had been 89 historic floods by 1965, including several in the Saudi period. In the last century the most severe flood was in 1942. Since then, dams have been build to ameliorate this problem. Neighborhoods Ajyad Al Adl Al Faisaliyyah Al Gemmezah Al Ghassalah Al Hindawiyyah Al Iskan Al Khalediya Al Maabda Al Muaisem Al Nuzha Al Rasaifah Al Shoqiyah Al Shubaikah Al Sulaimaniyyah Al Tundobawi Al Utaibiyyah Al Zahir Al Zahra Aziziyah Gazza Jabal Al Nour Jarwal Jurhum Mina Misfalah Shar Mansur Suq Al Lail Climate Main article : Climate of Mecca Mecca features a hot desert climate. Like most Saudi Arabian cities, Mecca retains warm to hot temperatures even in winter, which can range from 18 ° C ( 64 ° F ) at night to 30 ° C ( 86 ° F ) in the afternoon. Summer temperatures are extremely hot and break the 40 ° C ( 104 ° F ) mark in the afternoon dropping to 30 ° C ( 86 ° F ) in the evening. Rain usually falls in Mecca in small amounts scattered between November and January : hide Climate data for Mecca Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Record high ° C ( ° F ) 37.4 ( 99.3 ) 38.3 ( 100.9 ) 42.4 ( 108.3 ) 44.7 ( 112.5 ) 49.4 ( 120.9 ) 49.6 ( 121.3 ) 49.8 ( 121.6 ) 49.7 ( 121.5 ) 49.4 ( 120.9 ) 47.0 ( 116.6 ) 41.2 ( 106.2 ) 38.4 ( 101.1 ) 49.8 ( 121.6 ) Average high ° C ( ° F ) 30.5 ( 86.9 ) 31.7 ( 89.1 ) 34.9 ( 94.8 ) 38.7 ( 101.7 ) 42.0 ( 107.6 ) 43.8 ( 110.8 ) 43.0 ( 109.4 ) 42.8 ( 109 ) 42.8 ( 109 ) 40.1 ( 104.2 ) 35.2 ( 95.4 ) 32.0 ( 89.6 ) 38.1 ( 100.6 ) Daily mean ° C ( ° F ) 24.0 ( 75.2 ) 24.7 ( 76.5 ) 27.3 ( 81.1 ) 31.0 ( 87.8 ) 34.3 ( 93.7 ) 35.8 ( 96.4 ) 35.9 ( 96.6 ) 35.7 ( 96.3 ) 35.0 ( 95 ) 32.2 ( 90 ) 28.4 ( 83.1 ) 25.6 ( 78.1 ) 30.8 ( 87.4 ) Average low ° C ( ° F ) 18.8 ( 65.8 ) 19.1 ( 66.4 ) 21.1 ( 70 ) 24.5 ( 76.1 ) 27.6 ( 81.7 ) 28.6 ( 83.5 ) 29.1 ( 84.4 ) 29.5 ( 85.1 ) 28.9 ( 84 ) 25.9 ( 78.6 ) 23.0 ( 73.4 ) 20.3 ( 68.5 ) 24.7 ( 76.5 ) Record low ° C ( ° F ) 11.0 ( 51.8 ) 10.0 ( 50 ) 13.0 ( 55.4 ) 15.6 ( 60.1 ) 20.3 ( 68.5 ) 22.0 ( 71.6 ) 23.4 ( 74.1 ) 23.4 ( 74.1 ) 22.0 ( 71.6 ) 18.0 ( 64.4 ) 16.4 ( 61.5 ) 12.4 ( 54.3 ) 10.0 ( 50 ) Average precipitation mm ( inches ) 20.8 ( 0.819 ) 3.0 ( 0.118 ) 5.5 ( 0.217 ) 10.3 ( 0.406 ) ( 0.047 ) 0.0 ( 0 ) 1.4 ( 0.055 ) 5.0 ( 0.197 ) 5.4 ( 0.213 ) 14.5 ( 0.571 ) 22.6 ( 0.89 ) 22.1 ( 0.87 ) 111.8 ( 4.402 ) Average precipitation days 4.0 0.9 1.8 1.8 0.7 0.0 0.3 1.5 2.0 1.9 3.9 3.6 22.4 Average relative humidity ( % ) 58 54 48 43 36 33 34 39 45 50 58 59 59 Mean monthly sunshine hours 260.4 245.8 282.1 282.0 303.8 321.0 313.1 297.6 282.0 300.7 264.0 248.0 3,400.5 Mean daily sunshine hours 8.4 8.7 9.1 9.4 9.8 10.7 10.1 9.6 9.4 9.7 8.8 8.0 9.3 Source # 1 : Jeddah Regional Climate Center Source # 2 : Deutscher Wetterdienst ( sun, 1986 -- 2000 ) Landmarks Panorama of Al - Haram Mosque Mecca houses Al - Haram Mosque, the largest mosque in the world. The mosque surrounds the Kaaba, which Muslims turn towards while offering daily prayer. This mosque is also commonly known as the Ḥaram or Grand Mosque. As mentioned above, because of the Wahhabist hostility to reverence being paid to historic and religious buildings, Mecca has lost most of its heritage in recent years and few buildings from the last 1,500 years have survived Saudi rule. Expansion of the city is ongoing and includes the construction of 601 m ( 1,972 ft ) tall Abraj Al Bait Towers across the street from the Masjid al - Haram. The towers were the third tallest building in the world when completed in 2012. The construction of the towers involved the demolition of the Ajyad Fortress, which in turn sparked a dispute between Turkey and Saudi Arabia. The Zamzam Well is home to a celebrated water spring. The Qishla of Mecca was an Ottoman castle facing the Grand Mosque and defending the city from attack. However, the Saudi government removed the structure to give space for hotels and business buildings near to the Grand Mosque. Ḥirā ' ( Arabic : حِـرَاء ‎ ) is a cave near Mecca, on the mountain named Jabal an - Nūr ( Arabic : جَـبَـل الـنُّـوْر ‎, `` Mountain of Light '' ) in the region of Tihamah of present - day Saudi Arabia. It is notable for being the location where Muhammad received his first revelations from God through the angel Jibrā'īl ( Arabic : جِـبْـرَائِـيْـل ‎ ), who known as Gabriel to Christians. Mecca as seen from the International Space Station The Quran Gate The Qur'an Gate, located on the Jeddah - Mecca Highway, marks the boundary of the area where non-Muslims are prohibited to enter. It is the entrance to Makkah and the birthplace of Muhammad. The gate was designed in 1979 by an Egyptian architect, Samir Elabd, for the architectural firm IDEA Center. The structure is that of a book, representing the Qur'an, sitting on a rehal, or book stand. Economy Abraj Al Bait The Meccan economy has been heavily dependent on the annual pilgrimage. As one academic put it, `` ( Meccans ) have no means of earning a living but by serving the hajjis. '' Income generated from the Hajj, in fact, not only powers the Meccan economy but has historically had far - reaching effects on the economy of the entire Arabian Peninsula. The income was generated in a number of ways. One method was taxing the pilgrims. Taxes especially increased during the Great Depression, and many of these taxes existed as late as 1972. Another way the Hajj generates income is through services to pilgrims. For example, the Saudi national airline, Saudia, generates 12 % of its income from the pilgrimage. Fares paid by pilgrims to reach Mecca by land also generate income ; as do the hotels and lodging companies that house them. The city takes in more than $100 million, while the Saudi government spends about $50 million on services for the Hajj. There are some industries and factories in the city, but Mecca no longer plays a major role in Saudi Arabia 's economy, which is mainly based on oil exports. The few industries operating in Mecca include textiles, furniture, and utensils. The majority of the economy is service - oriented. Makkah Azizia district at noon Nevertheless, many industries have been set up in Mecca. Various types of enterprises that have existed since 1970 : corrugated iron manufacturing, copper smithies, carpentry shops, upholstering establishments, vegetable oil extraction plants, sweets manufacturies, flour mills, bakeries, poultry farms, frozen food importing, photography processing, secretarial establishments, ice factories, bottling plants for soft drinks, barber shops, book shops, travel agencies and banks. The city has grown substantially in the 20th and 21st centuries, as the convenience and affordability of jet travel has increased the number of pilgrims participating in the Hajj. Thousands of Saudis are employed year - round to oversee the Hajj and staff the hotels and shops that cater to pilgrims ; these workers in turn have increased the demand for housing and services. The city is now ringed by freeways, and contains shopping malls and skyscrapers. Health care Health care is provided by the Saudi government free of charge to all pilgrims. There are ten hospitals in Mecca : Ajyad Hospital ( Arabic : مُـسْـتَـشْـفَى أَجْـيَـاد ‎ ) King Faisal Hospital ( Arabic : مـسـتـشـفى الـمـلـك فـيـصـل بـحي الـشـشـه ‎ ) King Abdul Aziz Hospital ( Arabic : مـسـتـشـفى الـمـلـك عـبـد الـعـزيـز بـحي الـزاهـر ‎ ) Al Noor Specialist Hospital ( Arabic : مـسـتـشـفى الـنـور الـتـخـصـصي ‎ ) Hira Hospital ( Arabic : مـسـتـشـفى حـراء ‎ ) Maternity and Children Hospital ( Arabic : مـسـتـشـفى الـولادة والأطـفـال ‎ ) King Abdullah Medical City ( Arabic : مـديـنـة الـمـلـك عـبـد الله الـطـبـيـة ‎ ) Khulais General Hospital ( Arabic : مـسـتـشـفى خـلـيـص الـعـام ‎ ) Al Kamel General Hospital ( Arabic : مـسـتـشـفى الـكـامـل الـعـام ‎ ) Ibn Sena Hospital in Bahhrah ( Arabic : مـسـتـشـفى ابـن سـيـنـا بـحـداء / بـحـره ‎ ) There are also many walk - in clinics available for both residents and pilgrims. Culture Al - Haram Mosque and the Kaaba Mecca 's culture has been affected by the large number of pilgrims that arrive annually, and thus boasts a rich cultural heritage. As a result of the vast numbers of pilgrims coming to the city each year, Mecca has become by far the most diverse city in the Muslim world. In contrast to the rest of Saudi Arabia, and particularly Najd, Mecca has, according to The New York Times, become `` a striking oasis '' of free thought and discussion and, also, of `` unlikely liberalism '' as `` Meccans see themselves as a bulwark against the creeping extremism that has overtaken much Islamic debate ''. The first press was brought to Mecca in 1885 by Osman Nuri Pasha, an Ottoman Wāli. During the Hashemite period, it was used to print the city 's official gazette, al - Qibla. The Saudi regime expanded this press into a larger operation, introducing the new Saudi official gazette Umm al - Qurā. Henceforth presses and printing techniques were introduced in the city from around the Middle East, mostly via Jeddah. Mecca owns its hometown paper, Al Nadwa. However, other Saudi and international newspapers are also provided in Mecca such as the Saudi Gazette, Al Madinah, Okaz and Al - Bilad. The first three are Mecca 's ( and other Saudi cities ' ) primary newspapers focusing mainly on issues that affect the city, with over a million readers. Many television stations serving the city area include Saudi TV1, Saudi TV2, Saudi TV Sports, Al - Ekhbariya, Arab Radio and Television Network and various cable, satellite and other specialty television providers. In pre-modern Mecca the most common sports were impromptu wrestling and foot races. Football is the most popular sport in Mecca, the city hosting some of the oldest sport clubs in Saudi Arabia such as, Al - Wahda FC ( established in 1945 ). King Abdulaziz Stadium is the largest stadium in Mecca with capacity of 38,000. Cuisine As in other Arabian cities, Kabsa ( a spiced dish of rice and meat ) is the most traditional lunch but the Yemeni mandi ( a dish of rice and tandoori cooked meat ) is also popular. Grilled meat dishes such as shawarma ( flat - bread meat sandwich ), kofta ( meatballs ) and kebab are widely sold in Mecca. During Ramadan, fava beans in olive oil and samosas are the most popular dishes and are eaten at dusk. These dishes are almost always found in Lebanese, Syrian, and Turkish restaurants. The mixture of different ethnicities and nationalities amongst Meccan residents has significantly impacted Mecca 's traditional cuisine. The city has been described as one of the most cosmopolitan Islamic cities, with an international cuisine. Traditionally during the month of Ramadan, men ( known as Saggas ) provided mineral water and fruit juice for Muslims breaking their fast at dusk. Today, Saggas make money providing sweets such as baklava and basbosa along with fruit juice drinks. In the 20th century, many fast - food chains opened franchises in Mecca, catering to locals and pilgrims alike. Exotic foods, such as fruits from India and Japan, are often brought by the pilgrims. Demographics Population density in Mecca is very high. Most long - term residents of Mecca live in the Old City, and many work in the industry known locally as the Hajj Industry. Iyad Madani, Saudi Arabia 's minister for Hajj, was quoted as saying, `` We never stop preparing for the Hajj. '' Year - round, pilgrims stream into the city to perform the rites of Umrah, and during the last weeks of Dhu al - Qi'dah, on average 4 million Muslims arrive in the city to take part in the rites known as Hajj. Pilgrims are from varying ethnicities and backgrounds, mainly Central Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Many of these pilgrims have remained and become residents of the city. The Burmese are an older, more established community who number roughly 250,000. Adding to the Hajj - related diversity, the oil - boom of the past 50 years has brought hundreds of thousands of working immigrants. Non-Muslims are not permitted to enter Mecca under Saudi law, and using fraudulent documents to do so may result in arrest and prosecution. The prohibition extends to Ahmadis, as they are considered non-Muslims. Nevertheless, many non-Muslims and Ahmadis have visited the city. The first such recorded example of non-Muslims is that of Ludovico di Varthema of Bologna in 1503. Guru Nanak Sahib, the founder of Sikhism, visited Mecca in December 1518. One of the most famous was Richard Francis Burton, who traveled as a Qadiriyyah Sufi from Afghanistan in 1853. The Saudi government supports their position using Sura 9 : 28 from the Qur'an : `` O ye who believe ! Truly the Pagans are unclean ; so let them not, after this year of theirs, approach the Sacred Mosque. '' Education See also : List of universities and colleges in Saudi Arabia Formal education started to be developed in the late Ottoman period continuing slowly into and Hashimite times. The first major attempt to improve the situation was made by a Jeddah merchant, Muhammad ʿAlī Zaynal Riḍā, who founded the Madrasat al - Falāḥ in Mecca in 1911 -- 12 that cost £ 400,000. The school system in Mecca has many public and private schools for both males and females. As of 2005, there were 532 public and private schools for males and another 681 public and private schools for female students. The medium of instruction in both public and private schools is Arabic with emphasis on English as a second language, but some private schools founded by foreign entities such as International schools use the English language for medium of instruction. They also allow mixing between males and females while other schools do not. For higher education, the city has only one university, Umm Al - Qura University, which was established in 1949 as a college and became a public university in 1979. Paleontology In 2010, the Mecca area became an important site for paleontology with respect to primate evolution, with the discovery of a Saadanius fossil. Saadanius is considered to be a primate closely related to the common ancestor of the Old World monkeys and apes. The fossil habitat, near what is now the Red Sea in western Saudi Arabia, was a damp forest area between 28 million and 29 million years ago. Paleontologists involved in the research hope to find further fossils in the area. Communications Telecommunications in the city were emphasized early under the Saudi reign. King Abdul Aziz Al - Saud ( Ibn Saud ) pressed them forward as he saw them as a means of convenience and better governance. While in King Husayn 's time there were about 20 telephones in the entire city ; in 1936 the number jumped to 450, totalling about half the telephones in the country. During that time, telephone lines were extended to Jeddah and Ta'if, but not to the capital Riyadh. By 1985, Mecca, like other Saudi cities, possessed modern telephone, telex, radio and television communications. Limited radio communication was established within the Kingdom under the Hashimites. In 1929, wireless stations were set up in various towns of the region, creating a network that would become fully functional by 1932. Soon after World War II, the existing network was greatly expanded and improved. Since then, radio communication has been used extensively in directing the pilgrimage and addressing the pilgrims. This practice started in 1950, with the initiation of broadcasts the Day of Arafa, and increased until 1957, at which time Radio Makka became the most powerful station in the Middle East at 50 kW. Later, power was increased to 450 kW. Music was not immediately broadcast, but gradually introduced. Transportation Air Hajj terminal Mecca has only the small Mecca East Airport with no airline service, so Mecca is served by King Abdulaziz International Airport ( IATA : JED, ICAO : OEJN ) located at Jeddah, about 100 kilometres from the city centre. To cater the large number of Hajj pilgrims, this airport has a specifically built Hajj terminal which can accommodate 47 planes simultaneously and it can receive 3,800 pilgrims per hour during the Hajj season. Rail Al Mashaaer Al Mugaddassah metro Al Mashaaer Al Mugaddassah Metro is a metro line in Mecca opened in 13 November 2010. This 18.1 kilometer elevated metro transports pilgrims to holy sites Mount Arafat, Muzdalifah and Mina in the city during hajj reducing the congestion on the roads. Mecca metro Mecca Metro Route Map Mecca Metro, officially known as Makkah Mass Rail Transit, is a planned four - line metro system for the city. This will be in addition to the Al Mashaaer Al Mugaddassah Metro which carries pilgrims during Hajj. Intercity A high speed inter-city rail line ( Haramain High Speed Rail Project also known as the `` Western Railway '' ), is under construction in Saudi Arabia. It will link along 444 kilometres ( 276 mi ), the Muslim holy cities of Medina and Mecca via King Abdullah Economic City, Rabigh, Jeddah and King Abdulaziz International Airport. This rail line is planned to provide a safe and comfortable transport in 320 kilometres per hour ( 200 mph ) electric trains in - turn reducing the travel time to less than two hours between Mecca and Medina. It will be built by a business consortium from Spain. Roads Entry Gate of Mecca on Jaddah Makkah Highway Some of the intercity highways which connects the city of Mecca are : Highway 40 ( Saudi Arabia ) -- connects Jeddah to Mecca and Mecca to Dammam. Highway 15 ( Saudi Arabia ) -- connects Taif to Mecca and Mecca to Medina. 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Archived from the original on 1 December 2010. Jump up ^ Wolfe, Michael ( 1998 ). One thousand roads to Mecca : ten centuries of travelers writing about the Muslim pilgrimage. Grove Press. p. 475. Jump up ^ `` A new National Geographic Special on PBS ' Inside Mecca ' ''. Anisamehdi.com. Archived from the original on 15 April 2010. Retrieved 6 April 2010. Jump up ^ `` Makkah al - Mukarramah and Medina ''. Encyclopædia Britannica : Fifteenth edition. 23. 2007. pp. 698 -- 699. Jump up ^ `` After the hajj : Mecca residents grow hostile to changes in the holy city ''. The Guardian. 14 September 2016. Archived from the original on 24 October 2016. Retrieved 23 October 2016. Jump up ^ `` Saudi embassy warns against entry of non-Muslims in Mecca ''. ABS - CBN News. 14 March 2006. Archived from the original on 26 April 2006. Retrieved 27 April 2008. Jump up ^ Robert W. Hefner ; Patricia Horvatich ( January 1997 ). 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Archived from the original on 27 September 2016. Jump up ^ Laursen, Lucas ( 2010 ). `` Fossil skull fingered as ape -- monkey ancestor ''. Nature. doi : 10.1038 / news. 2010.354. Jump up ^ `` Saudi terminal can receive 3,800 pilgrims per hour ''. Al Arabiya. 28 August 2014. Archived from the original on 8 November 2014. Jump up ^ `` Hajj pilgrims take the metro to Makkah ''. Railway Gazette International. 15 November 2010. Archived from the original on 3 December 2010. Jump up ^ `` Mecca metro contracts signed ''. Railway Gazette International. 24 June 2009. Archived from the original on 28 February 2010. Retrieved 25 June 2009. ^ Jump up to : `` Jeddah and Makkah metro plans approved ''. Railway Gazette International. 17 August 2012. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Jump up ^ `` High speed stations for a high speed railway ''. Railway Gazette International. 23 April 2009. Archived from the original on 19 June 2010. Jump up ^ `` Al Rajhi wins Makkah -- Madinah civils contract ''. Railway Gazette International. 9 February 2009. Archived from the original on 19 June 2010. Jump up ^ El consorcio español firma el contrato del Ave a la Meca el 14 de enero Economía EL PAÍS. El País. ( 9 January 2012 ). Retrieved 2013 - 02 - 03. Jump up ^ `` Roads '' Archived 4 February 2015 at the Wayback Machine... saudinf.com. Jump up ^ `` THE ROADS AND PORTS SECTORS IN THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA '' Archived 8 January 2015 at the Wayback Machine... saudia-online.com. 5 November 2001 Bibliography the editors of Time - Life Books. ( 1999 ). What life was like in the lands of the prophet : Islamic world, AD 570 -- 1405. Time - Life Books. ISBN 0 - 7835 - 5465 - 6. Lapidus, Ira M. ( 1988 ). A History of Islamic Societies. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0 - 521 - 22552 - 3. Further reading See also : Timeline of Mecca § Bibliography Bianca, Stefano ( 2000 ), `` Case Study 1 : The Holy Cities of Islam -- The Impact of Mass Transportation and Rapid Urban Change '', Urban Form in the Arab World, Zurich : ETH Zurich, ISBN 3728119725, 0500282056 Bosworth, C. Edmund, ed. ( 2007 ). `` Mecca ''. Historic Cities of the Islamic World. Leiden : Koninklijke Brill. Dumper, Michael R.T. ; Stanley, Bruce E., eds. ( 2008 ), `` Makkah '', Cities of the Middle East and North Africa, Santa Barbara, USA : ABC - CLIO Rosenthal, Franz ; Ibn Khaldun ( 1967 ). The Muqaddimah : An Introduction to History. Princeton University Press. ISBN 0 - 691 - 09797 - 6. CS1 maint : Multiple names : authors list ( link ) Watt, W. Montgomery. `` Makka -- The pre-Islamic and early Islamic periods. '' Encyclopaedia of Islam. Edited by : P. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C.E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel and W.P. Heinrichs. Brill, 2008. Brill Online. 6 June 2008 Winder, R.B. `` Makka -- The Modern City. '' Encyclopaedia of Islam. Edited by : P. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C.E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel and W.P. Heinrichs. Brill, 2008. Brill Online. 6 June 2008 `` Quraysh ''. Encyclopædia Britannica. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia ( online ). 2007. Retrieved 19 February 2007. External links Find more aboutMeccaat Wikipedia 's sister projects Definitions from Wiktionary Media from Wikimedia Commons News from Wikinews Quotations from Wikiquote Texts from Wikisource Textbooks from Wikibooks Travel guide from Wikivoyage Learning resources from Wikiversity Holy Mecca Municipality Saudi Information Resource -- Holy Mecca Personal Narrative of a Pilgrimage to Al Madinah and Meccah, by Richard Burton People and things in the Quran hide Characters Non-humans Allāh ( `` The God '' ) Names of Allah found in the Quran, such as Karīm ( Generous ) Beings in Paradise Ghilmān or Wildān Ḥūr Animals Related The baqarah ( cow ) of Israelites The dhi'b ( wolf ) that Jacob feared could attack Joseph The fīl ( elephant ) of the Abyssinians ) Ḥimār ( Domesticated donkey ) The hud - hud ( hoopoe ) of Solomon The kalb ( dog ) of the sleepers of the cave The namlah ( female ant ) of Solomon The nūn ( fish or whale ) of Jonah The nāqat ( she - camel ) of Saleh Non-related Dābbat al - Arḍ ( Beast of the Earth ) Ḥimār ( Wild ass ) Qaswarah ( `` Lion '', `` beast of prey '' or `` hunter '' ) Angels Angels of Hell Mālik Zabāniyah Angel of the Trumpet ( Isrāfīl or Raphael ) Jibrīl ( Gabriel ) Mīkāl ( Michael ) ' Izrā'īl Malakul - Mawt ( Azrael, Angel of Death ) Riḍwān Munkar Nakir Harut and Marut Kirāman Kātibīn ( Honourable Scribes ) Raqib Atid Jinn ' Ifrīt Jann Mārid ( `` Rebellious one '' ) Shayāṭīn ( Demons ) Iblīs the ( Chief ) Shayṭān ( Devil ) Qarīn Prophets Mentioned Ādam ( Adam ) Al - Yasa ' ( Elisha ) Ayyūb ( Job ) Dāwūd ( David ) Dhūl - Kifl ( Ezekiel ? ) Hārūn ( Aaron ) Hūd ( Eber ? ) Idrīs ( Enoch ? ) Ilyās ( Elijah ) ' Imrān ( Joachim the father of Maryam ) Isḥāq ( Isaac ) Ismā'īl ( Ishmael ) Dhabih Ullah Isma'il Ṣādiq al - Wa 'd ( Fulfiller of the Promise ) Lūṭ ( Lot ) Ṣāliḥ Shu'ayb ( Jethro, Reuel or Hobab ? ) Sulaymān ibn Dāwūd ( Solomon son of David ) ' Uzair ( Ezra ? ) Yaḥyā ibn Zakariyyā ( John the Baptist the son of Zechariah ) Ya'qūb ( Jacob ) Isrā'īl ( Israel ) Yūnus ( Jonah ) Dhūn - Nūn ( `` He of the Fish ( or Whale ) '' or `` Owner of the Fish ( or Whale ) '' ) Ṣāḥib al - Ḥūt ( `` Companion of the Whale '' ) Yūsuf ibn Ya'qūb ( Joseph son of Jacob ) Zakariyyā ( Zechariah ) Ulu - l - ' Azm Muḥammad Aḥmad Other names and titles of Muhammad ʿĪsā ( Jesus ) Al - Masīḥ ( The Messiah ) Ibn Maryam ( Son of Mary ) Mūsā Kalīmullāh ( Moses He who spoke to God ) Ibrāhīm Khalīlullāh ( Abraham Friend of God ) Nūḥ ( Noah ) Debatable ones Dhūl - Qarnain ( Cyrus the Great ? ) Luqmān Maryam ( Mary ) Ṭālūt ( Saul or Gideon ? ) Implied Irmiyā ( Jeremiah ) Ṣamū'īl ( Samuel ) Yūsha ' ibn Nūn ( Joshua, companion and successor of Moses ) People of Prophets Evil ones Āzar ( possibly Terah ) Fir'awn ( Pharaoh of Moses ' time ) Hāmān Jālūt ( Goliath ) Qārūn ( Korah, cousin of Moses ) As - Sāmirī Abī Lahab Slayers of Saleh 's she - camel ( Qaddar ibn Salif and Musda ' ibn Dahr ) Good ones Adam 's immediate relatives Martyred son Wife Believer of Ya - Sin Family of Noah Father Lamech Mother Shamkhah bint Anush or Betenos Luqman 's son People of Aaron and Moses Believer of Fir'aun Family ( Hizbil / Hizqil ibn Sabura ) Imra'at Fir'awn ( Āsiyá bint Muzāḥim or Bithiah ) Khidr Magicians of the Pharaoh Moses ' wife Moses ' sister - in - law Mother Sister People of Abraham Mother Abiona or Amtelai the daughter of Karnebo Ishmael 's mother Isaac 's mother People of Jesus Disciples ( including Peter ) Mary 's mother Zechariah 's wife People of Joseph Brothers ( including Binyāmin ( Benjamin ) and Simeon ) Egyptians ' Azīz ( Potiphar, Qatafir or Qittin ) Malik ( King Ar - Rayyān ibn Al - Walīd ) ) Wife of ' Azīz ( Zulaykhah ) Mother People of Solomon Mother Queen of Sheba Vizier Zayd Implied or not specified Abrahah Bal'am / Balaam Barsisa Caleb or Kaleb the companion of Joshua Luqman 's son Nebuchadnezzar II Nimrod Rahmah the wife of Ayyub Shaddad Groups Mentioned Aṣḥāb al - Jannah People of Paradise People of the Burnt Garden Aṣḥāb as - Sabt ( Companions of the Sabbath ) Christian apostles Ḥawāriyyūn ( Disciples of Jesus ) Companions of Noah 's Ark Aṣḥāb al - Kahf war - Raqīm ( Companions of the Cave and Al - Raqaim ? Companions of the Elephant People of al - Ukhdūd People of a township in Surah Ya - Sin People of Yathrib or Medina Qawm Lūṭ ( People of Sodom and Gomorrah ) Nation of Noah Tribes, ethnicities or families A'rāb ( Arabs or Bedouins ) ʿĀd ( people of Hud ) Companions of the Rass Qawm Tubba ' ( People of Tubba ) People of Saba ' or Sheba Quraysh Thamūd ( people of Saleh ) Aṣḥāb al - Ḥijr ( `` Companions of the Stoneland '' ) ' Ajam Ar - Rūm ( literally `` The Romans '' ) Banī Isrā'īl ( Children of Israel ) Mu'tafikāt ( The overthrown cities of Sodom and Gomorrah ) People of Ibrahim People of Ilyas People of Nuh People of Shuaib Ahl Madyan People of Madyan ) Aṣḥāb al - Aykah ( `` Companions of the Wood '' ) Qawm Yūnus ( People of Jonah ) Ya'juj and Ma'juj / Gog and Magog Ahl al - Bayt ( `` People of the Household '' ) Household of Abraham Brothers of Yūsuf Daughters of Abraham 's nephew Lot ( Ritha, Za'ura, et al. ) Progeny of Imran Household of Moses Household of Muhammad ibn Abdullah ibn Abdul - Muttalib ibn Hashim Daughters of Muhammad Wives of Muhammad Household of Salih People of Fir'aun Current Ummah of Islam ( Ummah of Muhammad ) Aṣḥāb Muḥammad ( Companions of Muhammad ) Anṣār ( Muslims of Medina who helped Muhammad and his Meccan followers, literally ' Helpers ' ) Muhajirun ( Emigrants from Mecca to Medina ) People of Mecca Umm Jamil ( wife of Abu Lahab ) Children of Ayyub Dead son of Sulaiman Qabil / Cain ( son of Adam ) Wali'ah or Wa'ilah / Waala ( wife of Nuh ) Walihah or Wahilah ( wife of Lut ) Ya'jūj wa Ma'jūj ( Gog and Magog ) Yam or Kan'an ( son of Nuh ) Implicitly mentioned Amalek Ahl as - Suffa ( People of the Verandah ) Banu Nadir Banu Qaynuqa Banu Qurayza Iranian people Umayyad Dynasty Aus & Khazraj People of Quba Religious groups Ahl al - dhimmah ( Dhimmi ) Kāfirūn ( Infidels ) Zoroastrians Munāfiq ūn ( Hypocrites ) Muslims People of the Book ( Ahl al - Kitāb ) Naṣārā ( Christian ( s ) or People of the Injil ) Ruhban ( Christian monks ) Qissis ( Christian priest ) Yahūd ( Jews ) Ahbār ( Jewish scholars ) Rabbani / Rabbi Sabians Polytheists Meccan polytheists at the time of Muhammad Mesopotamian polytheists at the time of Abraham and Lot Locations Mentioned Al - Arḍ Al - Muqaddasah ( `` The Holy Land '' ) ' Blessed ' Land In the Arabian Peninsula ( excluding Madyan ) Al - Aḥqāf ( `` The Sandy Plains, '' or `` the Wind - curved Sand - hills '' ) Iram dhāt al - ' Imād ( Iram of the Pillars ) Al - Madīnah ( formerly Yathrib ) ' Arafāt Al - Ḥijr ( Hegra ) Badr Ḥunayn Makkah ( Mecca ) Bakkah Ḥaraman Āminan ( `` Sanctuary ( which is ) Secure '' ) Ka'bah ( Kaaba ) Maqām Ibrāhīm ( Station of Abraham ) Safa and Marwah Saba ' ( Sheba ) ' Arim Saba ' ( Dam of Sheba ) Rass Al - Jannah ( Paradise, literally `` The Garden '' ) Jahannam ( Hell ) In Mesopotamia : Al - Jūdiyy Munzalanm - Mubārakan ( `` Place - of - Landing Blessed '' ) Bābil ( Babylon ) Qaryat Yūnus ( `` Township of Jonah, '' that is Nineveh ) Door of Hittah Madyan ( Midian ) Majma ' al - Baḥrayn Miṣr ( Mainland Egypt ) Salsabīl ( A river in Paradise ) Sinai Region or Tīh Desert Al - Wād Al - Muqaddas Ṭuwan ( The Holy Valley of Tuwa ) Al - Wādil - Ayman ( The valley on the ' righthand ' side of the Valley of Tuwa and Mount Sinai ) Mount Sinai or Mount Tabor Religious locations Bay'a ( Church ) Miḥrāb Monastery Masjid ( Mosque, literally `` Place of Prostration '' ) Al - Mash'ar Al - Ḥarām ( `` The Sacred Grove '' ) Al - Masjid Al - Aqṣā ( Al - Aqsa Mosque, literally `` The Farthest Place - of - Prostration '' ) Al - Masjid Al - Ḥarām ( The Sacred Mosque of Mecca ) Masjid al - Dirar A Mosque in the area of Medina, possibly : Masjid Qubā ' ( Quba Mosque ) The Prophet 's Mosque Salat ( Synagogue ) Implied Antioch Antakya Arabia Ayla Barrier of Dhul - Qarnayn Bayt al - Muqaddas & ' Ariha Bilād ar - Rāfidayn ( Mesopotamia ) Canaan Cave of Seven Sleepers Dār an - Nadwa Al - Ḥijāz ( literally `` The Barrier '' ) Black Stone ( Al - Ḥajar al - Aswad ) & Al - Hijr of Isma'il Cave of Hira & Ghar al - Thawr ( Cave of the Bull ) Ta'if Hudaybiyyah Jordan River Nile River Palestine River Paradise of Shaddad Plant matter Baṣal ( Onion ) Fūm ( Garlic or wheat ) Shaṭ ' ( Shoot ) Sūq ( Plant stem ) Zar ' ( Seed ) Fruits ' Adas ( Lentil ) Baql ( Herb ) Ḥabb dhul - ' aṣf ( Corn of the husk ) Qith - thā ' ( Cucumber ) Rummān ( Pomegranate ) Tīn ( Fig ) Ukul khamṭ ( Bitter fruit or food of Sheba ) Zaytūn ( Olive ) In Paradise Forbidden fruit of Adam Bushes, trees or plants Plants of Sheba Athl ( Tamarisk ) Sidr ( Lote - tree ) Līnah ( Tender Palm tree ) Nakhl ( Date palm ) Rayḥān ( Scented plant ) Sidrat al - Muntahā Zaqqūm Islamic holy books Al - Injīl ( The Gospel of Jesus ) Al - Qur'ān ( The Book of Muhammad ) Ṣuḥuf - i Ibrāhīm ( Scroll ( s ) of Abraham ) At - Tawrāt ( The Torah ) Ṣuḥuf - i - Mūsā ( Scroll ( s ) of Moses ) Tablets of Stone Az - Zabūr ( The Psalms of David ) Umm al - Kitāb ( `` Mother of the Book ( s ) '' ) Objects of people or beings Heavenly Food of Christian Apostles Noah 's Ark Staff of Musa Tābūt as - Sakīnah ( Casket of Shekhinah ) Throne of Bilqis Trumpet of Israfil Mentioned idols ( cult images ) ' Ansāb Idols of Israelites : Baal The ' ijl ( golden calf statue ) of Israelites Idols of Noah 's people : Nasr Suwā ' Wadd Yaghūth Ya'ūq Idols of Quraysh : Al - Lāt Al - ' Uzzá Manāt Jibt and Ṭāghūt Celestial bodies Maṣābīḥ ( literally ' lamps ' ) : Al - Qamar ( The Moon ) Kawākib ( Planets ) Al - Arḍ ( The Earth ) Nujūm ( Stars ) Ash - Shams ( The Sun ) Liquids Mā ' ( Water or fluid ) Nahr ( River ) Yamm ( River or sea ) Sharāb ( Drink ) Events, incidents, occasions or times Incident of Ifk Laylat al - Qadr Mubahalah Sayl al - ' Arim ( Flood of the Great Dam of Marib in Sheba ) The Farewell Pilgrimage Treaty of Hudaybiyyah Battles or military expeditions Battle of al - Aḥzāb ( `` the Confederates '' ) Battle of Badr Battle of Hunayn Battle of Khaybar Battle of Tabouk Battle of Uhud Conquest of Mecca Days Al - Jumu'ah ( The Friday ) As - Sabt ( The Sabbath or Saturday ) Days of battles Days of Hajj Doomsday Months of the Islamic calendar Four holy months Ramaḍān Pilgrimages Al - Ḥajj ( literally `` The Pilgrimage '', the Greater Pilgrimage ) Al - ' Umrah ( The Lesser Pilgrimage ) Times for Prayer or Remembrance Times for Duʿāʾ ( ' Invocation ' ), Ṣalāh and Dhikr ( ' Remembrance ', including Taḥmīd ( ' Praising ' ), Takbīr and Tasbīḥ ) : Al - ' Ashiyy ( The Afternoon or the Night ) Al - Ghuduww ( `` The Mornings '' ) Al - Bukrah ( `` The Morning '' ) Aṣ - Ṣabāḥ ( `` The Morning '' ) Al - Layl ( `` The Night '' ) Al - ' Ishā ' ( `` The Late - Night '' ) Aẓ - Ẓuhr ( `` The Noon '' ) Dulūk ash - Shams ( `` Decline of the Sun '' ) Al - Masā ' ( `` The Evening '' ) Qabl al - Ghurūb ( `` Before the Setting ( of the Sun ) '' ) Al - Aṣīl ( `` The Afternoon '' ) Al - Aṣr ( `` The Afternoon '' ) Qabl ṭulū ' ash - Shams ( `` Before the rising of the Sun '' ) Al - Fajr ( `` The Dawn '' ) Implied Event of Ghadir Khumm Laylat al - Mabit The first pilgrimage Note : The names are sorted alphabetically. Standard form : Islamic name / Biblical name ( title or relationship ) Articles about Mecca History Timeline Quraysh Muhammad and Muslim state Rashidun Caliphate Umayyad Empire Abbasid Empire Mamluk Sultanate Ottoman Empire First Saudi State Saudi Arabia Landmarks and places Masjid al - Haram Kaaba Black Stone Zamzam Well Abraj Al Bait Towers Jabal al - Nur Cave of Hira Jabal Thawr Mina Muzdalifah Mount Arafat Jamarat Bridge Jannat al - Mu'alla Bawabat Makkah Education Umm al - Qura University Sports Al - Wehda FC Transport Haramain High Speed Rail Project Mecca Metro Al Mashaaer Al Mugaddassah Metro Category Commons News Quotes Voyage Islam topics Outline of Islam Beliefs God in Islam Tawhid Muhammad In Islam Prophets of Islam Angels Revelation Predestination Judgement Day Five Pillars Shahada Salah Sawm Zakat Hajj History Leaders Timeline of Islamic history Early conquests Golden Age Historiography Sahaba Ahl al - Bayt Shi'a Imams Caliphates Rashidun Umayyad Abbasid Córdoba Fatimid Almohad Sokoto Ottoman Religious texts Quran Sunnah Hadith Tafsir Seerah Denominations Sunni Shia Ibadi Nation of Islam Ahmadiyya Quranism Non-denominational Life Culture Animals Art Calendar Children Clothing Holidays Mosques Madrasas Moral teachings Music Philosophy Political aspects Qurbani Science medieval Social welfare Women LGBT Islam by country Law Jurisprudence Economics Banking Economic history Sukuk Takaful Murabaha Riba Hygiene Ghusl Miswak Najis Tayammum Toilet Wudu Marriage Sex Marriage contract Mahr Mahram Masturbation Nikah Nikah mut'ah Zina Other aspects Cleanliness Criminal Dhabiĥa Dhimmi Divorce Diet Ethics Etiquette Gambling Gender segregation Honorifics Hudud Inheritance Jizya Leadership Ma malakat aymanukum Military POWs Slavery Sources of law Theological baligh kalam Islamic studies Arts Arabesque Architecture Calligraphy Carpets Gardens Geometric patterns Music Pottery Medieval science Alchemy and chemistry Astronomy Cosmology Geography and cartography Mathematics Medicine Ophthalmology Physics Philosophy Early Contemporary Eschatology Theological Other areas Astrology Creationism ( evolution ) Feminism Inventions Liberalism and progressivism Literature poetry Psychology Shu'ubiyya Conversion to mosques Other religions Christianity Mormonism Protestantism Hinduism Jainism Judaism Sikhism Related topics Apostasy Criticism of Islam Muhammad Quran Cultural Muslim Islamism Criticism Post-Islamism Qutbism Salafi movement Islamophobia Incidents Islamic terrorism Islamic view of miracles Domestic violence Nursing Persecution of Muslims Quran and miracles Symbolism Islam portal Category Main Saudi Arabian cities by population 1,000,000 and more Dammam Hofuf Jeddah Khamis Mushait Mecca Medina Riyadh Ta'if 300,000 - 999,999 Abha Al - Kharj Buraydah Ha'il Hafar Al - Batin Jubail Khobar Najran Qatif Tabuk < 300,000 Al Bahah Al Lith Al Majma'ah Al Qunfudhah Arar Abqaiq Bareq Bisha Dhahran Diriyah Duba Al Jawf Jizan Khafji Ras Tanura Unaizah Yanbu ' al Bahr Source : cdsi.gov.sa Makkah Region Capital : Mecca Abu Hisani Abu Qirfah Abu Shu ` ayb Abu ` Urwah Ad Dabbah Ad Daff Ad Dawh Ad Dawh al Kabir Ad Dawh as Saghir Ad Dirs Ad Dur Al Ashraf Al Balad Al Barabir Al Bi'ar Al Buraykah Al Fawwarah Al Faydah Al Fazz Al Gharith Al Ghulah Al Hada Al Halaqah Al Hamimah Al Harra ' Al Hawiyah Al Hazm, Makkah Al Jadidah Al Jami ` ah Al Jid ` Al Jumum Al Ju ` ranah Al Khadra ', Makkah Al Khalas Al Khamrah Al Khaydar Al Khayf Al Khulasah Al Kidwah Al Kura ` Al Madiq, Makkah Al Maghal Al Mahjar Al Maqrah Al Masarrah Al Masfalah Al Mashayikh Al Mathnah Al Ma ` rash Al Mubarak Al Mudawwarah Al Mulayha ' Al Mundassah Al Muqayti ` Al Muqr Al Muraysiyah Al Muwayh Al Qadimah Al Qararah Al Qaryat Al Qawba ` iyah Al Qirshan Al Qirw Al Qufayf Al Qushashiyah Al Qu ` tubah Al Ukhaydir Al Waht Al Yamaniyah Al ` Utaybiyah Al Ābār Al ` Awali An Naqa Ar Rabwah al ` Ulya Ar Rabwah as Sufla Ar Rafah Ar Rawdah ash Shamaliyah Ar Rayyan, Saudi Arabia Ar Rihab Ar Ru'ays, Saudi Arabia Ar Rudaymah Arya ` As Sabahani As Sadr As Safa, Saudi Arabia As Samd ash Shamali As Sayl al Kabir As Sayl as Saghir As Sifyani As Sudayrah, Makkah As Sur, Saudi Arabia As Suwadah Ash Shafa Ash Shajwah Ash Shamiyah Ash Shara'i ` Ash Shara'i ` al ` Ulya Ash Shaybi Ash Shishah Ash Shi ` b Ash Shuhada ' ash Shamaliyah Ash Shumaysi Ash Shuwaybit At Tan ` im At Tarfa ' At Turqi Az Zaymah Az Zilal Az Zughbah Az Zurra ` Az Zuwayb Bahrah Bahrat al Qadimah Bahwil Baranah Barzah Bashm Buraykah Burayman Dabyah Dughaybjah Fayd Hadda ' Haddat ash Sham Hadhah Hajur Halamah Harat al Bab Hayy al Hamdaniyah Hayy as Salihiyah Husnah Jeddah Julayyil Khulays Khumrah Kulakh Madrakah Mafruq Malakan Mashajji Masihat Mahd al Hayl Maskar Matiyah Ma ` shi Mecca Murshidiyah Mushrif Nughayshiyah Nuzlat al Faqin Qiya Quwayzah Raqiyah Sabuhah Shara'i ` al Mujahidin Shira ` ayn Shi ` b ` amir Sulaym Sumaymah Suways Tharwah Turubah Wadi al Jalil Saudi Arabia articles History Pre-Islamic Arabia Early Islamic State Rashidun Caliphate Umayyad Caliphate Abbasid Caliphate Emirate of Diriyah Emirate of Nejd Kingdom of Hejaz Unification Modern history Geography Cities and towns Climate Earthquakes Governorates Mountains Regions Politics Allegiance Council Cabinet Consultative Assembly Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Foreign relations King Mabahith ( secret police ) National Security Council Nuclear program Prime Minister Law Basic Law Capital punishment Freedom of religion Human rights LGBT Rape Women Mutaween ( religious police ) Passport Military Air Defense Air Force Army General Intelligence Presidency Military ranks National Guard Navy Economy Agriculture Companies Council of Economic and Development Affairs Energy Oil reserves History of the oil industry Foreign workers Irrigation OPEC Riyal ( currency ) Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency ( central bank ) Supreme Economic Council Tadawul ( stock exchange ) Telecommunications Tourism Transport Society Censorship Crime Demographics Education List of universities Health care Human trafficking Obesity Prostitution Religion Terrorism Response to ISIL Water supply and sanitation Culture Art Cinema Cuisine Islam Language Media television Music Public holidays Sport Symbols Anthem Emblem Flag Motto Outline Index Book Category Portal BNF : cb119983981 ( data ) GND : 4038514 - 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Question: where is mecca located on the world map
Answer: the Hejazi region of the Arabian Peninsula, and the plain of Tihamah in Saudi Arabia