Mecca

Mecca or Makkah Al-Mukkaramah (Arabic مكة المكرمة) iscity inHijaz regionwestern Saudi Arabia. Itrevered asholiest site ofIslamic religion, andpilgrimageitrequiredall Muslims who can affordtrip.

In1980sgovernmentSaudi Arabia changedofficial transliteration ofcity's name from Mecca, ashad been knownWesternerscenturies,Makkah. See below forreasons.

Mecca was already an important trading city forArabian tribes bytime Muhammad was born thereabout 570 CE. He soon lost both fathermother,was raised by his grandfather and, later, by his uncle, Abu Talib. Atage25, he marriedrich widow, Khadijah. When he was forty years old, inyear 610 CE, Muslims believe, he was visited byangel Gabriel while meditating incave on Mount Hira outsideMeccatold, "Recite! Innameyour Lord who created, Created man fromclot. Recite,your Lordmost honorable, who taught howwrite withpen, taught man what he did not know," which now formsbeginningSura 96 ofQur'an, or Koran.

Muhammad preachedreligous doctrinesone God andthreat ofDayJudgment. (Moslems worshipsame God as ChristiansJews, whomcall Allah, whichsimplyArabic wordGod). Muhammad did not have much success at first. His tribe,Quraysh, which wascharge ofKaaba (a shrineArabic pagan gods), persecutedharassed him continuously. Hehis followers emigrated tocityYathrib, later called Medina (al-MadinahArabic, alternatively transliterated as Madinah),622 CE. This event, known ashijra (or hegiraLatin), marksbeginning ofIslamic calendar (1 AH, anno hegirae, or "inyear ofhijra").

Muhammadhis followers clashed offon withQuraysh, steadily gainingnumberspower. Finally Muhammad conquered Mecca630cleansedKaabaits idols, after which Islam spread rapidly. Muhammad died632,almost immediately afterwardArab armies embarked on their warsconquest which would eventually embrace most ofMiddle EastNorth Africa, bringing Islamthem.

For Muslims,pilgrimageMeccarequired as one offive pillars offaith. Every year about three million gather formajor pilgrimage, or Hajj, duringMuslim monthDhu'l-Hijja,many more performminor pilgrimage, or Umrah, which may be performed at any timeyear. Few non-Muslims have ever seenritesrituals ofhajj (non-Muslimsstrictly prohibited from entering MeccaMedina).

The focal pointMecca isKaaba,"HouseGod" believed by Muslimshave been built by Abrahamhis son Ishmael,whichcovered ingold-embroidered black fabric. Pilgrims circleKaaba seven timesmay also trytouch or kiss its cornerstone,Black Stone. Pilgrims may drink fromwellZamzam, believedhave been shownHagar (the wifeAbraham) by an angel while she was frantically searchingwaterher son Ishmael, betweenhillsSafahMarwah. The waterZamzambelievedhave special properties. Few pilgrims return fromHajj withoutlarge plastic bottleZamzam water.

DuringHajj pilgrims travelMina,small village, where the Devil, symbolised by stone columns,ritually stoned. They then proceed tohill Arafat (sometimes calledmountain, but withheightonly 70 m),siteprayers, where Muhammadbelievedhave delivered his final sermon.

The importanceMeccaMuslimsinestimable. All Muslims, wherever theyon Earth, pray five timesday indirection ofKaabaMecca. The directionprayerknown asqibla.

The Masjid al Haram, or Sacred Mosque, isMuslimsholiest mosque on Earth. Bothmosque andcity itselfstrictly off limitsnon-Muslims.

Is Meccacity ofvalleyBaca?

Some have identified Meccaan ancient city called Bakkah, identified withBiblical "valleyBaca"Psalm 84, but this identificationcontroversial. However,Qur'an does identify Bakkah as itlocation offirst mosque, which can be takenimply that MeccaBakkah aresame location. One schoolthought hasthat Bakkahjust an alternative pronunciationMecca.

The spelling ofname

Sincenamethis cityArabic, its nameEnglish must necessarily betranslation for, ortransliteration of, its original name. InWest, 'Mecca' hasbeenaccepted spelling.

The name Mecca has become part ofEnglish language, withword "mecca" generally meaningplace which isultimate destination and/or activity centerany grouppeople withcommon interest. Los Angeles,example,often referredasMeccashow business, Las Vegas asMeccaboth gamblingboxing, Paris,Meccafashionso on. The British bingo company Mecca Bingo named itselfthis usage.

However many Muslims found these usages offensive,particular because ofassociationsgambling, whichstrictly prohibited by Islam. In1980s,Saudi Arabian government startedpromotenew spelling (Makkah Al-Mukkaramah), whichin any caselot closer toproper Arabic pronunciation. Many English-speaking Muslims now consider thisbepreferredmore correct spelling, buthas yetbe adoptedgeneral English use.