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Mecca has been referred to by many names. As with many Arabic words, its etymology is obscure. [24] Widely believed to be a synonym for Makkah, 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.
As of 2024, the Great Mosque is both the largest mosque in the world, and the most expensive building in the world. It has undergone major renovations and expansions through the years. [ 9 ] It has passed through the control of various caliphs , sultans and kings, and is now under the control of the King of Saudi Arabia who is titled the ...
The city is now a center of pilgrimage throughout the Shi'ite Islamic world. It is estimated that only Mecca and Medina receive more Muslim pilgrims. As the burial site of one of Shi'a Islam's most important figure, [29] the Imam Ali Mosque is considered by Shiites as the third holiest Islamic site. [38]
Most of the population is concentrated in three cities: Jeddah, Mecca and Ta'if. Jeddah is the largest city in the province and the second-largest in Saudi Arabia with an estimated population of 2,867,446 as of 2020. [5] Mecca is the second-largest city in the province and third-largest in the kingdom at 1,323,624. [5]
Hejaz is the region in the Arabian Peninsula where Mecca and Medina are located. It is where the Islamic prophet Muhammad was born and raised. [10]The two holy cities of Islam, Mecca and Medina, are traditionally known as the Ḥaramayn, which is the dual form of ḥaram, thus meaning "The Two Sanctuaries". [11]
Islamic tradition identifies Bakkah as the ancient name for the site of Mecca. [1] [6] [7] [8] An Arabic word, its etymology, like that of Mecca, is obscure.[3]One meaning ascribed to it is "narrow", seen as descriptive of the area in which the valley of the holy places and the city of Mecca are located, pressed in upon as they are by mountains. [6]
Mecca (or Makkah) is a city in the Hijaz region of western Saudi Arabia. It is revered as the holiest site of the Islamic religion, and a pilgrimage to it is required of all Muslims who can afford the trip.
The oldest mosques in the world can refer to the oldest, surviving building or to the oldest mosque congregation. There is also a distinction between old mosque buildings in continuous use as mosques and others no longer used as mosques. In terms of congregations, there are early established congregations that have been in continuous existence ...