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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.
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]
In Samaritan literature, the Samaritan Book of the Secrets of Moses states that Ismail and his eldest son Nebaioth built the Kaaba as well as the city of Mecca." [ 36 ] The Asatir book was likely compiled in the 10th century CE, [ 37 ] though Moses Gaster suggested in 1927 that it was written no later than the second half of the 3rd century BCE.
It is a valley surrounded by mountains and is considered one of the sacred sites situated 6 km to the east of the city of Mecca. [2] It is a remarkable site due to its role that it plays during Hajj, where pilgrims spend most of their time in Mina. It contains the three stone pillars .
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]
A holy city is a city important to the history or faith of a specific religion. Such cities may also contain at least one headquarters complex (often containing a religious edifice, seminary, shrine, residence of the leading cleric of the religion and/or chambers of the religious leadership's offices) which constitutes a major destination of human traffic, or pilgrimage to the city, especially ...
Today, Several important theological schools are associated with the shrine of the eighth imam. As a city of great religious significance, it is also a place of pilgrimage . Those who complete the pilgrimage to Mecca receive the title of haji , those who make the pilgrimage to Mashhad–and especially to the Imam Ridha shrine–are known as ...
'The Sacred Mosque'), [4] also known as the Sacred Mosque or the Great Mosque of Mecca, [5] is considered to be the most significant mosque in Islam. [ 6 ] [ 7 ] It encloses the vicinity of the Kaaba in Mecca , in the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia .