ABSTRACT
Mecca Called in Arabic Makka, this is the holiest city in Islam whose history is inextricably bound up with that of the Prophet Muhammad himself. He lived there for much of his life. Muslims turn towards Mecca in prayer and undertake the pilgrimage (Hajj (q.v.)) to that city, not only because of its prophetic and historical associations, but because it contains the Ka'ba (q.v.). The Qur'ān was first revealed to Muhammad near this city and it was from Mecca that he made his famous migration (Hijra (q.v.)) to Medina (q.v.) in AD 622. Mecca probably originated and developed as a major city in pre-Islamic times because of its strategic position on the great trade routes running from the Yemen Northwards to the Byzantine and Persian empires. The city today is within the modern Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Saudi King likes to refer to himself as 'The Servitor of the Two Sanctuaries' (i.e. Mecca and Medina). Mecca is often characterized as 'The Revered' (al-Mukarrama) and also referred to as 'The Mother of Cities' (Umm al-Qurā). (See Qibla).
