60 Fun Facts About Mecca

Mecca lies in which country?

Mecca lies in western Saudi Arabia's Hejaz region, about 70 km inland from the Red Sea, in a narrow valley ringed by hills.

Which nearby city serves as Mecca's principal gateway and port on the Red Sea?

Jeddah, about 70 km west of Mecca on the Red Sea, has been the pilgrims' port since Caliph Uthman designated it in 647; most Hajj pilgrims land there before travelling inland.

What does the Arabic word 'Kaaba' literally mean?

Kaaba comes from the Arabic for 'cube', describing the roughly cubic granite shrine about 13 metres high; Muslims also call it Baytullah, the House of God.

According to Islamic tradition, Ibrahim rebuilt the Kaaba together with which son?

Ishmael (Ismail), whom Ibrahim had left with his mother in the barren valley, helped his father raise the Kaaba; Quran 2:127 describes the two raising its foundations together.

The direction of prayer, towards the Kaaba, is called what?

The qibla is the direction of the Kaaba; for about 16 months after the migration to Medina, Muslims prayed towards Jerusalem until a revelation in 624 turned the qibla to Mecca.

Which name does the Quran use for Mecca in the verse calling it the site of the first house of worship?

Quran 3:96 says the first house of worship for mankind was at Bakkah, a name traditionally taken as an older form of Makkah, the city's name in Arabic.

Ptolemy's 2nd-century list of Arabian cities includes which name long identified with Mecca?

Ptolemy's Geography lists Macoraba in Arabia Felix, which scholars long equated with Mecca; Patricia Crone challenged the identification in her 1987 book Meccan Trade and the Rise of Islam.

Which tribe ruled Mecca and controlled the Kaaba's shrine at the time of Muhammad's birth?

The Quraysh, who took control of Mecca and the Kaaba in the 5th century under Qusayy, ruled it at Muhammad's birth; he was born into their Banu Hashim clan.

The 'Year of the Elephant', about 570, is named for the failed attack on Mecca by which ruler?

Abraha, the Aksumite-born ruler of Himyar in Yemen, marched on Mecca around 570 with war elephants; tradition says his elephant Mahmud balked and birds pelted the army with stones (Quran 105).

The Cave of Hira, where the Quran was first revealed, is on which mountain outside Mecca?

The Cave of Hira lies near the summit of Jabal al-Nour, the 'Mountain of Light', about 640 metres high on Mecca's outskirts; the climb takes one to two hours.

Muhammad's migration from Mecca to Yathrib in 622, the starting point of the Islamic calendar, is known as what?

The Hijrah of 622 gave the Islamic calendar its epoch, fixed at 1 Muharram, 16 July 622 in the Julian calendar, though the journey itself took place that September; Yathrib became Medina.

Which 628 treaty let Muhammad's followers make pilgrimage the next year and preceded the conquest of Mecca?

The Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, agreed in 628 just outside Mecca, set a ten-year truce and allowed the Muslims' pilgrimage of 629; its breach by Meccan allies led to the conquest of Mecca in 630.

Before Islam, roughly how many pagan idols is the Kaaba said to have housed?

Tradition puts 360 idols in and around the Kaaba before the conquest of 630, the chief of them Hubal; Muhammad had them all destroyed.

Al-Azraqi reported that images of which two figures hung in the pre-Islamic Kaaba?

The 9th-century Meccan historian al-Azraqi wrote that Muhammad, clearing the Kaaba of images in 630, spared a painting of Jesus (Isa) and Mary (Maryam); the rest were effaced.

The Black Stone is set into which corner of the Kaaba?

The Black Stone sits in the Kaaba's eastern corner, about 1.5 metres up, where pilgrims begin each circuit; tradition says Muhammad, aged 35, set it in place himself after a clan dispute over the honour.

What is often claimed about the Black Stone's origin, though it has never been analysed?

It is now in fragments held by a silver frame after being smashed by a catapult stone during the Umayyad siege of 683.

Which sect sacked Mecca in 930 and carried the Black Stone off to al-Ahsa?

The Qarmatians of Bahrain, an Ismaili sect, sacked Mecca during the Hajj of 930 and held the Black Stone in al-Ahsa for more than twenty years before returning it in the early 950s.

The Zamzam Well lies about how far east of the Kaaba?

Zamzam lies about 20 metres east of the Kaaba, inside the Grand Mosque; tradition says it sprang up to save a mother and her infant son, and that Muhammad's grandfather Abd al-Muttalib re-dug it.

What is the name of the embroidered cloth that covers the Kaaba?

The kiswah, black silk embroidered with gold-thread Quranic verses, has been renewed annually since the Abbasid caliph al-Mahdi ordered the old layers stripped in 777 for fear their weight would damage the Kaaba.

Which caliph first sent the Kaaba's covering from Egypt, white linen woven by Coptic Christians?

Umar ibn al-Khattab, caliph from 634 to 644, had the Kaaba draped in qabati, white Egyptian linen woven by Copts and paid for from the treasury; Mu'awiya later added silk coverings.

In which month of the Islamic calendar does the Hajj take place?

The Hajj falls in Dhu al-Hijjah, the twelfth and last month of the Islamic year, with rites from the 8th to the 12th or 13th; the Gregorian date moves about eleven days earlier each year.

How many times do pilgrims walk counter-clockwise around the Kaaba in the tawaf?

Pilgrims circle the Kaaba seven times counter-clockwise in the tawaf, starting at the Black Stone; the sa'i between Safa and Marwa is likewise seven crossings.

The walk between the hills of Safa and Marwa commemorates whose desperate search for water?

Hagar (Hajar), left in the barren valley with her infant son, ran back and forth between Safa and Marwa seeking water until Zamzam sprang up; the hills are about 450 metres apart.

The white seamless garments and ritual purity a pilgrim enters before the Hajj are called what?

Ihram is both the state of ritual purity and the dress: men wear two unsewn white cloths, and while in ihram cutting nails or hair, perfume, hunting and marriage are forbidden.

The vigil on the plain of Arafat, on the 9th day of the pilgrimage month, is considered what?

Standing at Arafat on the 9th of the pilgrimage month is the most important day of the Hajj, without which the pilgrimage is invalid; tradition places Muhammad's Farewell Sermon on this granodiorite hill 20 km southeast of Mecca.

Mount Arafat's alternative name, Jabal ar-Rahmah, means what?

Jabal ar-Rahmah, the Mountain of Mercy, takes its name from the belief that Adam and Eve were reunited and forgiven there after the Fall; a white pillar marks the spot.

Mina, the valley 8 km southeast of Mecca where pilgrims sleep during the Hajj, is nicknamed what?

Mina's roughly 100,000 air-conditioned fibreglass tents earn it the nickname City of Tents; with room for well over 2 million pilgrims it is called the world's largest tent city.

The Stoning of the Devil at Mina re-enacts an episode from the life of which prophet?

Abraham (Ibrahim) is said to have thrown stones at Satan, who tempted him three times to disobey God's command to sacrifice his son; the three pillars at Mina mark the spots.

What is the minimum number of pebbles a pilgrim needs to complete the stoning ritual?

Pilgrims throw 7 pebbles at the largest pillar on Eid al-Adha, then 7 at each of three pillars on each of the next two days: 7 + 21 + 21 = 49, or 70 with a third day.

In which year was the first Jamaraat Bridge at Mina built?

The first Jamaraat Bridge, a single-level pedestrian span, was built in 1963; it was replaced between 2006 and 2009 by a five-level structure designed to move hundreds of thousands of pilgrims an hour.

How many deaths did Saudi Arabia officially report in the 2015 Mina crowd crush?

Saudi Arabia's official toll for the 24 September 2015 crush at Mina was 769 dead, though counts compiled from national reports exceeded 2,000; Iran lost the most pilgrims, souring relations with Riyadh.

Eid al-Adha, the Feast of the Sacrifice, falls on which day of the pilgrimage month?

Eid al-Adha falls on the 10th of the pilgrimage month, the day pilgrims sacrifice at Mina; celebrations run on through the three Tashreeq days that follow.

The 'lesser pilgrimage' to Mecca that can be made at any time of year is called what?

The Umrah, or lesser pilgrimage, can be performed in any month and takes a few hours of tawaf and sa'i; it does not discharge the once-in-a-lifetime duty of Hajj.

Which Ottoman sultan commissioned the architect Mimar Sinan to renovate the Great Mosque in 1570?

Selim II ordered the renovation in 1570; Sinan's work replaced the mosque's flat roof with domes decorated inside with calligraphy and added new support columns, the first Ottoman reshaping of the building.

What title does the Saudi king hold in relation to Mecca and Medina?

Saudi kings have styled themselves Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques since King Fahd adopted the title in 1986 in place of 'His Majesty'; the mosques are the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca and the Prophet's Mosque in Medina.

The Sharifs who ruled Mecca from about 967 to 1925 claimed descent from whom?

The Sharifs of Mecca were Hasanids, claiming descent from Hasan, Muhammad's grandson through Fatima and Ali; the line ended when Ali bin Hussein, son of the Arab Revolt leader Hussein bin Ali, fled in 1925.

Mecca was incorporated into the Saudi state after its capture by Ibn Saud's forces in which year?

Ibn Saud's Ikhwan forces entered Mecca in October 1924 after Sharif Hussein abdicated; Medina fell in December 1925 and Jeddah days later, completing the Saudi conquest of the Hejaz.

Who led the armed seizure of the Grand Mosque in November 1979?

Juhayman al-Otaybi, a former National Guardsman turned preacher, led several hundred militants into the Grand Mosque on 20 November 1979, proclaiming his brother-in-law Muhammad al-Qahtani the Mahdi; the two-week siege ended in his capture and public beheading.

Which country's special forces provided assistance and tear gas to end the 1979 Grand Mosque siege?

France sent three GIGN commandos who advised Saudi forces and supplied the CS gas pumped into the mosque's underground galleries; Khomeini meanwhile blamed the US and Israel, sparking riots including the burning of the US embassy in Islamabad.

Which English explorer made the Hajj in 1853 in disguise and later translated the Arabian Nights?

Richard Francis Burton entered Mecca in 1853 disguised as a Pashtun physician, later publishing a Personal Narrative of his pilgrimage; the first recorded European visitor was Ludovico di Varthema in 1503.

Under Saudi law, who is prohibited from entering Mecca?

Saudi law bars non-Muslims from Mecca's sacred precinct, with checkpoints on the approach roads; the ban is applied to Ahmadis too, and entering on false papers can bring arrest and deportation.

The central tower of the Clock Towers complex beside the Great Mosque stands how tall?

The Makkah Royal Clock Tower rises 601 metres, the world's tallest clock tower at its 2012 completion; its four faces are the largest of any clock.

Demolition of which Ottoman-era structure for the Clock Towers drew Turkish protest in 2002?

Ajyad Fortress, an Ottoman citadel of the 1780s on a hill overlooking the Grand Mosque, was razed in 2002 to make way for the Abraj Al-Bait towers; Turkey's culture minister called it a cultural massacre.

Roughly what share of Mecca's historic buildings have reportedly been demolished since 1985?

About 95% of Mecca's historic buildings, most over a thousand years old, were demolished in the two decades after 1985, cleared for hotels and mosque expansions; the estimate came from the Gulf Institute in 2005.

The Haramain High Speed Railway, opened in 2018, links Mecca and Medina at what top service speed?

The Haramain High Speed Railway runs at up to 300 km/h over about 450 km between Mecca and Medina via Jeddah and King Abdullah Economic City, cutting the trip to roughly two hours.

Between 1830 and 1930, how many times did cholera break out among pilgrims in Mecca?

Cholera struck the Hajj 27 times between 1830 and 1930; the 1865 epidemic, carried home by returning pilgrims, prompted the 1866 International Sanitary Conference in Constantinople and quarantine stations on the Red Sea.

At what elevation above sea level does Mecca sit?

Mecca's centre sits about 277 metres above sea level in the 'Hollow of Mecca', a narrow valley whose surrounding peaks rise to nearly 1,000 metres.

By metropolitan population, where did Mecca rank among Saudi Arabia's cities in 2022?

With about 2.4 million people in the 2022 census, Mecca ranked third behind Riyadh and Jeddah; the Hajj adds roughly two million visitors for about a week each year.

The Quranic name for Mecca, Umm al-Qura, means what?

Umm al-Qura, 'Mother of All Settlements' (Quran 6:92 and 42:7), reflects Mecca's status as the spiritual centre of Islam; Umm Al-Qura University takes its name from the verse.

Which caliphate made Mecca its capital?

Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr ruled his rival Zubayrid Caliphate from Mecca between 683 and 692, until the Umayyads besieged and killed him; Ali had chosen Kufa, the Umayyads Damascus and the Abbasids Baghdad.

Which Ottoman sultan's 1629 renovation of the Great Mosque raised its minaret count to seven?

Murad IV ordered the rebuilding after floods in 1621 and 1629 damaged the Kaaba and the mosque walls; his 1629 works added a stone arcade, three more minarets for a total of seven, and new marble paving.

Which company developed and built the Clock Towers hotel complex beside the Great Mosque?

The Saudi Binladin Group, the Saudi construction giant, developed and built the seven-tower, government-owned Abraj Al-Bait complex at a cost of around US$15 billion, completed in 2012.

How wide is each of the four clock faces on the Clock Towers, the largest in the world?

Each of the four faces measures 43 metres across, dwarfing Big Ben's 7-metre dials; more than two million LEDs light them, and the clock can be read from up to 25 kilometres away.

Which chain was the original operator of the five-star hotel in the tallest Clock Tower?

The hotel in the tallest tower opened in 2012 under the Fairmont brand as the Makkah Clock Royal Tower, with more than 800 rooms facing the Grand Mosque.

What name is given to the Red Sea coastal plain that lies west of Mecca's mountains?

Tihamah is the hot, narrow coastal plain along the Red Sea between the shore and the Hejaz mountains; Jeddah lies on it, while Mecca sits in the foothills about 70 km inland.

By what other name is the Hijr Ismail, the low semicircular wall beside the Kaaba, known?

The Hatim, or Hijr Ismail, is the low semicircular wall on the Kaaba's north-west side; tradition holds the enclosed area was part of the original building, left out when the Meccans rebuilt it around 605 with limited funds.

Mecca's elevated Al Mashaaer Al Muqaddassah Metro, opened in 2010, runs only when?

The 18.1-kilometre Al Mashaaer Al Mugaddassah line operates only during the Hajj season, shuttling pilgrims between Arafat, Muzdalifah and Mina over the pilgrimage's peak days; it stands idle the rest of the year.

In which year was Al-Wehda FC, one of Saudi Arabia's oldest sports clubs, founded in Mecca?

Al-Wehda was founded in Mecca in 1945, making it one of Saudi Arabia's oldest clubs; it plays at the King Abdul Aziz Stadium, football having long displaced wrestling and foot races as the city's favourite sport.

Which airport primarily serves Mecca for flights from abroad?

King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, about 70 km from Mecca, handles the city's international traffic and has a dedicated Hajj Terminal, whose tent-like roof won the Aga Khan Award in 1983.

Under which caliph were covered porticoes first introduced at the Great Mosque of Mecca?

Uthman, caliph from 644 to 656, enlarged the mosque around 649 and was the first to add covered porticoes around the courtyard, building on Umar's earlier expansion.