Mecca (in full: Makkah al-Mukarramah, Arabic: مكة
المكرمة) is the capital city of Saudi Arabia's Makkah province,
in the historic Hijaz region. It has a population of 1,294,168
(2004 census). The city is located 73 kilometres (45 mi) inland
from Jeddah, in the narrow sandy Valley of Abraham, 277 metres
(909 ft) above sea level. It is located 80 kilometres (50 mi)
from the Red Sea.
The city is revered as the holiest site of Islam, and a
pilgrimage to it is required of all able-bodied Muslims who can
afford to go, at least once in their lifetime. Muslims regard
the al-Masjid al-Haram (The Sacred Mosque) as the holiest place
on Earth.
The term 'Mecca' has come into common usage metaphorically to
mean any all-important site for any particular group of people,
or a main attraction in a certain place or group of people that
has a large turnout. In the 1980s the government of Saudi Arabia
changed the official English transliteration of the city's name
from 'Mecca', as it had been and continues to be commonly
spelled by westerners, to 'Makkah'. See below for the reasons. |
