Mecca (Arabic: Makkah), the birthplace of Muhammad, is the holiest city of the Islamic faith. Capital of the Hejaz province of Saudi Arabia, Mecca is located 72 km (45 mi) east of Jidda, its port on the Red Sea, and about 485 km (300 mi) south of Medina. Mecca's population is 367,000 (1976 est.). The city is located on the sandy, narrow valley of the Wadi Ibrahim and is surrounded by hills from 60 to 150 m (200 to 500 ft) high. The 914-m-high (3,000-ft) Jabal Khandama is located nearby.

Mecca is a holy city, and non-Muslims are not permitted to enter it. But for Muslims the pilgrimage to Mecca, or the hajj, is one of the basic tenets of the religion. Each year, over 1,000,000 people visit during the month of pilgrimage. The core of Mecca, including the commercial district, surrounds the al-Haram or Great Mosque, which can hold 300,000 people. Inside the mosque, the Kaaba (a shrine enclosing a sacred Black Stone) and the well of Zamzam are located. They are the focus of the pilgrimage.  

To view map of Meccah, click on thumbnail image.

The main economic activity in Mecca is the provision of services to pilgrims. Merchants in particular benefit from the trade of travelers, as huge fairs are held during the month of the pilgrimage. Because of the yearly influx of visitors, the city's transportation network is well developed. Mecca is connected to Jidda and Riyadh by road, and the airport at Jidda serves Mecca.

Even before Muhammad's birth (570), the city was an important commercial and religious center (the Black Stone was sacred in early Arabic religions). Muhammad began to preach in the city c.613 but was forced to flee to Medina in 622 (the Hegira). In 630 he returned with 10,000 men to conquer the city and establish it as the center of the Islamic world. The city was ruled by the Carmathians from 930 until 1269, when the Egyptian Mamelukes gained control.

The Ottoman Turks ruled from 1517 until 1916, when the Hejaz region became independent, with Mecca as its capital. Mecca fell to Ibn Saud in 1924, and in 1932 Hejaz became a province of Saudi Arabia. In November 1979 a group of 200 Muslim zealots seized Mecca's Great Mosque; they were driven out by Saudi troops after 10 days, and many were executed. In 1987, Iranian pilgrims staged violent demonstrations in the city.