Holy Mecca
Mecca is a holy city for Muslims; it hosts The Sacred Mosque and the Kaaba, which is the Qibla of Muslims in their prayers.
Located west of Saudi Arabia, and about 400 kilometers away from Medina from the southwest, about 120 kilometers away from Taif city from the east, and 72 kilometers away from Jeddah and the Red Sea coast.
The nearest port is Jeddah Islamic Port, and the nearest international airport is King Abdulaziz International Airport.
Mecca is located at the intersection of the Degree of latitude 25/21 from the north, and the degree of longitude 49/39 from the east.
This location is considered one of the hardest geographical areas, as most of which are formed out of very hard granite rocks.
The city of Mecca covers an area of 850 km², of which 88 km² is inhabited. The central area surrounding the sacred Mosque is about 6 km². In addition, Mecca is 277 meters above sea level.
It was a small village in a dry valley surrounded by mountains from all the sides. Then people began to come and settle there in the era of Prophet Abraham and the Prophet Ismail, after the Prophet Abraham left his wife Hajar and his son Ismail in this dry desert valley. Upon the order of God, they stayed in the valley until the Zamzam well exploded. At this time also, the Prophet Abraham and his son Ismail began to build the Kaaba.
The population of Mecca, according to statistics in 2015, is about 1,578,722 people; this population is distributed in the old and new districts of Mecca.
Mecca is a home to many Islamic holy attractions, perhaps the most important of which is the Sacred Mosque, the holiest place in the earth for Muslims; it hosts the Holy Kaaba, the Qibla of Muslims in prayer. It is also one of the three mosques to which we travel to, as the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him said: “Do not undertake a journey to visit any Mosque, but three: this Mosque of mine, the Mosque of al-Haram and the Mosque of Aqsa”. In addition, Mecca is the destination of Muslims in the Hajj and Umrah season, as it hosts many holy destinations for Muslims, such as Muzdalifa, Mina and Arafa.
