roslantalibarchid: Makkah-Madinah umrah.2010.APRIL KP Hj Yusof Tikam Batu Kedah

The beginnings of Mecca is attributed to Ishmael's descendants. The Old Testament chapter Psalm 84:3–6, and a mention of a pilgrimage at the Valley of Baca, that Muslims see as referring to the mentioning of Mecca as Bakkah in Quran Surah 3:96. Also the Greek historian Diodorus Siculus who lived between 60 BCE and 30 BCE writes about the isolated region of Arabia in his work Bibliotheca historica describing a holy shrine that Muslims see as referring to the Kaaba at Mecca "And a temple has been set up there, which is very holy and exceedingly revered by all Arabians".[28] Ptolemy has sometimes been alleged to have called the Mecca "Macoraba", though this identification is controversial.[29]

Typical scenery with buildings around Mekah.

Muhammad was born in Mecca in 570, and thus Islam has been inextricably linked with it ever since. He was born in a minor faction, the Hashemites, of the ruling Quraysh tribe. It was in Mecca, in the nearby mountain cave of Hira on Jabal al-Nour, that, according to Islamic tradition, Muhammad began receiving divine revelations from God through the Archangel Gabriel in 610 AD, and advocated his form of Abrahamic monotheism against Meccan paganism. After enduring persecution from the pagan tribes for 13 years, Muhammad emigrated (see Hijra) in 622 with his companions, the Muhajirun, to Yathrib (later called Medina). The conflict between the Quraysh and the Muslims, however, continued: The two fought in the Battle of Badr, where the Muslims defeated the Quraysh outside Medina; while the Battle of Uhud ended indecisively. Overall, Meccan efforts to annihilate Islam failed and proved to be costly and unsuccessful. During the Battle of the Trench in 627, the combined armies of Arabia were unable to defeat Muhammad's forces .[49]

In the 5th century, the Quraysh took control of Mecca, and became skilled merchants and traders. In the 6th century they joined the lucrative spice trade, since battles elsewhere were diverting trade routes from dangerous sea routes to more secure overland routes. The Byzantine Empire had previously controlled the Red Sea, but piracy had been increasing. Another previous route that ran through the Persian Gulf via the Tigris and Euphrates rivers was also being threatened by exploitations from the Sassanid Empire, and was being disrupted by the Lakhmids, the Ghassanids, and the Roman–Persian Wars. Mecca's prominence as a trading center also surpassed the cities of Petra and Palmyra.[35][36] The Sassanids however did not always pose a threat to Mecca, as in 575 CE they protected Mecca city from invasion by the Kingdom of Axum, led by its Christian leader Abraha. The tribes of southern Arabia asked the Persian king Khosrau I for aid, in response to which he came south to Arabia with foot-soldiers and a fleet of ships into Mecca. The Persian intervention prevented Christianity from spreading eastward into Arabia, and Mecca and the Islamic prophet Muhammad, who was at the time six years old in the Quraysh tribe, "would not grow up under the cross."[37]

According to Islamic tradition, the history of Mecca goes back to Abraham (Ibrahim), who built the Kaaba with the help of his elder son Ishmael in around 2000 BCE when the inhabitants of the site then known as Bakkah had fallen away from the original monotheism of Abraham through the influence of the Amalekites.[48]

The pilgrimage to Mecca attracts millions of Muslims from all over the world. There are two pilgrimages: the Hajj, and the Umrah.

Masjid al-Qiblatayn (Arabic: المسجد القبلتین‎‎), or the Masjid of the Two Qiblas, is a masjid in Medina that is historically important for Muslims as the place where, after the Islamic prophet Muhammad received the command to change the direction of prayer (qibla) from Jerusalem to Mecca, the entire congregation led by a companion changed direction in prayer. Thus it uniquely contained two prayer niches (mihrabs). Recently[when?] the mosque was renovated; the old prayer niche facing Jerusalem was removed, and the one facing Mecca was left.

The name of the mosque goes back to the beginning of Islam when the companions of Muhammad named it after an event that took place. Muhammad received revelation from Allah instructing him to take the Kaaba as the Qiblah in the early morning hours of the day. He announced this to his companions in his own mosque (Masjid-al-Nabwi), after which the news began to spread. A companion who heard this went to Masjid al-Qiblatayn to share this news. Upon arriving, he noticed the congregation were already engaged in the afternoon prayer (Asr). He called out from the back of the mosque that the change of direction has been ordained, and upon hearing this, the imam (leader of the prayer) immediately turned around to face Mecca, and those praying behind him also did so. After this, the mosque in which this incident occurred came to be known as Masjid al-Qiblatayn (i.e. 'Mosque of the Two Qiblas'). Many pilgrims who go to Mecca for hajj often visit Medina where some end up visiting the notable Qiblatayn because of its historic significance. It's a common myth that Muhammad was leading the prayer when the commandment came down (and he was the one who changed direction), this is however not true.

Author at Masjid Nabawi complex-2010

Mekah

After an expansion during the reign of the Umayyad caliph al-Walid I, it now incorporates the final resting place of Muhammad and the first two Rashidun caliphs Abu Bakr and Umar.[4] One of the most notable features of the site is the Green Dome in the south-east corner of the mosque,[5] originally Aisha's house,[4] where the tomb of Muhammad is located. In 1279, a wooden cupola was built over the tomb which was later rebuilt and renovated multiple times in late 15th century and once in 1817. The current dome was added in 1818 by the Ottoman sultan Mahmud II,[5] and it was first painted green in 1837, hence becoming known as the "Green Dome".[4]

Nabawi Mosque Mineret Tower.

The site was originally adjacent to Muhammad's house; he settled there after his Hijra (emigration) to Medina in 622 CE. He shared in the heavy work of construction. The original mosque was an open-air building. The mosque served as a community center, a court, and a religious school. There was a raised platform for the people who taught the Quran. Subsequent Islamic rulers greatly expanded and decorated it. In 1909, it became the first place in the Arabian Peninsula to be provided with electrical lights.[3] The mosque is under the control of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques. The mosque is located in what was traditionally the center of Medina, with many hotels and old markets nearby. It is a major pilgrimage site. Many pilgrims who perform the Hajj go on to Medina to visit the mosque due to its connections to the life of Muhammad.

Ar Raudah, Madinah

Madinah

Al-Masjid an-Nabawī (Arabic: المسجد النبوي‎‎; Prophet's Mosque) is a mosque established and originally built by the Islamic prophet Muhammad, situated in the city of Medina in Saudi Arabia. Al-Masjid an-Nabawi was the third mosque built in the history of Islam and is now one of the largest mosques in the world. It is the second-holiest site in Islam, after Masjid al-Haram in Mecca.[2] It is always open, regardless of date or time.

The mosque was built by Muhammad in 622 after his arrival in the city of Medina.[6] Riding on a camel called Qaswa he arrived at the place where this mosque was built. The land was owned by Sahal and Suhayl. Part of it was used as a place for drying dates; one end had been previously used as a burial ground.[7] Refusing to "accept the land as a gift", he bought the land and it took seven months to complete the construction of the mosque. It measured 30.5 metres (100 ft) × 35.62 metres (116.9 ft).[7] The roof, which was supported by palm trunks, was made of beaten clay and palm leaves. It was at a height of 3.60 metres (11.8 ft). The three doors of the mosque were Bab-al-Rahmah to the south, Bab-al-Jibril to the west and Babal-Nisa to the east.[7]

Al-Masjid an-Nabawī is a mosque established and originally built by the Islamic prophet Muhammad, situated in the city of Medina in Saudi Arabia.

Mecca[3] (/ˈmɛkə/) or Makkah (Arabic: مكة‎‎ Makkah) is a city in the Hejaz in Saudi Arabia,[4] the capital of its Makkah Region. The city is located 70 km (43 mi) inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of 277 m (909 ft) above sea level. Its resident population in 2012 was roughly 2 million, although visitors more than triple this number every year during the hajj ("pilgrimage") period held in the twelfth Muslim lunar month of Dhu al-Hijjah.

As the birthplace of Muhammad and the site of Muhammad's first revelation of the Quran (specifically, a cave 3 km (2 mi) from Mecca),[5][6] Mecca is regarded as the holiest city in the religion of Islam[7] and a pilgrimage to it known as the Hajj is obligatory for all able Muslims. Mecca is home to the Kaaba, by majority description Islam's holiest site, as well as being the direction of Muslim prayer. Mecca was long ruled by Muhammad's descendants, the sharifs, acting either as independent rulers or as vassals to larger polities.

Mekah. Kaaba in the center.

Makkah Clock Tower- highest in the world.

Makkah Hilton

"Mecca" is the familiar form of the English transliteration for the Arabic name of the city, although the official transliteration used by the Saudi government is Makkah, which is closer to the Arabic pronunciation.[13][14] The word "Mecca" in English has come to be used to refer to any place that draws large numbers of people, and because of this many Muslims regard the use of this spelling for the city as offensive.[13] The Saudi government adopted Makkah as the official spelling in the 1980s, but is not universally known or used worldwide.[13] The full official name is Makkah al-Mukarramah or Makkatu l-Mukarramah (مكة المكرمة, pronounced [makkah al mukarramah] or [makkatul mukarramah][clarification needed]), which means "Mecca the Honored", but is also loosely translated as "The Holy City of Mecca".[13]

Jeedah International Airport.

It was conquered by Ibn Saud in 1925. In its modern period, Mecca has seen tremendous expansion in size and infrastructure, home to structures such as the Abraj Al Bait, also known as the Makkah Royal Clock Tower Hotel, the world's fourth tallest building and the building with the third largest amount of floor area. During this expansion, Mecca has lost some historical structures and archaeological sites, such as the Ajyad Fortress.[8] Today, more than 15 million Muslims visit Mecca annually, including several million during the few days of the Hajj.[9] As a result, Mecca has become one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the Muslim world,[10] despite the fact that non-Muslims are prohibited from entering the city.[11][12]

Completed in 1981 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The Hajj Terminal at the King Abdulaziz Airport in Jeddah, is no ordinary airport terminal designed by SOM.

Author posing in front of the Nabi Mosque, Madinah.

Al-Masjid an-Nabawī is a mosque established and originally built by the Islamic prophet Muhammad, situated in the city of Medina in Saudi Arabia.

The ancient or early name for the site of Mecca is Bakkah (also transliterated Baca, Baka, Bakah, Bakka, Becca, Bekka, etc.).[15][16][17] An Arabic language word, its etymology, like that of Mecca, is obscure.[18] Widely believed to be a synonym for Mecca, it is said to be more specifically the early name for the valley located therein, while Muslim scholars generally use it to refer to the sacred area of the city that immediately surrounds and includes the Kaaba.[19]

The form Bakkah is used for the name Mecca in the Quran in 3:96, while the form Mecca is used in 48:24.[18][20] In South Arabic, the language in use in the southern portion of the Arabian Peninsula at the time of Muhammad, the b and m were interchangeable[citation needed]. Other references to Mecca in the Quran (6:92, 42:5) call it Umm al-Qurā (أم القرى), meaning "mother of all settlements."[20] Another name of Mecca is Tihamah.[21]

Another name for Mecca, or the wilderness and mountains surrounding it, according to Arab and Islamic tradition, is Faran or Pharan, referring to the Desert of Paran mentioned in the Old Testament at Genesis 21:21.[22] Arab and Islamic tradition holds that the wilderness of Paran, broadly speaking, is the Tihamah and the site where Ishmael settled was Mecca.[22] Yaqut al-Hamawi, the 12th century Syrian geographer, wrote that Fārān was "an arabized Hebrew word. One of the names of Mecca mentioned in the Torah."[23]