Where is Mecca?In whatever country the Muslim is, he asks this question in the first place. The fact is that every person professing Islam, when making daily prayers, is obliged to turn his face towards this city.
Mecca
Mecca, where the main shrine is locatedMuslim world, is located in the west of the Arabian Peninsula, 75 km from the coast of the Red Sea. Today the city belongs to Saudi Arabia and is the capital of the province of Hijaz.
All the buildings of Mecca are in a smallclose enough to a stony valley, surrounded on all sides by mountains. The area where the city is located is considered one of the hottest places on the planet. The temperature here can exceed the mark of 50 ° C. Precipitation falls only from December to April, and all the other months of the year there is a suffocating heat.
Mecca is a sacred city for Muslims, and the entry of Gentiles into it is strictly prohibited by the laws of Saudi Arabia.
History of Mecca
It is a mistake to believe that the rise of Mecca beganonly with the emergence of Islam. From time immemorial, all the pagan tribes inhabiting the Arabian Peninsula knew perfectly well where the city of Mecca is located. Here was their main sanctuary - Kaaba. Initially, it was dedicated to the pagan god Hubal. This place is also known for the fact that according to the legends not far from the city there is the grave of Adam and Eve.
Since the VI century in Mecca, spice trade flourishes and, in addition to numerous pilgrims, merchants from all corners of the globe come here.
The history of Mecca is closely related to the name of the prophetMuhammad. It was here, according to legend, the founder of Islam was born. In the nearby Mount Hira, the future Prophet passed his sheep and goats, and later liked to retire here for reflection in seclusion. During such lonely vigils, Muhammad began to see his famous revelations.
The further history of Mecca has manytragic pages. There were conquests, robberies, fires and epidemics. However, despite many troubles, the city continued to live, receive pilgrims from all over the world and carefully guard their holy places. The main artefacts and sacred buildings are kept by the main mosque in Mecca.
The Reserve Mosque
Masjid al-Haram (the Protected Mosque) is one of thethe oldest and largest mosque of the Muslim world. The first mention of it is found in the sources of 638. During its existence, it was repeatedly rebuilt.
The last significant reconstruction waswas carried out in the 16th century. Then the seventh minaret was added to the building. The fact is that at this time in Istanbul was built the famous Blue Mosque, which also had six minarets. Imam Mecca considered this sacrilege. He ordered the addition of one more minaret to the main mosque, so that not one mosque of the world could exceed by their number the main one.
The luxurious gate of the building is decorated with gold and ebony, and the courtyard is surrounded on all sides by an elegant marble colonnade with pointed arches.
The mosque in Mecca is amazing with its size. It is so huge that for the convenience of moving people today even escalators exist in it.
In the center of Masjid al-Jaram there is a building, which is the main goal of all pilgrims.
Kaaba
It's hard to say where the name of this came froman unusual structure. Many experts are sure that this is an ancient name - a derivative of the word "cube". There are other names. Most often Kaaba is called Bait al-Haram, which means "sacred house". The Kaaba became a sanctuary long before the rise of Islam. It was the center of the cult for all the scattered tribes of the Arabian Peninsula.
Kaaba is a rectangular structurewith a flat roof and a single entrance. The interior decor today looks like bare walls adorned with sayings from the Koran. Outside, the Kaaba is decorated with smooth Meccan granite, and above it is covered with a special richly decorated veil, which is updated every year.
According to legend, as early as the time of MohammedThe disaster Kaaba received heavy damage, and he personally participated in the restoration of the sacred structure. This happened before he accepted the mission of the Prophet. After the restoration of the "holy house" it took another important ritual to insert the famous black stone into the eastern wall of the Kaaba. Because of the one who will receive such a great honor, a major quarrel occurred between the famous residents of Mecca, and as a result they decided to entrust this right to the first one who will enter the mosque gate in the morning. Such a person became Muhammad. And this, undoubtedly, was a sign from on high.
Black stone
The famous black stone in Arabic is calledAl-Hajar Al-Aswad. It is inserted in a silver rim and mounted in one of the corners of the Kaaba. According to legend, this stone was bestowed by God to Adam and was originally white. Over time, having absorbed the sins of man, he turned black.
Modern scientists claim that the stone hascosmic origin. It was formed as a result of a collision of a meteorite with the Earth. From the geological point of view, it is a foamed glass that does not sink in the water. Such stones are often found on the Arabian Peninsula, in the area where Mecca is located. The largest fragment of the meteorite, weighing more than two tons, is now exhibited in the museum.
According to archaeologists, the sacred black stone was once split, but then assembled and inserted into a silver frame. However, scientists could not thoroughly study the artifact for obvious reasons.
Muslims honor this stone as a symbol of loveand boundless trust in Divine wisdom. The ritual of kissing the stone is designed to show the humility of the believer and vow unquestioningly to observe all the precepts of the Prophet.
Mecca today
Today, Mecca is a large modern metropolis with a population of two million inhabitants. The city is actively developing in business and industrial terms.
In 2010, a new, largestin the world a complex of skyscrapers. The tallest building is the Royal Tower, considered the third tallest building in the world, and the clock is the largest tower clock in the world.
The city is governed by a municipality led by a mayor appointed by the government of Saudi Arabia.
Near Mecca is a huge campground Minna, designed to receive pilgrims performing Hajj.
Hajj
Where is Mecca in which country? This question is asked by many orthodox Muslims who are going to make the main journey in their life.
Hajj is a great pilgrimage to the saints forIslam places, providing for several stops, the last of which must necessarily be Mecca. The country of departure does not matter at all.
Hajj can be committed by a mature manage who are at large and of sound mind. Pilgrimage can be undertaken by women, but they are instructed to travel only accompanied by a male relative or as part of a group.
During the pilgrimage, all pilgrims need to go around the Kaaba counter-clockwise seven times and hold a few more obligatory rituals.
Every year, several million people commit hajj, and therefore Mecca constantly experiences many problems related to the placement of people and the organization of their movements around the city.
On the days of the greatest influx of pilgrims in the cityAccidents often occur. For example, in 1990, in a pedestrian tunnel that connects Mina and Mecca, there was a horrific crush. Victims of it were more than a half thousand people.
This case is not isolated, but nocan stop believers in their desire to visit the holy city. Therefore, any Muslim can answer the question about where Mecca is located, in which country.
Medina
Medina is another holy city of Islam, the secondby value after Mecca. If Mecca is the city where the Prophet was born, then Medina is the place where he ended his earthly journey. Here is another sacred mosque of the Muslim world - Masjid al-Nabawi (Prophet's Mosque).
It is believed that Mohammed himself took part in thethe construction of this mosque, and its layout served as a reference for the creation of all other Islamic churches in the world. Here, under the shadow of a large green dome, is the grave of the Prophet, and the architectural complex of the mosque now includes the house in which he spent the last years of his life.
How to get to Mecca
In that part of Saudi Arabia, where is Meccaand Medina, today it is best to get by plane. The nearest airport is located in the city of Jeddah, located several dozen kilometers from Mecca.
From Jeddah, a high-speed railway line is laid in sacred cities, with its help you can get to Medina in two and a half hours and less than half an hour - to Mecca.
Between the cities of Saudi Arabia there isconvenient road and rail links, and at every station or bus station you will certainly be told where Mecca is and how to get there.
However, not all pilgrims prefer to use modern modes of transport. Until now, there are cases when people went on hajj on foot, as in the old days.
Thus, all the faithful Muslimsknow perfectly where Mecca is, in what country they live. And for representatives of all other faiths there is one very simple way to find out. It is enough to look at any mosque in any city in the world: its mihrab will necessarily be directed to the side where Mecca is located.
