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Mecca
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The Kaaba in Mecca during the hajj Map of the Arabian Peninsula highlighting the location of Mecca in western Saudi Arabia, near the Red Sea. Surrounding countries including Jordan, Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Oman, and Yemen are labeled, with major bodies of water such as the Red Sea, Persian Gulf, and Gulf of Aden also shown. An inset globe in the lower left shows the region's position within the world. Mecca, Saudi Arabia Mecca, Saudi Arabia: Abrāj al-Bayt Mecca, Saudi Arabia Thousands of Muslim pilgrims dressed in white circle the Kaaba in the brightly lit Masjid al-Haram mosque in Mecca at night during the Hajj pilgrimage.
Witness the annual hajj (pilgrimage) to Mecca, Saudi Arabi
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The Kaaba in Mecca during the hajj
The Kaaba in Mecca during the hajj Pilgrims surrounding the Kaaba (Kaʿbah) during the hajj, Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

Mecca

Saudi Arabia
Also known as: Bakkah, Macoraba, Makkah
Written by
John Bagot Glubb
Lieutenant General; Chief of General Staff, The Arab Legion, Amman, Jordan, 1939–56. Author of War in the Desert and others.
John Bagot GlubbAll
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Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
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Mecca, city, western Saudi Arabia, located in the Ṣirāt Mountains, inland from the Red Sea coast. It is the holiest of Muslim cities. Muhammad, the founder of Islam, was born in Mecca, and it is toward this religious center that Muslims turn five times daily in prayer (see qiblah). All devout and able Muslims attempt a hajj (pilgrimage) to Mecca at least once in their lifetime. Because it is sacred, only Muslims are allowed to...

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