Every year zillion in the holy city, pilgrims dressed in customary white robes called Ihram to instigate the five-day-long spiritual journey to pursue forgiveness for past sins and start a new life positively according to the principles of Islam By The Almighty, Allah.
The Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam and a once-in-a-lifetime responsibility for all able-bodied Muslims to accomplish.
Makkah al-Mukarramah also appellate as Makkah al-Mukarramah in Arabic is the holiest city in Islam. The city is 70 km inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valley 277 m above sea level. Its last recorded population was 1,578,722 in 2015.
Makkah is the birthplace of the Islamic prophet Muhammad (S.A.A.W) and visiting Makkah for the Hajj is an obligation upon all able Muslims. The Great Mosque of Makkah appellate as the Masjid al-Haram is home to the Ka’bah and is one of Islam’s holiest sites and the direction of prayer for all Muslims as Qibla.
The holy city has comprehended numerous regime ups and downs but was lastly subjugated in the Saudi conquest of Hejaz by Ibn Saud and his allies in 1925. Since the victory, Makkah has seen an incredible development in size and infrastructure with fresh buildings such as the Abraj Al-Bait.
Besides the Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages, Globally Muslims visit the city as tourists for regional landmarks of Masjid ‘Aisha and the most expensive buildings in the world the Masjid al-Haram and the Abraj al-Bait complex.
Makkah has been denoted by numerous names. The revered book of Muslims, the Quran denotes the city as Bakkah in Surah Al Imran in verse 96,
“Indeed the first House of worship, established for mankind was that at Bakkah.”
This is acknowledged to have been the name of the city at the time of Ibrahim in Islamic tradition and it is also translated as Baca, Baka, Bakah, Bakka, Becca, Bekka, among others.
The government of Saudi Arabia accepted Makkah as the official spelling in the 1980s.
The Prophet Muhammad (S.A.A.W) was born in Makkah in 570 and Islam has been linked with it ever since. He was born in the Banu Hashim Quraysh tribe which was in Makkah where according to Islamic tradition, Prophet Muhammad (S.A.A.W) instigated receiving divine revelations from Allah through Jibreel (A.S) in 610 CE. The Prophet Muhammad (S.A.A.W) immigrated to Madina in 622 with his companions.
Makkah has been the location of numerous happenings and failures of crowd control because of the large numbers of people who come to make the Hajj.
The Hajj involves pilgrims visiting Al-Haram Mosque, but mainly camping and spending time in the plains of Mina and Arafah
Makkah embraces an imperative place in Islam and is the holiest city in all branches of the religion due to its prominent role in the Hajj and Umrah.
The city of Makkah lies in a corridor between mountains, which is often called the Hollow of Mecca. The area contains the valley of al-Taneem, the valley of Bakkah, and the valley of Abqar.
In Makkah, the holy city used a few chief sources of water such as the Zamzam Well which formed commonly salty water. The second source was the spring of Ayn Zubaydah. The sources of this spring are the mountains of Jabal Sa’d and Jabal Kabkāb, which are a few kilometers east of Arafat or about 20 km southeast of Makkah.
Makkah geographies a hot desert climate and recollects warm to hot temperatures even in winter Rain frequently falls in Makkah in small amounts distributed between November and January.
Healthcare is delivered by the Saudi government free of charge to all pilgrims and there are ten central hospitals in Makkah as
Ajyad Hospital, King Faisal Hospital, King Abdulaziz Hospital, Al Noor Specialist Hospital, Hira’a Hospital, Maternity and Children’s Hospital, King Abdullah Medical City, Khulais General Hospital, Al Kamel General Hospital, Ibn Sina Hospital, and there are many walk-in clinics obtainable for both residents and pilgrims.
Makkah culture has been influenced by the enormous quantity of pilgrims that arrive annually making Makkah by far the most diverse city in the Muslim world.
The holy city of Makkah is precisely populated. Non-Muslims are not allowed to enter Makkah under Saudi law. Nonetheless, numerous non-Muslims and Ahmadis have stayed in the city as these restrictions are insecurely compulsory.
Makkah lies at the junction of two of the most imperative highways in Saudi Arabia linking it to the important port city of Jeddah in the west and the capital of Riyadh and the other major port city, Dammam, in the east. The other Highway connects Makkah to the other holy Islamic city of Madina which is roughly 400 km in the north and onward to Tabuk and Jordan.
The Al Masha’er Al Muqaddassah Metro is a metro line in the holy city of Makkah and is a means of transport for pilgrims to the holy sites of Arafat, Muzdalifah, and Mina in the city to reduce jamming on the road and is only working during the Hajj season.
Hajj falls on the 8th of Dhul al-Hijjah, the twelfth and final month in the Islamic lunar calendar which periods 10-12 days earlier each year. The pilgrimage extends five days and comprises traveling to fundamental locations around the holy city of Makkah including Mina, Mount Arafat, Muzdalifah, the Jamarat, and the Grand Mosque.
The holy city of Makkah has transformed vividly over the decades. Revitalization of the sites and infrastructure of an ever-growing stream of pilgrims is highly considerable.
Sources
https://interactive.aljazeera.com/aje/2021/hajj-mecca-changed-100-years/index.html
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/mecca-transformation-photos_n_5738098
https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2015/09/mecca-then-and-now-128-years-of-growth/408013/
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/holy-city-makkah-colossal-change-michael-f-stitt-mla
https://www.witpress.com/Secure/elibrary/papers/IHA16/IHA16010FU1.pdf
