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Mecca in 1880s
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The city of Mecca, the reported birthplace of the Muslim prophet Mohamed, which lies in Saudi Arabia in the Sinai mountains, has long been a place of historical significance, not just for the Muslim culture, but also as an example of middle eastern architecture and design. “It is the holiest of Muslim cities as Muhammad, the founder of Islam, was born in Mecca, and it is toward this religious center that Muslims turn five times daily in prayer. All devout Muslims attempt a hajj (pilgrimage) to Mecca at least once in their lifetime. Because it is sacred, only Muslims are allowed to enter the city” (Abdo, 2016).
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| Mecca Site |
The location for Mecca was chosen largely due to how relatively safe it was as it was surrounded by mountains and deserts, but still allowed for trade routes to be open between Southern Arabia, Iran, Syria, and to the Mediterranean coast. The mountains around mecca served as a natural defense against enemies, thus eliminating the need for a wall. Today, the layout and design of Mecca remain much as they were when it was built.
The center of Mecca is market square, in which the famous mosque of Mesjid al-Garam ("House of God"), or the Forbidden sword, stands today. This is the main shrine of Mecca. Muslims believe that this shrine serves as the center of the universe. The Holy Haram mosque (also referred to as the Grand mosque), is located also located in the center of Mecca. This mosque was constructed in the year 638. The mosque was renovated and added onto in the 15th century to what it is today, which is commonly known as the Kaaba. Upon its construction, the Grand mosque
had six minarets. However, when the Blue mosque in Istanbul was built also with six minarets, the Imam of Mecca called it a sacrilege: not one mosque in the world was not supposed to be equal to the Kaaba.
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| Important sites in Mecca |
Therefore, Sultan Ahmed ordered the building of the seventh minaret in the Grand mosque. Two more minarets were later added, bringing the total to nine. It is reported that the Grand mosque can hold up to 700,000 people at one time.
The city center of Mecca is similar in design to many European courtyards and is surrounded by several columns of marble, granite, and an ordinary stone, all connected by small pointed arches with seven slender minarets rising up above them.
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| Mecca Masai |
Masai, a broad main street runs through the town and is surrounded on both sides by large and small houses. Today, Mecca is a major city with a population of about a million people. Currently Mecca is visited by two million people only during the Hajj (Chebel 2003). There are many hotels and convention centers in Mecca to accommodate tourists and those visiting the city for business. “As the ancient caravan route fell into decline, Mecca lost its commercial significance and has since lived mainly on the proceeds from the annual pilgrimages and the gifts of Muslim rulers” (Abda, 2016). Today, the city relies primarily on tourism dollars as the main source of income.
Work Cited:
Abdo, S. Mecca. (2016). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved from http://www.britannica.com/place/Mecca
Chebel, Malek. Symbols of Islam. Barnes & Noble, 2003.
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