Mecca[2] (English pronunciation: /ˈmɛkə/; Arabic: مكة, Makkah, pronounced [ˈmækːɐ]) is a
city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city
is located 73 km (45 mi) inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of
277 m (909 ft) above sea level. Its resident population in 2008 was 1.7
million, although visitors more than double this number every year during Dhu
al-Hijjah.
As the birthplace of prophet Muhammad and a site of the
composition of the Quran,[3][4] Mecca is regarded as the holiest city in
Islam[5] and a pilgrimage to it known as the Hajj is obligatory upon all able
Muslims. The Hijaz was long ruled by Muhammad's descendants, the sharifs,
either as independent rulers or as vassals to larger empires. It was absorbed
into Saudi Arabia in 1925. In its modern period, Mecca has seen tremendous
expansion in size and infrastructure. Because of this Mecca has lost many
thousand years old buildings and archaeological sites.[6] Today, more than 13
million Muslims visit Mecca annually, including several million during the few
days of the Hajj.[7] As a result, Mecca has become one of the most cosmopolitan
and diverse cities in the Muslim world,[8] although non-Muslims remain formally
prohibited from entering the city.[9]
