Widely believed to be a synonym for Mecca, it is said to be more specifically the early name for the valley located therein, while Muslim scholars generally use it to refer to the sacred area of the city that immediately surrounds and includes the Kaaba.

The Kaaba, [b] sometimes referred to as al-Ka'ba al-Musharrafa, [d] is a stone building at the center of Islam's most important mosque and holiest site, the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. [2] [3] [4] It is considered by Muslims to be the Baytullah (Arabic: بَيْت ٱللَّٰه, lit. 'House of God') and is the qibla (Arabic: قِبْلَة, direction of prayer) for Muslims around ...

In the heart of the Arabian Peninsula lies Mecca, one of the oldest cities in Islamic history, which experienced profound architectural and cultural transformations during the 18th and 19th centuries. This era marked a time of cultural fusion and diverse architectural styles, giving the city its unique and distinctive character.

The world of Islam has always centered on the holy city of Mecca, or, more precisely, on the Kaaba, the sacred sanctuary there. Wherever Muslims have settled they have faced the Kaaba in prayer, and all mosques are supposed to face that direction.

The ancient city of Bakkah (Arabic Makkah), known to most as Mecca, is in western Saudi Arabia. Its location is in the Sirat Mountains, inland from the Red Sea coast. The city is on a small mountain 909 feet high in the dry beds of the Wadi Ibrahim and several of its short tributaries.