Mina, September 20 / WAM / The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia abounds with numerous elements and potentials that carry religious, social, and tourism dimensions at a high level, including Mecca.

Mecca is located west of the Arabian Peninsula in a valley among the foothills of the Sarawat Mountains, surrounded by mountains from all sides. Mecca has several names, including Umm al-Qura, Al-Haram, Al-Balad al-Amin, and Al-Balad al-Ameen. As for Bakkah, it is the location of the Kaaba inside the Grand Mosque.

Mecca has been a holy city since the time of Prophet Abraham, peace be upon him, during the pre-Islamic era, and in Islam. It contains the holiest place for Muslims, the Kaaba in the House of Allah, the Qibla of Muslims in their prayers worldwide.

Muslims perform Hajj there every year, with more than three million people coming from all over the world to perform the rituals. It is the place of revelation and the origin of the divine message of Islam. The Prophet Muhammad bin Abdullah, peace be upon him, was born there in 571 AD.

The nature of Mecca is among the most difficult geological formations. Most of its rocks are volcanic, and it rises more than 300 meters above sea level. It is bordered by the Valley of Ibrahim, confined between two mountain ranges to the east, west, and south. The northern mountain range consists of Jabal al-Falaq and Jabal Quayqan. The southern range consists of Jabal Abu Hadida to the west, Jabal Kudi towards the southeast, Jabal Abu Qubais in the southeast, and after it Jabal Khindama. In the southeast, on the Jeddah-Taif road, lies Wadi Daim.

Mecca has three main entrances: Al-Ma'lah (known as Al-Hajoun), Al-Masfalah, and Al-Shubaikah. Al-Ma'lah is everything above the level of the Grand Mosque, and Al-Masfalah is everything below it. There, Ibrahim raised the foundations of the House (the Kaaba) with his son Ismail, peace be upon them, by God's command after God ordered him to sacrifice his only son Ismail, and he was ransomed with a great ram due to his obedience.

Mecca is 70 km from Jeddah. Historically, it was an important trade center and turned to idol worship before Islam. Arab tribes descended from Ibrahim would come annually for Hajj. In 622 AD, the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, migrated from Mecca to Yathrib, now known as Medina.

The Grand Mosque has witnessed several expansions using the latest architectural and engineering techniques that align with the ancient architectural heritage of the holy mosque. The third expansion project of the Grand Mosque will increase the capacity of the holy mosque to 1.85 million worshippers. The construction area for this phase is 1.47 million square meters. The capacity of the Sa'i will double by one and a half times to accommodate 118,000 people per hour. The Tawaf area will also see an increase to accommodate 90,000 worshippers. This includes the expansion of the Sa'i, the Jamarat Bridge expansion project, and the approval of several development projects.

Mecca includes several neighborhoods: Al-Awali, Al-Shubaikah (followed by Haret Al-Hajlah), Ajyad (followed by Ajyad Al-Sadd, Al-Masafi, Al-Shamiyya, Al-Sulaymaniyya, Al-Masfalah, Haret Al-Kadwa, Al-Judariyya, Al-Qashla, Milkiyya, Al-Naqa, Al-Raquba, Jarwal, Haret Al-Bab, Sha'b Amer, Al-Qarara, Al-Ma'abda, Souq Al-Layl, Al-Qashashiyya, Al-Ma'lah, and Al-Khalidiyya.

//To be continued//

WAM/Wali/Asem