WHI-Chap14-Mecca

Mecca has been the religious center of the Islamic world since Islam's very foundation. Mecca is the home of the Ka’ba, the most sacred site in Islam, fabled to have been built by Abraham himself. Before Islam's official proclamation by Muhammad, Mecca was a large middle eastern trading center. Mecca is such an important site to Muslims that visiting the city at least once is one of the Five Pillars of Islam, called hajj. Muhammad first preached his visions in Mecca, and although he was forced to flee in 622, he eventually retook his home city and solidified it as Islam's capital city. Government in Islamic empires like the Umayyad and Abassid Caliphates were based out of different cities, but the importance of Mecca was always paramount in Islam.

This page was written by Nathan Avery Main Page