SAUDI
ARABIA: Mecca
Mecca ( Arabic Makkah) the
birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad lies 80 km inland from the Red Sea
coast of Saudi Arabia. It is greatly revered by Muslims on account of
the Grand Mosque
Masjid al-Haram enclosing the sacred ka`ba ,
the direction faced when offering prayers. The hajj pilgrimage to
Mecca made during Dhu al-Hijjah, the twelfth month of the Muslim lunar
calendar - is the `Fifth Pillar` of Islam requiring every fit adult to visit
Mecca once in their lifetime. The ancient lithograph shows the
ka`bah which is draped in the kiswa cloth embroidered in gold
with verses from the Holy Qur`an. Today more than 2.5 million Muslims of
every nationality undertake the hajj. About 10 km from Mecca they enter a
state of purity known as ihram donning a special garment consisting
of two white seamless sheets that is wrapped around the body. Arriving at
the Great Mosque the pilgrim first performs tawaf the
seven times circumambulation n a counter clockwise direction of the ka`ba . Then entering the sacred shrine
located in the SE
corner of the courtyard, they kiss the sacred stone. During the next few days
all pilgrims perform traditional rituals at the other sacred Muslim places near Mecca
(Mina, Muzdalifah, Arafat, the Mount of Mercy and Mt. Namira) before paying
a final visit to the ka`ba , thus completing the hajj and
returning home to a big family welcome. Believers who perform the pilgrimage
may add a title to their name al-Hajji (men), hajjiyah (women)
. Non-believers are forbidden to visit the holy sites.