For Muslim the most sacred place or Islam’s holy city is the Ka’ba in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. The Ka’ba is referring to a mosque that was built by Abraham according to Muslim tradition, around a black stone. The Prophet Muhammad designated Mecca as the holy city of Islam and the direction (qibla) in which all Muslims should offer their prayers.

The Ka’ba is believed to be the first place that was created on earth and the place at which heavenly bliss and power touches the earth directly. No wonder Mecca indeed is the Islam’s holy city. In the middle of Mecca stands the Great Mosque (an Islamic temple). On the outside of the mosque is an arcade, which consists of a series of arches surrounding a large courtyard. Inside the courtyard is the Kaaba (also spelled Caaba), a small stone building that is considered a sacred shrine. The Kaaba houses the Black Stone, which Muslims believe was sent from heaven by Allah (God). One of the Five Pillars of Faith (basic requirements of the Islamic religion) mandates that each Muslim make at least one pilgrimage (journey to a holy place) to Mecca during his or her lifetime.

The city of Mecca, in present-day Saudi Arabia, is the holy city for Muslims (followers of Islam) because it was the birthplace of the prophet Muhammad (c. 570–632), the founder of Islam. Muhammad lived in Mecca until he had a revelation from God, which his companions wrote down in Arabic in the Koran (also spelled Qur’an), the holy book of Islam. Muhammad made enemies among the Meccans when he told them to stop worshiping idols (images of a God, such as statues). He was then forced to flee to Medina, a city about 200 miles to the north. In 630 Muslims defeated the Meccans, who then accepted Islam as their religion and destroyed the idols they had previously worshiped. Muhammad died in Mecca two years later.

Mecca is located in the Hijaz region of western Saudi Arabia. The city lies inland 73 kilometers east of Jiddah, in the narrow, sandy Valley of Abraham. The Holy City is 277 meters (909 feet) above sea level.

Each year, thousands of Muslims from around the world join in a pilgrimage to Mecca (the hajj), in fulfillment of one of the Five Pillars of Islam. The importance of Mecca for Muslims is inestimable. All Muslims, wherever they are on Earth, pray five times a day in the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca.

In addition, a pilgrimage to Mecca is required of every Muslim who can afford it as one of the Five Pillars of the faith. Every year about three million gather for the major pilgrimage, or Hajj, during the Muslim month of Dhu’l-Hijja, and many more perform the minor pilgrimage, or Umrah, at various times throughout the year.

As the Islam’s holy city, only few non-Muslims have ever seen the rites and rituals of the Hajj, as non-Muslims are strictly prohibited from entering Mecca and Medina. Roadblocks are stationed along roads leading to the city.