Mecca

Mecca مكّة المكرمة
City of Makkah Makkat Al Mukarramah
Masjid al-Haram and the center of Mecca
Motto: Holiest city in Islam
Mecca Location of Mecca
Coordinates: 21°25′0″N 39°49′0″E / 21.416667°N 39.816667°E / 21.416667; 39.816667Coordinates: 21°25′0″N 39°49′0″E / 21.416667°N 39.816667°E / 21.416667; 39.816667
Country	Saudi Arabia
Province	Makkah Province
Construction of Kaaba	+2000 BCE (Disputed see history section)
Established	Ibrahim (Disputed see history section)
Joined Saudi Arabia	1924
Government
- Mayor	Osama Al-Bar
- Provincial Governor	Khalid al Faisal
Area
- Urban	850 km2 (328.2 sq mi)
- Metro	1,200 km2 (463.3 sq mi)
Population (2007)
- City	1,700,000
- Density	4,200/km2 (2,625/sq mi)
- Urban	2,053,912
- Metro	2,500,000
	Mecca Municipality estimate
Time zone	AST (UTC+3)
- Summer (DST)	AST (UTC+3)
Postal Code	(5 digits)
Area code(s)	+966-2
Website	Mecca Municipality

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Makkat Al Mukarrammah seen from Jabal al-Nour

Mecca (pronounced /ˈmɛkə/), also spelled Makkah (occasionally Bakkah) (English: /ˈmækə/; Arabic: مكة‎ Makkah and in full: Arabic: مكّة المكرمة‎ Makkat Al Mukarramah [mækːæt ælmukarːamæ]) is a city in Saudi Arabia, regarded as the holiest meeting site in Islam, closely followed by Medina.
Islamic tradition attributes the beginning of Mecca to Ishmael's descendants. In the 7th century, the Islamic prophet Muhammad proclaimed Islam in the city which was by then an important trading center. After 966, Mecca was led by local sharifs. When the authority of the Ottoman Empire in the area collapsed in 1916, the local rulers established the Hashemite Kingdom of Hejaz. The Hejaz kingdom, including Mecca, was absorbed by the Saudis in 1925. In its modern period, Mecca has seen tremendous expansion in size and infrastructure. However, most of its historic buildings have been demolished in recent years because of the Saudi government's religious views and disapproval of undue reverence being given to such buildings.
The modern day city is the capital of Saudi Arabia's Makkah Province, in the historic Hejaz region. With a population of 1.7 million (2008), the city is located 73 km (45 mi) inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of 277 m (909 ft) above sea level.
Every year, millions of Muslims perform the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca walking seven times around the Kaaba. More than 13 million people visit Mecca annually. Similarly to Medina, entrance to Mecca is restricted to Muslims only; non-Muslims are neither permitted to enter nor travel through the city.