Mecca (/ˈmɛkə/; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah,[a] commonly shortened to Makkah[b]) is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia and the holiest city according to Islam.[4] It is 70 km (43 mi) inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valley 277 m (909 ft) above sea level. Its metropolitan population in 2022 was 2.4 million, making it the third-most populated city in Saudi Arabia after Riyadh and Jeddah. Around 44.5% of the population are Saudi citizens and around 55.5% are Muslim foreigners from other countries.[5] Pilgrims more than triple the population number every year during the Ḥajj pilgrimage, observed in the twelfth Hijri month of Dhūl-Ḥijjah.[6] With over 10.8 million international visitors in 2023, Mecca was one of the ten most visited cities in the world.[7]
Mecca is generally considered “the fountainhead and cradle of Islam“.[8][9] Mecca is revered in Islam as the birthplace of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. The Hira cave atop the Jabal al-Nur (“Mountain of Light”), just outside the city, is where Muslims believe the Quran was first revealed to Muhammad.[10] Visiting Mecca for the Ḥajj is an obligation upon all able Muslims. The Great Mosque of Mecca, known as the Masjid al-Haram, is home to the Ka’bah, believed by Muslims to have been built by Abraham and Ishmael. It is Islam’s holiest site and the direction of prayer (qibla) for all Muslims worldwide.[11]
Muslim rulers from in and around the region long tried to take the city and keep it in their control, and thus, much like most of the Hejaz region, the city has seen several regime changes. The city was most recently conquered in the Saudi conquest of Hejaz by Ibn Saud and his allies in 1925. Since then, Mecca has seen a tremendous expansion in size and infrastructure, with newer, modern buildings such as the Abraj Al Bait, the world’s fourth-tallest building and third-largest by floor area,[12] towering over the Great Mosque. The Saudi government has also carried out the destruction of several historical structures and archaeological sites,[13] such as the Ajyad Fortress.[14][15][16] However, many of the demolitions have officially been part of the continued expansion of the Masjid al-Haram at Mecca and the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina and their auxiliary service facilities in order to accommodate the ever-increasing number of Muslims performing the pilgrimage (hajj).[17] Non-Muslims are strictly prohibited from entering the city.[18][19]
Under the Saudi government, Mecca is governed by the Mecca Regional Municipality, a municipal council of 14 locally elected members headed by the mayor (called Amin in Arabic) appointed by the Saudi government. In 2015, the mayor of the city was Osama bin Fadhel Al-Barr;[20][21] as of January 2022, the mayor is Saleh Al-Turki.[22] The City of Mecca amanah, which constitutes Mecca and the surrounding region, is the capital of the Mecca Province, which includes the neighbouring cities of Jeddah and Ta’if, even though Jeddah is considerably larger in population compared to Mecca. Prince Khalid bin Faisal Al Saud has been the provincial governor of the province since 16 May 2007.[23]
