Mecca (Coordinates: 21°25'N 39°49'E), or in full Makkah al-Mukarramah, is the holiest city in Islam, and the focal point of the annual Hajj pilgrimages of Muslim believers. The city is located in Saudi Arabia's Makkah province. It has a population of 1,294,167, according to the 2004 census, the majority of whom work for the Hajj industry. The numbers swell to about four million when pilgrims converge on the city during the last weeks of Dhull-Hijjah, the Hajj month. Transportation facilities related to the Hajj or Umrah (minor pilgrimage) are the main services available.
Mecca is revered by Muslims for containing the holiest site of Islam, the Masjid al-Haram, or Sacred Mosque of Mecca. People of other faiths are forbidden from entering Mecca.
Mecca is 73 kilometres (45 miles) inland from Jeddah, 80 km from the Red Sea, in a narrow valley, 277 metres (910 ft) above sea level. Mecca does not have an airport. Most of the pilgrims arrive through the Hajj terminal of King Abdulaziz International Airport or through the Jeddah Islamic Port, both of which are in Jeddah.
Sea of pilgrims in the Masjid al-Haram
Copyright Mohammad Suman Hossain, http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Mecca_skyline.jpg. The copyright holder of this work allows anyone to use it for any purpose including unrestricted redistribution, commercial use, and modification.
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