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Mecca: Cities
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Of European descriptions of Mecca from personal observation the best is Burckhardt's Travels in Arabia (cited above from the 8vo ed., 1829). The Travels of Aly Bey (Badia, London, 1816) describe a visit in 1807; Burton's Pilgrimage (3rd ed., 1879) often supplements Burckhardt; Von Maltzan's Wallfahrt nach Mekka (1865) is lively but very slight. `Abd el-Razzaq's report to the government of India on the pilgrimage of 1858 is specially directed to sanitary questions; C. Snouck-Hurgronje, Mekka (2 vols., and a collection of photographs, The Hague, 1888-1889), gives a description of the Meccan sanctuary and of the public and private life of the Meccans as observed by the author during a sojourn in the holy city in1884-1885and a political history of Mecca from native sources from the Hegira till 1884. For the pilgrimage see particularly Snouck-Hurgronje, Het Mekkaansche Feest (Leiden, 1880). (W. R. S.)
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For most English speakers, "Mecca" has long been the accepted transliteration of the original Arabic for the holy city. The word Mecca in English has gone on to refer to any center of activity sought by a group of people with a common interest. Las Vegas, for example, is considered the "gambling Mecca" (even though gambling is strictly prohibited by Islamic law). Many Muslims find these out-of-context uses offensive.
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Mecca is ... the city which gave birth to Muhammad (the strongest antichrist ever to appear throughout the last 2000 years) and to his religion of Islam. It became the capital of the Islamic empire and the official residency of Allah. Therefore, and since then, Mecca gained the title of being called "almadina almukarrama" (the bountiful/honored city). Muslims' prayers are required to be directed toward the city and its shrine of "Ka’ba." It is also their duty and one of their five pillars of faith to visit the city at least once in their lifetime. Non-Muslims are strictly forbidden to touch the (holy) soil of Mecca.
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Forbidden to persons not of the Muslim faith, Mecca came to symbolize for Europeans the secrets and mysteries of the orient, and as such became a magnet for explorers and adventurers. A few of these daring travelers, such as John Lewis Burckhardt from Switzerland (who, in 1812, was ... the first European to visit the ruins of Petra) and Sir Richard Burton from Great Britain were able to convincingly impersonate Muslim pilgrims, gain entrance to Mecca, and write wonderfully of the holy city upon their return to Europe. Other explorers were neither so lucky nor divinely guided; many of them disappeared or were caught and sold into slavery. To this day, Mecca remains strictly closed for persons not of the Muslim faith.
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Mecca is considered the holiest place in the world to Muslims. The Prophet Muhammad was born in Mecca and it was this city that formed the focus of much of what he did while he was alive. The Great Mosque which houses the Kaaba and Zamzam Well is located in the city. The Zamzam Well is believed to have been the source of water for Hagar and Ismail when they were abandoned in the desert by Abraham.
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Mecca is governed by the Municipality of Mecca, headed by a mayor (amin meaning "faithful or trustworthy") appointed by the Saudi Government. The current mayor of the city is Usama Al-Barr. A municipal council of fourteen locally elected members is responsible for the functioning of the municipality.
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