LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Mecca: Prophet Muhammad
built 646 days ago
Mecca's focal point is the sacred black Ka'ba (see photo). This outdoor, near-cubic structure is draped in black and houses the holy Black Stone that Muslims believe was given by heaven to the prophet Abraham.
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After finishing the duties of Hajj at Ka’ba and Mecca, pilgrims head toward Minan and then to Mount Arafat to perform another duty of their Hajj. They have to spend the whole 9th day (of the last month in the year, according to Muslim calendar) in the wilderness. Most of the time they have to stand under the scorching heat of the sun and listen to a sermon given by the Imam (high priest) in commemoration of Muhammad’s last sermon. They ... have to perform their five daily prayers on that spot as one of the Hajj duties before heading toward a place called "Almuzdalifa" to spend the night prior to returning to Mecca to end their official Hajj.
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On the walls of ordinary houses all over Egypt, one can still see colorful two-dimensional mementos of the sacred journey to Mecca. A lively tradition of domestic mural painting has preserved a formulaic combination of inscriptions and images of the Ka'ba and of the Prophet's mosque. Images usually show the various modes of travel to the holy places, typically including planes, trains, ships, camels, and often depict the pilgrim on a prayer carpet. These murals serve a protective purpose in addition to certifying publicly and proudly that the house's inhabitants are due the special status and prestige accorded to those who have accomplished the hajj and received the honorific title of hajji. It is especially significant that family and friends of the pilgrim execute the paintings while the travelers are away, so that the dwelling undergoes its ritual transformation even as its inhabitants do.
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Prophet Muhammad