(in English normally “Mecca”, in French “La Mecque”), the most sacred city of Islam, where the Prophet Muḥammad was born and lived for about 50 years, and where the Kaʿba [q.v.] is situated.
1. The pre-Islamic and early Islamic periods
Geographical description.
Mecca is located in the Ḥid̲j̲āz about 72 km. inland from the Red Sea port of Jedda (D̲j̲udda [q.v.]), in lat. 21° 27′ N. and long. 39° 49′ E. It is now the capital of the province ( manātiḳ idāriyya ) of Makka in Suʿūdī Arabia, and…
Cite this page
Watt, W. Montgomery,
Wensinck, A.J.,
Bosworth, C.E.,
Winder, R.B. and
King, D.A.,
“Makka”, in:
Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition, Edited by: P. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C.E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel, W.P. Heinrichs.
Consulted online on 30 June 2022 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/1573-3912_islam_COM_0638>
First published online: 2012
First print edition: ISBN: 9789004161214, 1960-2007