Mecca is the city that holds exceptional religious significance for the Muslims. Every year, millions of pilgrims arrive in Mecca from across the globe for theirUmrah Packagesfrom UKand Hajj purposes. The city of Mecca reserves its importance because it houses many sacred sites that share a great association with Islamic history. It is the birthplace of the Holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (SAWW) and the city where Islam originated. Here are the top places to visit in Mecca.
Masjid-al-Haram.
Masjid-al-Haram is the most prominent place to visit in Mecca. It is also known as the Grand Mosque of Mecca because it’s the largest and most sacred mosque of Islam in the entire world with a capacity to accommodate nearly three million pilgrims at a time.
Pilgrims of Umrah offer the holy rituals within the premises of Masjid-al-Haram because it houses;
- Holy Kaabah.
- Zamzam well.
- Hajar-al-Aswad.
- Mqam-e-Ibrahim (AS).
- Safah and Marwah hill.
- Hateem.
Additionally, some of the rites of Hajj are also to be performed within Masjid-al-Haram.
Jabal-al-Nur.
Jabal-al-Nur (Mountain of Light or Hill of Illumination) is present a little outside of Mecca. The reason for the popularity of this hill is because of the Hira Cave. Hazrat Muhammad (SAWW) used to go to the cave of Hira for prayers and meditation. However, one night of Ramadan, the Holy Quran was revealed to Hazrat Muhammad (SAWW) here. Jibril (AS) came from the heavens and revealed the first few verses of Surah Al Alaq to the Holy Prophet (SAWW), as per the will of Allah Almighty.
Masjid-e-Aisha.
Masjid-e-Aisha (RA) is the mosque where Hazrat Aisha (RA) entered Ihram. Its other name of Masjid-e-Taneem and it serves as a popular Meeqat station for Hajj and Umrah pilgrims outside of Mecca.
There are state-of-the-art facilities for ablution and changing for the pilgrims of Hajj and Umrah to enter Ihram from here.
Jannat-al-Mualla.
Jannat-ul-Mualla is a holy cemetery that lies right outside of Masjid-al-Haram. During the time of the Holy Prophet (SAWW), the whole of Mecca city was the size of the current area that the Grand Mosque of Mecca covers and Jannat-ul-Mualla was at the outskirts of the city.
Jannat-ul-Mualla is the resting place of many close companions and relatives of Hazrat Muhammad (SAWW). Notably Prophet’s (SAWW);
- Mother Aminah (RA).
- Grandfather Abdul Muttalib.
- First wife Khadijah (RA).
Kiswah Factory.
The black-coloured covering of the Holy Kaabah with gold engraving is known as Kiswah. The factory of Kiswah is present 17 km west of Mecca. The Kiswa cloth is changed annually during Hajj i.e. 9th of Dhul Hijjah. It takes nearly a year to manufacture Kiswah covering of Holy Kaabah in which more than 160 craftsmen participate and use;
- 670 kg of imported pure silk.
- 120 kg gold threads.
- 100 kg silver threads.
Jabal Thawr.
Jabal Thaw is where the cave of Thawr is present. It is where Hazrat Muhammad (SAWW) and Hazrat Abu Bakar (RA) took refuge for three days from the people of Quraysh when migrating to Madinah. Here, a miracle also happened where Allah Almighty made a spider spin a web and a pigeon to lay eggs at the cave’s entrance i.e. signalling no sign of entry to the enemies.
Masjid Al Khaif.
Masjid Al-Khaif, also referred to as the ‘Mosque of the Tent’, is present in the Mina region. It is among the largest mosques in the world with a capacity to accommodate 50,000 worshippers at a time.
The historical significance of Masjid Al Khaif is that it was built by Prophet Ibrahim (AS) and his son Prophet Ismail (AS) nearly 4000 years ago. Later on, there were a lot of renovations with the most recent one in the 20th century.
Mount Arafat.
Mount Arafat is a granite hill that is present in the Arafat region, 20 km east of Mecca. It is a significant site for the Hajj pilgrims because they have to spend a day here on the 9th of Dhul Hijjah as part of the Hajj rituals. In addition, the site holds importance because;
- It is where the Prophet Muhammad (SAWW) delivered his farewell sermon.
- On the Day of Judgement, people would gather in the plain of Arafat.
These are the places that you should not miss visiting in Mecca with your Halal holidays from UK.
