Mecca

Mecca is the birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad and the direction toward which Muslims pray, and at its centre is the Masjid al-Haram enclosing the Kaaba, the cubic structure that Muslims circumambulate. The Hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam, brings around two million pilgrims in the month of Dhu al-Hijjah, and Umrah, the lesser pilgrimage, runs through the year. The mosque has been expanded repeatedly and now holds well over a million people, and the surrounding city has been rebuilt on a vast scale to handle the numbers, a process that has removed a great deal of older fabric and is criticised on those grounds. Entry to the city is restricted to Muslims and this is enforced at checkpoints.

What you actually see

• The Kaaba - the structure at the centre of the Masjid al-Haram.
• Masjid al-Haram - the great mosque and its expansions.
• The pilgrimage rites - tawaf, sa'i and the Hajj sequence.
• The rebuilt city - the towers and infrastructure around the mosque.

When to go

Hajj falls in Dhu al-Hijjah and moves through the Gregorian year; Umrah is possible at other times, with Ramadan the busiest. Summer Hajj seasons bring extreme heat. Permits and quotas govern access in both cases.

Honest expectations

Entry is restricted to Muslims and non-Muslims cannot visit; the restriction is checked on the approach roads. Crowds during Hajj and Ramadan are immense and movement is slow. Much of the historic city has been demolished in the expansions. Permits, quotas and package requirements are complex and change.

Nearby

Jeddah lies west on the coast; Jabal al-Nour is on the city edge.