Mecca

The Kaaba in the Masjid al-Haram,
Mecca

Mecca or Makkah (in full: Makkah al-Mukarramah; Arabic: مكة المكرمة) is the capital city of Saudi Arabia's Makkah province, in the historic Hijaz region. It has a population of 1,294,168 (2004 census). The city is located at 21°25′N 39°49′E, 73 kilometres (45 mi) inland from Jeddah, in the narrow sandy Valley of Abraham, 277 metres (909 ft) above sea level. It is located 80 kilometres (50 mi) from the Red Sea.

The city is revered as the holiest site of Islam, and a pilgrimage to it is required of all able-bodied Muslims who can afford to go, at least once in their lifetime. Muslims regard the al-Masjid al-Haram (The Sacred Mosque) as the holiest place on Earth.

The term 'Mecca' has come into common usage metaphorically to mean any all-important site for any particular group of people. In the 1980s the government of Saudi Arabia changed the official English transliteration of the city's name from 'Mecca', as it had been commonly spelled by westerners, to 'Makkah'. See below for the reasons.