Mecca Travel Guide

Mecca in Saudi Arabia, is Islam's holiest city and all devout Muslims dream of coming here at least once in their lifetime. The Prophet Mohammed was born in this city in 6th century AD. He began to preach in Mecca and it was here that he returned to shortly before his death in 632 AD. Mecca and its vicinity are strictly off-limits to non-Muslims and there are checkpoints on the roads leading into the city.

Muslims make a pilgrimage to Mecca and it is called "Hajj". The centre of the city is the Grand Mosque with the sacred Well of Zamzam beside it. The Kaaba to which all Muslims turn when they pray is in the central courtyard of the Grand Mosque and, according to Islamic tradition, the first prophet Abraham and his son Ishmael built it.

Jeddah is the closest air and sea base to Mecca. The superb, custom-built Hajj Terminal at King Abdul Aziz International Airport, Jeddah, has given an enormous boost to the flow of pilgrim traffic since it’s inauguration in 1981. The Jeddah Islamic Port has received "haj" pilgrims for centuries from the furthest corners of the world. The usual form of transport from Jeddah to Mecca is by bus belonging to the Saudi Arabian Government Pilgrims' Transportation Service. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia offers funds and many facilities to its pilgrims, such as the distribution of millions of bags of iced water prepared at a special factory in Mecca. Arrangements are also made for the pilgrims regarding mobile facilities for banking and telecommunications. The reigning monarch of Saudi Arabia feels it is his solemn duty to the faith to offer the pilgrims the best facilities he can arrange for.