Mecca

Al-Masjid Al-Haram, literally 'the Forbidden Mosque', is one of the three most sacred mosques in Islam, along with An-Nabawi in Medina and Al-Aqsa in Jerusalem, and also the largest in the world. Every year millions of worshippers visit the mosque on their Hajj pilgrimage to perform the Salah, 'act of worship', and the Tawaf, which consists of seven circular walks around the Kaaba, the sacred building that contains the Black Stone.

The Kaaba is located inside Al-Haram Mosque and is the holiest site in Islam. It was built by Prophet Abraham and his son, Prophet Ishmael, to house the Black Stone, given to them by the Archangel Gabriel. The Black Stone was placed in the eastern corner of the Kaaba by Prophet Muhammad and it has the appearance of a fragmented black rock.

Literally 'The Mountain of Light', it is the place where Prophet Muhammad received his first revelation and it is thus a place of worship and devotion visited by many pilgrims. On this mountain the Cave of Hira is to be found, where the Prophet spent much time in meditation and received the first verses of the Quran.

This enormous hotel complex is composed of seven skyscrapers located right next to Al-Haram Mosque. The Makkah Clock Royal Tower is the third tallest building in the world with a staggering height of 581.1 metres. It contains the five-star Fairmont Hotel.

Mina, also called Tent City, lies on the place where Prophet Abraham stoned the Devil in the form of three pillars that allegorically represent temptation. The city serves as a shelter for pilgrims and can host up to 3 million people in more than 100,000 air-conditioned tents, covering an area of approximately 20 km².