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Make the most of your spiritual journey to Makkah with side trips and excursions. You can book tour operators to take you to key sites around the city and offer a brief explanation on the historical importance of such sites.
Below is a list of places you should visit when you go to Makkah.
1. Maktaba Makkah-al-Mukarramah
The birthplace of Prophet Muhammed (Peace be upon Him), Maktaba Makkah-al-Mukarramah is located in She’eb Banu Hashim in Makkah. Previously a mountain, this place has been converted into a national library. It is a walking distance from the Holy Mosque.
2. Jabal Nour
Also known as ‘Hill of Illumination’ or ‘Mountain of Light’, Jabal al-Nour is famous for the cave Hira. This is where the Prophet Muhammed (Peace be upon Him) received the first of his many revelations. This rocky peak is visible for many kilometres around and offers soaring views of Makkah and the Holy Mosque from its summit.
The mountain itself is 640 metres (2,100 ft) tall; there are 1750 steps to the top. It takes between one and a half to two hours to make the strenuous hike to the cave.
3. Masjid Aisha
Masjid Aisha, also known as Masjid Tan’eem, is the second largest Mosque in Makkah, with the capacity to accommodate 47,000 worshippers. This is where Aisha (May Allah be pleased with her), the beloved wife of Mohummed (Peace be upon Him), prepared to enter Ihram.
This Masjid thus serves as a miqat (boundary for entering the sacred state of Ihram) for residents of Makkah intending to do Hajj or Umrah, and for those intending to do a second Umrah. As such, it is equipped with a large number of washrooms and bathing facilities.
4. Masjid Al Jinn
Once the prophet Muhammed (Peace be upon Him) was reciting the Qur’an, when a group of jinns passing by stood to listen. They then embraced Islam and became believers.
The original Masjid Al Jinn was built in 1700 – and was originally underground. Recent additions to the historical Mosque include angular architecture and a distinctly modern minaret.
5. Jabal Thoor
Jabal Thoor is one of the mountains that surround the valley where Makkah lies. It was within a cave here that the Prophet (Peace be upon Him) and his companion Abu Bakr (May Allah be pleased with Him) hid for three days from the Quraish tribe, while migrating from Makkah to Madinah. To protect them, Allah sent a spider to spin a web at the cave’s entrance, preventing the enemies from seeing within and finding them. The cave has since come to symbolise faith and hope.
6. Jannat Al-Mu’alla
The second most famous cemetery in the Islamic world, Jannat-al-Mu’alla is where many ancestors and relatives of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon Him) are said to be resting (notably his mother Aminah, grandfather Abdul Muttalib, and first wife Khadijah. It is located to the north of the holy Mosque; the distance is about a kilometer, which can be walked in 15 minutes.
7. Masjid Al Hudaibiyah
This Masjid has been built at a place where the treaty of Hudaibiyah was signed. The Prophet (Peace be Upon Him) once had a dream that he went to Makkah to perform Umrah. When He told His companions the dream, they decided to go for Umrah. The disbelievers of Makkah refused to let the Muslims enter, and instead wrote down 10 conditions (that suited them) known as the treaty of Hudaibiyah.
8. Masjid Aqabah / Masjid al Bay’ah
The site on Aqabah (Uqbah) Hill on which this mosque is where the Prophet Muhammed (Peace be Upon Him) met with tribal leaders from Madinah who were on their way to the Ka’bah. After the Prophet (Peace be Upon Him) recited from the Qur’an and told them about Allah, they pledged their allegiance to Islam. Later, Caliph Abu Jafar Al Mansur built a mosque on this spot and named it Masjid Al Bay’ah, which means “pledge”.
9. Ta’if
Nestled high in the Al Sarawat Mountains east of Makkah, Ta’if is a verdant city that abounds with green grass, lush trees and blooming flowers owing to cool spring rains and dry mild summers.
This is where the Prophet (Peace be Upon Him) went to preach in the tenth year of prophethood. The people of Ta’if paid little heed to His message and ordered their children to throw rocks and stones at the Prophet (Peace be Upon Him), causing him to bleed.
Masjid Al Ji’ranah
This Masjid on the road to Ta’if serves as a miqat (boundary for entering the sacred state of Ihram) for residents of Makkah intending to do hajj or Umrah. The Prophet (PBUH), after the Battle of Hunain, stopped at Masjid Al Ji’ranah and entered Ihram here before continuing to the holy city.
10. Mina
Also known as ‘City of Tents’, Mina offers temporary accommodation to Hajj pilgrims in air-conditioned tents. This is where pilgrims pelt the jamaraat (stone wall, where shaitan approached Prophet Ibrahim (Peace be Upon Him).
Masjid Al Khayf
This well-known place of worship that sits on the edge of Mina’s tent city is where the Prophet Muhammed (Peace be Upon Him) and many other prophets prayed. Once a modest structure surrounded by a low wall, the mosque has been expanded to accommodate 25,000 pilgrims.
11. Bilal Ibn Rabah Masjid
This Masjid was once the home of the famous companion of the Prophet (Peace be upon Him) and caller to the prayer Bilal (May Allah be pleased with Him).
12. Arafaat
Arafaat is the place where pilgrims travel when they perfrom Hajj. Here, they combine their Dhuhr and Asr prayers and then spend the entire day making du’a.
Jabal Rahmah / Mount Arafah
This is the mountain where Prophet Adam (Peace be upon Him) and Hawwa (May Allah be pleased with Her) were re-united on Earth after they were forgiven by Allah.
Masjid Al Nimra
This is the Masjid where the Prophet (Peace be upon Him) delivered a sermon during His farewell Hajj. In the second century of Islam, the Masjid was built at the exact spot where the Prophet (Peace be upon Him) delivered the sermon, which is Waadi Urana. Waadi Urana lies outside the boundaries of Arafat, so that section of the Masjid is naturally also outside the boundaries. When the masjid was extended afterwards, it became divided into two sections; the front section which was the location of the original Masjid being outside Arafaat and the back section being within the boundaries of Arafaat.
13. Muzdalifah
On the second day of Hajj, pilgrims arrive at Muzdalifah after sunset from Arafat and spend the night there. This is where pilgrims collect pebbles to pelt the jamaraat (stone walls).
14. Factory that makes the cloth (kiswa) of the ka’bah
The Ka’ba has a long history of being covered and adorned. Tradition says it was either the Prophet Ismail (SAW) or a grandfather of Prophet Mohamed (PBUH) who first placed the cloth curtain – called the Kiswa – upon the Ancient House.
Over the centuries, the Ka’ba’s coverings have been made in a variety of fabrics and colours. Today, this sacred duty falls to a special government-owned factory in Makkah. A multitude of artisans design, dye, weave, print and embroider the Kiswa. Great care is taken in crafting both its outer black silk curtain and inner green silk lining.
In order to visit the Kiswa factory, an appointment is needed through an Umrah agent. The minimum group of people allowed for an appointment is 20. Visiting hours are 9am to 12 pm.
MUSEUMS AROUND MAKKAH
1. The Makkah Museum / Exhibition of the two Holy Mosques Architecture
On the northwestern edge of Makkah you’ll find a museum dedicated to the past, present and future of the two Holy Mosques. Discover how Al Masjid Al Haram (Holy Mosque) in Makkah and Al Masjid An Nabawi (Prophet’s Mosque) in Madinah have been transformed over the centuries. Behold artifacts that include a teak staircase from the Kaaba, carved in 1825, and the door of an Ottoman pulpit, a relic from the Prophet’s Mosque that dates to 1590.
The museum is open from 8am till 12 pm and from 4pm till 8pm. There is no entrance fee.
2. Clock tower Museum
This museum takes people back in time and gives them a brief tour of the universe. It shows how people of the past would measure time with the help of the sun, moon and galaxies.
The museum is open from 2pm till 11pm. Tickets cost 75 Saudi Riyal without the deck view and 150 Saudi Riyal with the deck view.
3. Assalaamu Aleyka Ayyuhan Nabiyyu Museum
This museum strives to paint a fuller picture of the Prophet Muhammad’s (peace be upon Him) life. You can discover the types of tools the Prophet (Peace be upon Him) may have used, the kind of house He may have lived in and examples of clothing from His age.
Assalaamu Aleyka Ayyuhan Nabiyyu Museum is very popular, hence advance bookings are required. It is located on the road to Ta’if.
Click here for a downloadable pdf on the list of sites to visit in Makkah