Cities of gold.(The cities of Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia)(ah)

Publication: MEED Middle East Economic Digest

Publication Date: 26-OCT-01

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COPYRIGHT 2001 MEED Middle East Economic Digest. All Rights Reserved.

If Saudi Arabians cherish one honour more dearly than any other, it is their guardianship of the holiest places of Islam: Makkah, birthplace of the Prophet Mohammad and site of the Kaaba, and Medina, where the Prophet presided over the first Muslim community.

Since long before the time of Mohammad, the cities were major stations on the great trade route running from Arabia Felix to the Byzantine and Sassanid empires. As their position at the political centre of Islam rose and then fell, Makkah and Medina became increasingly defined by their status as centres for pilgrimage.

During this year's hajj, more than 1.8 million pilgrims visited the cities, with the majority coming from...

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