which empire controlled the holy cities of mecca and medina in the 1500s
Ottoman
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Ottoman governor of Egypt, was ordered to command a fleet of 90 ships to conquer Yemen. The country was in a state of incessant anarchy and discord as Hadım Suleiman Pasha described it by saying: Imam al-Mutawakkil Yahya Sharaf ad-Din ruled over the northern highlands including Sana'a while Aden was held by the last Tahiride Sultan 'Amir ibn Dauod. Hadım Suleiman Pasha stormed Aden in 1538 CE, killing its ruler and extended Ottoman's authority to include Zabid in 1539 and eventually Tihama in its entirety. Zabid became the administrative headquarters of Yemen Eyalet. The Ottoman governors did not exercise much
History of Yemen
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Jeddah, the inhabitants of the Hijaz did not pay taxes to the empire and the finances of the city were taken care of through various waqf properties across the rest of the empire, dedicated to support the people of Mecca and Medina as an act of charity with religious significance because of the holy status of the two cities. The central Ottoman government controlled caravan routes to Mecca, and was obligated to protect pilgrims along these routes. This included providing supplies such as food and water for the journey. Additionally, this included providing subsidies to the desert Bedouin tribes whose
Ottoman Arabia
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a rebellion in 1808 and Mahmud II temporarily abandoned the reforms. Mahmud II's later reformation efforts were more successful. During the early years of Mahmud II's reign, his governor of Egypt Mehmet Ali Paşa successfully reconquered the holy cities of Medina (1812) and Mecca (1813) from the First Saudi State. Abdullah bin Saud and the First Saudi State had barred Muslims from the Ottoman Empire from entering the holy shrines of Mecca and Medina, his followers also desecrated the tombs of Ali ibn Abi Talib, Hassan ibn Ali and Husayn ibn Ali. Abdullah bin Saud and his two followers were
Mahmud II
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Siege of Medina Medina, an Islamic holy city in Arabia, underwent a long siege during World War I. Medina was at the time part of the Ottoman Empire. In the war, the Ottoman Empire sided with the Central Powers. Sharif Hussain of Mecca revolted against the caliph and the Ottoman Empire which, under the leadership of the nationalistic Young Turks, had ignored the wishes of the Caliph and sided with the Central Powers. Hussain instead sided with the British Empire. T. E. Lawrence was instrumental in this revolt. Hussain occupied Mecca and besieged Medina. It was one of the longest
Siege of Medina
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in Egypt. In 1258, the Mongol Empire sacked Baghdad, ending the Abbasid Caliphate, and in 1261 the Mamluks in Egypt re-established the Abbasid Caliphate in Cairo. Though lacking in political power, the Abbasid dynasty continued to claim authority in religious matters until the Ottoman conquest of Mamluk Egypt in 1517. The fourth major caliphate, the Ottoman Caliphate, was established after their conquest of Mamluk Egypt in 1517. The conquest gave the Ottomans control over the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, previously controlled by the Mamluks. The Ottomans gradually came to be viewed as the "de facto" leaders and representatives
Caliphate
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of Abdullah, an Arab deputy of Mecca in the Ottoman Parliament, and his wife Musbah bint Nasser. Abdullah was the son of Hussein bin Ali, Sharif of Mecca, traditional steward of the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. Sharif Hussein and his sons led the Great Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire in 1916; after removing Ottoman rule, the Sharif's sons established Arab monarchies in place. Abdullah established the Emirate of Transjordan in 1921, a British Protectorate, for which he was Emir. During Abdullah's absence, Talal spent his early years alone with his mother. Talal received private education in Amman,
Talal of Jordan
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two holy cities of Mecca and Medina. This was seen as a major challenge to the authority of the Ottoman Empire, which had exercised its rule over the holy cities since 1517. The task of weakening the grip of the House of Saud was given to the powerful viceroy of Egypt, Muhammad Ali Pasha, by the Ottomans. This initiated the Ottoman–Saudi War, in which Muhammad Ali sent his troops to the Hejaz region by sea. His son, Ibrahim Pasha, then led Ottoman forces into the heart of Nejd, capturing town after town. Saud's successor, his son Abdullah bin Saud, was
Emirate of Diriyah
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institutions. Public soup kitchens, therefore, were waqfs that provided basic nutritional sustenance for people in need. In the case of Hasseki Sultan Imaret, Hurrem Sultan built a soup kitchen in Jerusalem because it was a holy city, along with Hebron, Mecca and Medina. She wanted to ensure that each of the holy cities had an institution to feed the hungry. Like other imarets throughout the Ottoman Empire, the Hasseki Sultan Imaret was a tool for maintaining social order. The administrators, employees and beneficiaries of the imaret represented the social hierarchy of the community. The administrators were often members of the
Haseki Sultan Imaret
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limited resources were used by pilgrims along the major routes from Damascus and Cairo respectively. The Ottoman Empire, as custodian of Mecca and Medina, was supposed to provide safe passage for all pilgrims travelling to the Holy Cities. However, political alliances and conflicts shaped the routes that were opened or closed. Particularly in the case of the Safavid Empire, the Ottomans closed the shortest route from Basra (in present-day Iraq) that would have allowed Shi’i pilgrims to cross the Persian Gulf into the Arabian Peninsula. Pilgrims were instead required to use the official caravan routes from Damascus, Cairo or Yemen.
Ottoman Arabia
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Ottoman Caliphate The Ottoman Caliphate (1517–1924), under the Ottoman dynasty of the Ottoman Empire, was the last Sunni Islamic caliphate of the late medieval and the early modern era. During the period of Ottoman growth, Ottoman rulers claimed caliphal authority since Murad I's conquest of Edirne in 1362. Later Selim I, through conquering and unification of Muslim lands, became the defender of the Holy Cities of Mecca and Medina which further strengthened the Ottoman claim to caliphate in the Muslim world. The demise of the Ottoman Caliphate took place because of a slow erosion of power in relation to Western
Ottoman Caliphate
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Murad I (reigned 1362 to 1389), while recognising no authority on the part of the Abbasid caliphs of the Mamluk-ruled Cairo. Hence the seat of the caliphate moved to the Ottoman capital of Edirne. In 1453, after Mehmed the Conqueror's conquest of Constantinople, the seat of the Ottomans moved to Constantinople, present-day Istanbul. In 1517, the Ottoman sultan Selim I defeated and annexed the Mamluk Sultanate of Cairo into his empire. Through conquering and unifying Muslim lands, Selim I became the defender of the Holy Cities of Mecca and Medina, which further strengthened the Ottoman claim to the caliphate in
Caliphate
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Ottoman for a further three centuries, until in 1802, when it was retaken by rebels in alliance with the House of Saud. These forces then proceeded to take Mecca and Medina. The loss was keenly felt by the Ottoman Empire, which viewed itself as the protector of the Holy Cities. The Ottoman sultan, Mahmud II, called upon his nominal viceroy in Egypt, Muhammad Ali, who launched an attack on the Hejaz and reconquered Ta'if in 1813. In 1813, the Swiss traveller and orientalist Johann Ludwig Burckhardt visited Ta'if. He left an eyewitness account on the city just after its recapture
Ta'if
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Muslim heartlands of the Middle East, as well as establishing its protection over the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. This increased the influence of Islamic practices on the government of the empire, and facilitated much greater interaction between the Arabic-speaking world and the Ottoman heartlands in Anatolia and the Balkans. Under Selim's reign the empire's territory expanded from roughly to . Expansion continued during the first half of the reign of Suleiman I (r. 1520-1566), who conquered first Belgrade (1521) and Rhodes, before invading Hungary in 1526, defeating and killing King Louis II in the Battle of Mohács and
Classical Age of the Ottoman Empire
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16th century, the domains of the Ottoman Empire stretched from Budapest to Baghdad, and Oman and Tunisia to Mecca and Medina, encompassing such great cities as Damascus, Alexandria and Cairo. The Turks also controlled the Silk Route, the Black Sea and the eastern half of the Mediterranean. The sultan governed the empire from Constantinople, where architects, painters, calligraphers, jewellers, ceramists, poets, etc., worked for him. Murad, a grandson of Süleyman the Magnificent, was a learned, sybarite sultan, a foremost patron of the arts and responsible to a considerable degree for the great development of Turkish-Ottoman painting in the 16th and
The Book of Felicity
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holy cities of Mecca and Medina—which had been part of the Ottoman Empire for four centuries and developed a pluralistic religious culture—Ibn Saud sought to "reassured the Muslim world that a new saudi regime would not disrupt the pilgrimage", while the Ikhwan "pressed for strict adherence to norms" such as forbidding smoking tobacco and worshiping at shrines. In 1926 meeting of Ikhwan leaders at al-Artawiya, found Ibn Saud at fault for "not upholding the sharp separation of belief and infidelity". Among his misdeeds were allowing two of his sons to travel to "idolatrous lands" (Faysal to England. Saud to Egypt);
Ikhwan
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opened forcefully and looted. About 8,000 (519 officers and 7,545 soldiers) men of the Turkish garrison were evacuated to Egypt after their surrender. Besides the evacuated some died of disease and others dispersed on their own to various areas. The weapons and ammunition of the garrison were left to the besiegers. Siege of Medina Medina, an Islamic holy city in Arabia, underwent a long siege during World War I. Medina was at the time part of the Ottoman Empire. In the war, the Ottoman Empire sided with the Central Powers. Sharif Hussain of Mecca revolted against the caliph and the
Siege of Medina
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Yahya Saleh Yahya Saleh was a Mughal Admiral and voyager from Surat. He was a navigator and devout Muslim sailor. He entered Mughal service during the rule of Akbar and in 1577 was trusted to lead members of the Mughal Emperor's personal harem to the Islamic holy cities of Mecca and Medina. Yahya Saleh continued to lead pilgrimages for the next three years until 1580, and present gifts and Sadaqah to humble authorities of Mecca and Medina. He probably aided Ottoman Admiral Hadım Suleiman Pasha and his fleet of 70 Xebecs during the siege of Diu in 1538. He objected
Yahya Saleh
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Ottoman armies, under Sultan Mehmed II, conquered Constantinople. Mehmed reconstructed and repopulated the city, and made it the new Ottoman capital. After the Fall of Constantinople, the Ottoman Empire entered a long period of conquest and expansion with its borders eventually going deep into Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. Selim I dramatically expanded the empire’s eastern and southern frontiers in the Battle of Chaldiran and gained recognition as the guardian of the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. His successor, Suleiman the Magnificent, further expanded the conquests after capturing Belgrade in 1521 and using its territorial base to
Turkish people
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Husayn. For centuries in the Hijaz, the western region of Arabia where the Muslim holy cities of Mecca and Medina are located, power was strongly centralized in the hands of the family of the sharif. Members of this family, as descendents of the Prophet Muhammad, were called Hashemites in English. Unlike many areas of the Ottoman Empire, there were few competing political influences among the urban elite. The tribal chieftains served as intermediaries between their tribes and the sharif but rarely challenged his authority. The sharif's lone political rival was the Ottoman vali (governor) of the region, who was responsible
Sharifian Army
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seas"), or rather fully in Ottoman Turkish "Hakan ül-Berreyn vel-Bahreyn", were among the titles in the official full style of the Great Sultan (and later Caliph) of the Ottoman Empire, reflecting the historical legitimation of the dynasty's rule as political successor to various conquered (often Islamised) states. (The title began: Sultan Hân N.N., Padishah, "Hünkar", Sovereign of the House of Osman, Sultan of Sultans, Khan of Khans, Commander of the Faithful and Successor of the Prophet of the Lord of the Universe; next followed a series of specifically 'regional' titles, starting with Protector of the Holy Cities of Mecca, Medina
Khagan
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other countries. An increasing number of Saudi citizens identify as Ahmadis. Since the Ahmadiyya faith is banned in the country, there are no Ahmadi mosques. Ahmadis generally gather together in private properties for their daily prayers, thereby limiting exposure to the local authorities. From the very early history of the Ahmadiyya Movement in the 19th century, Ahmadis have had contact with the region in what were then a number of Ottoman provinces in the Arabian peninsula, primarily due to their spiritual connection to the two holy cities of Mecca and Medina. Saudi Arabia, and specifically Mecca and Medina, in Hejaz
Islam in Saudi Arabia
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Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques (abbreviation "CTHM") (, '; Servant of the Two Noble Sanctuaries or Protector of the Two Holy Cities, is a royal style that has been used by many Islamic rulers, including the Ayyubids, the Mamluk Sultans of Egypt, the Ottoman Sultans, and in the modern age, Saudi Arabian kings. The title refers to the ruler taking the responsibility of guarding and maintaining the two holiest mosques in Islam: Al-Haram Mosque (, "The Sacred Mosque") in Mecca and the Prophet's Mosque () in Medina, both of which are in the
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques
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time. However, the Saudis' conquest of the holy cities of Mecca and Medina drew the ire of the Ottoman Empire, the major Islamic power at the time, led to the Ottoman-Saudi War of 1811–1818 and an invasion of Arabia by Ottoman and Egyptian forces brought the Saudi state to an end in 1818, with Diriyah capitulating after a nearly-year-long siege. The leader of the invading force, Ibrahim Pasha, ordered the destruction of Diriyah. However, when a member of the local nobility tried to revive the Wahhabi state in Diriyah, Ibrahim ordered his troops to destroy the town even further and
Diriyah
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of the Hafsids was brought to Constantinople and was subsequently executed due to his collaboration with Spain and the desire of the Ottoman Sultan to take the title of Caliph as he now controlled Mecca and Medina. The Hafsid lineage survived the Ottoman massacre by a branch of the family being taken to the Canary Island of Tenerife by the Spanish. After the Middle Ages, Northern Africa was loosely under the control of the Ottoman Empire, except for the region of Morocco. Ottoman rule was centered on the cities of Algiers, Tunis, and Tripoli. During the 18th and 19th century,
History of North Africa
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a united Arab state. Although the Arab Revolt of 1916 to 1918 failed in its objective, the Allied victory in World War I resulted in the end of Ottoman suzerainty and control in Arabia. When the Ottomans conquered Mamluk territory in 1517, the role of the Ottoman sultan in the Hijaz was first and foremost to take care of the Holy Cities of Mecca and Medina, and provide safe passage for the many Muslims from various regions who travelled to Mecca in order to perform the Hajj. The Sultan was sometimes referred to as "Servant of the Holy Places" but
Ottoman Arabia
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ash-Sharifayn" in Arabic, from Barakat Effendi Grand Sharif of Mecca when conquering Hijaz and with it the Muslim Holy Cities of Mecca and Medina. Selim I full style was: "Sovereign of the House of Osman, Khan of Khans of the Two Lands and the Two Seas, Commander of the Faithful and Successor of the Prophet of the Lord of the Universe, Custodian of the Two Noble Sanctuaries, Emperor of the Three Cities of Constantinople, Adrianople and Bursa, Conqueror of the two Armies" (i.e. the European and Persian armies). In Europe, all Ottoman Emperors were commonly referred to by the title
Ottoman dynasty
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Hejazi region of the Arabian Peninsula. It is believed that the first person to use the title was Saladin. After defeating the Mamluks and gaining control of the Mecca and Medina in 1517, the Ottoman Sultan Selim I adopted the title. Rather than style himself the "Ḥākimü'l-Ḥaremeyn" (, "Ruler of The Two Holy Cities"), he accepted the title "Ḫādimü'l-Ḥaremeyn" (, "Servant of The Two Holy Cities"). This title was used by all subsequent Ottoman Caliph Sultans until Mehmed VI (1861–1926), the last. The first King of Saudi Arabia to assume the title was Faisal bin Abdul Aziz (1906–1975). His successor
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques
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the Ottoman Sultan in 1517 following the Ottoman conquest of Egypt, placing the holy cities of Mecca and Medina under Ottoman Protection until the Arab revolt in 1916 when Sharif Hussayn of Mecca expelled them with the aid of Britain. Also, the Ottomans had conflicts with House of Saud, the first Saudi state which resulted to the Ottoman–Wahhabi war. Many Saudi leaders were executed in Istanbul or killed during the war. Relations between Turkey and Saudi Arabia began in 1932, after the creation of the new Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In October 2014, Saudi Arabia successfully campaigned against a Turkish
Saudi Arabia–Turkey relations
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Empire. In the beginning of the 20th century, during World War I, Medina witnessed one of the longest sieges in history. Medina was a city of the Turkish Ottoman Empire. Local rule was in the hands of the Hashemite clan as Sharifs or Emirs of Mecca. Fakhri Pasha was the Ottoman governor of Medina. Ali bin Hussein, the Sharif of Mecca and leader of the Hashemite clan, revolted against the Caliph in Constantinople (Istanbul) and sided with Great Britain. The city of Medina was besieged by the Sharif's forces, and Fakhri Pasha tenaciously held on during the Siege of Medina
Medina
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of Mecca and Medina, hitherto under Egyptian rule. Rather than style himself the "Ḥākimü'l-Ḥaremeyn", or "The Ruler of The Two Holy Cities", he accepted the more pious title "Ḫādimü'l-Ḥaremeyn", or "The Servant of The Two Holy Cities". The last Abbasid caliph, al-Mutawakkil III, was residing in Cairo as a Mamluk puppet at the time of the Ottoman conquest. He was subsequently sent into exile in Istanbul. In the eighteenth century a story emerged claiming that he had officially transferred his title to the Caliphate to Selim at the time of the conquest. In fact, Selim did not make any claim
Selim I
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way to the Muslim holy cities in the Hejaz. The procurement of supplies, namely water and foodstuffs, and transportation, namely camels, were also the responsibility of the "amir al-hajj", as was securing the funds to finance the pilgrimage. The funds mostly came from province revenues specifically designated for the Hajj. Some funds came from large endowments established by various Mamluk and Ottoman sultans that were mainly meant to ensure the availability of water and supplies in the cities of Mecca and Medina to accommodate incoming pilgrims. The Cairene commander was responsible for the "kiswah", which was the black cloth that
Amir al-hajj
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Hajj pilgrimage to the holy cities of Medina and Mecca travelled through this area along ancient routes. During the Umayyad period (661-750 AD) a route from Syria and Anatolia developed and passed through the settlements of Ma'an and Mudawwara. Mudawwara was thrust into modernity and the twentieth century with the arrival of the telegraph in 1900 connecting this remote outpost with the centre of Ottoman control in Constantinople. Shortly afterwards the Hejaz railway arrived in 1906 connecting it to Damascus, to the north, and Medina, to the south. The modern village of Mudawwara has grown alongside the N5 Highway that
Mudawwara
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in 1281, but frequently flouted convention by styling themselves emperor back in Trebizond thereafter. Ottoman rulers held several titles denoting their Imperial status. These included: Sultan, Khan, Sovereign of the Imperial House of Osman, Sultan of Sultans, Khan of Khans, Commander of the Faithful and Successor of the Prophet of the Lord of the Universe, Protector of the Holy Cities of Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem, Emperor of The Three Cities of Constantinople, Adrianopole and Bursa as well as many other cities and countries. After the Ottoman capture of Constantinople in 1453, the Ottoman sultans began to style themselves Kaysar-i Rum
Emperor
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farming. The village produces olive and various fruits. There is also an olive press which serves to olive producers in Göksu River valley. Evkafçiftliği Evkafçiftliği is a village in Silifke district of Mersin Province, Turkey. It is situated in the Göksu River valley at . The village is to the east of Turkish state highway . Distance to Silifke is and to Mersin is . The population of the village is 156 as of 2011. During the Ottoman Empire era, the village was a vakıf which was dedicated for sustaining holy places in Mecca and Medina (now in Saudi Arabia).
Evkafçiftliği
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Vilayet Law of 1864. The province was divided into sanjaks, kazas and nahiyes. Mecca became the center of the vilayet, with Medina and Jeddah as sanjaks. The administrative structure of the Hejaz was reformed, but some changes enacted in the rest of the Empire were not implemented here. The towns of Mecca and Medina were exempted from paying taxes and in fact, were given subsidies, called "surre", from the Ottoman treasury that was to be distributed to the poor in Mecca and Medina. The Hejaz region first received subvention in the reign of the Abbasid caliph Al-Muqtadir in the tenth
Hejaz Vilayet
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the upkeep of the two holy cities ("al-Haramayn") of Islam, Mecca and Medina, being responsible for their supply as well as for the annual ritual sending of gifts ("sürre") to them. "Vakifs" designated for the upkeep of the Muslim holy places had been established by members of the Ottoman court since early times, and their administration entrusted to special departments already since the late 15th century. Initially under the overall supervision of the Kapi Agha, in 1586 Murad III transferred the responsibility to the Kizlar Agha. This began a long process whereby the Kizlar Agha gradually acquired a sweeping jurisdiction
Kizlar Agha
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with a bacchic theme, which inspired the "saki-names" genre that became popular a century later. Rewani Rewani, (c.1475 - 1524), "Ilyas Shudja Celebi", was an Ottoman poet. Born in Edirne the son of 'Abd Allah, he was employed by Bayezid II as administrator of the "surre"; money for the poor in the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. After being accused of embezzling, he was promptly dismissed. He found service with Prince Selim, Bayezid's son, in Trabzon Province. Yet again, he fell into disfavor through some indiscretion, but was forgiven by Prince Selim. Following Selim's overthrow of Bayezid II, Rewani
Rewani
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Orthodox church, and dedicated to Mary as Panagia Hodegetria. In 1573, a few years after the Ottoman conquest of Cyprus, the building was given by the Ottoman authorities to the foundation of "Haramayn" (that of the two holy cities of Islam, Mecca and Medina) to be used as a bedesten (a covered textile market). It was later used as a market for food, and by the 1760s it was a food trading center for Turkish, Greek and Armenian merchants alike. By 1873, it had been converted into a flour depot with limited sale of flour, which was brought from Kythrea,
Bedesten, Nicosia
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Anatolia, such as in Erzurum, Shahrizor, and Van. Kars was declared neutral, and its existing fortress was destroyed. The Ottomans, further, guaranteed access for Persian pilgrims to go to the Muslim holy cities of Mecca and Medina as well as to the Shia holy sites of pilgrimages in Iraq. The decisive parting of the Caucasus and the irrevocable ceding of Mesopotamia to Ottoman Turkey happened per the next major peace treaty known as the Treaty of Zuhab in 1639 CE/AD. Another term of the treaty was that the Safavids were required to end the ritual cursing of the first three
Peace of Amasya
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Evkafçiftliği Evkafçiftliği is a village in Silifke district of Mersin Province, Turkey. It is situated in the Göksu River valley at . The village is to the east of Turkish state highway . Distance to Silifke is and to Mersin is . The population of the village is 156 as of 2011. During the Ottoman Empire era, the village was a vakıf which was dedicated for sustaining holy places in Mecca and Medina (now in Saudi Arabia). Although it is no longer a vakıf, it still keeps its former name ( "Evkafçitliği" means " vakıf farm"). Main econoımic activity is
Evkafçiftliği
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Ali of Egypt. In 1802 12,000 Wahhabis sacked Karbala in Iraq killing up to 5,000 people and plundering the Imam Husayn Shrine. By 1805, the Wahhabis controlled Mecca and Medina. The Wahhabis also attacked Ottoman trade caravans which interrupted the Ottoman finances. The Saudi amir denounced the Ottoman sultan and called into question the validity of his claim to be caliph and guardian of the sanctuaries of the Hejaz and the Ottoman Empire, suspicious of the ambitious Muhammad Ali, instructed him to fight the Wahhabis, as the defeat of either would be beneficial to them. Tensions between Muhammad Ali and
Wahhabi War
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Hejaz railway The Hejaz (or Hedjaz or Hijaz) railway () was a narrow-gauge railway ( track gauge) that ran from Damascus to Medina, through the Hejaz region of Saudi Arabia, with a branch line to Haifa on the Mediterranean Sea. It was a part of the Ottoman railway network and the original goal was to extend the line from the Haydarpaşa Terminal in Kadikoy beyond Damascus to the holy city of Mecca. However, construction was interrupted due to the outbreak of World War I, and it reached no further than Medina, short of Mecca. The completed Damascus to Medina section
Hejaz railway
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Alid Sharif of Mecca, Abu'l-Futuh al-Hasan ibn Ja'far, in July 1012. Abu'l-Qasim himself journeyed to Mecca, where he persuaded Abu'l-Futuh to accept the role. The latter, assuming the title of "al-Rashid bi'llah" ("Righteous with God"), succeeded in winning the recognition of the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, and went to Ramlah. On his arrival there in September, he was greeted with jubilation by the Bedouin, and the local preacher read the Friday prayer in his name. Mufarrij also tried to win support among the Christians, and possibly curry the favour of the Byzantine Empire as well, by sponsoring works
Mufarrij ibn Daghfal ibn al-Jarrah
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secular titles to his eldest son, Ali bin Hussein, who was to become the last Grand Sharif. At the end of 1925, Ibn Saud conquered the Hejaz and expelled the Hashemites. The House of Saud has ruled the holy cities and the Hajj since that time.<ref name="Ibn Saud reign of Hejaz – http://www.saudinf.com"></ref> Sharif of Mecca The Sharif of Mecca (, "Sharīf Makkah") or Hejaz (, "Sharīf al-Ḥijāz") was the title of the leader of the Sharifate of Mecca, traditional steward of the holy cities of Mecca and Medina and the surrounding Hejaz. The term "sharif" means "noble" in Arabic
Sharif of Mecca
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their nighttime devotions. A translation of Al-Jaziri's manuscript traces the spread of coffee from "Arabia Felix" (the present day Yemen) northward to Mecca and Medina, and then to the larger cities of Cairo, Damascus, Baghdad, and Constantinople. By 1414, the beverage was known in Mecca, and in the early 1500s was spreading to the Mameluke Sultanate of Egypt and North Africa from the Yemeni port of Mocha. Associated with Sufism, a myriad of coffee houses grew up in Cairo (Egypt) around the religious University of the Azhar. These coffee houses also opened in Syria, especially in the cosmopolitan city of
History of coffee
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kilometer elevated metro transports pilgrims to holy sites Mount Arafat, Muzdalifah and Mina in the city during hajj reducing the congestion on the roads. Mecca Metro, officially known as Makkah Mass Rail Transit, is a planned four-line metro system for the city. This will be in addition to the Al Mashaaer Al Mugaddassah Metro which carries pilgrims during Hajj. A high speed inter-city rail line (Haramain High Speed Rail Project also known as the "Western Railway"), is under construction in Saudi Arabia. It will link along 444 kilometres (276 mi), the Muslim holy cities of Medina and Mecca via King
Mecca
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Sharif of Mecca The Sharif of Mecca (, "Sharīf Makkah") or Hejaz (, "Sharīf al-Ḥijāz") was the title of the leader of the Sharifate of Mecca, traditional steward of the holy cities of Mecca and Medina and the surrounding Hejaz. The term "sharif" means "noble" in Arabic and is used to describe the descendants of Prophet Muhammad's grandson al-Hassan ibn Ali. The Sharif was charged with protecting the cities and their environs and ensuring the safety of pilgrims performing the Hajj. The title is sometimes spelled Sheriff or Sherif, with the latter variant used, for example, by T. E. Lawrence
Sharif of Mecca
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as Alexandria. It's camel caravans reached the Muslim holy cities of Mecca and Medina. Until the beginning of the 1900s and the French conquest of this area, the Kanem-Bornu Empire was the major power in the heart of north central Africa. At the end of the twelfth century, the Kanembu moved into what is today Kanem Prefecture. They gradually became sedentary and established a capital at Njimi; at the same time, they continued to expand militarily establishing the Kanem Empire. The peak of this early kingdom came with the rule of Mai (King) Dunama Dabbalemi of the Sayfawa dynasty, who
Kanembu people
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it is called "Ṭūr Sīnā’", "Ṭūr Sīnīn", and "aṭ-Ṭūr" and "al-Jabal" (both meaning "the Mount"). As for the adjacent "Wād Ṭuwā" (Valley of Tuwa), it is considered as being "muqaddas" (sacred), and a part of it is called "Al-Buq‘ah Al-Mubārakah" ("The Blessed Place"). Holiest sites in Islam There are sites, which are mentioned or referred to in the Quran, that are considered holy to Islam. Mecca and Medina are the two holiest cities in Islam, unanimous among all sects. In the Islamic tradition, the Kaaba in Mecca is considered the holiest site, followed by the Prophet's Mosque in Medina. It
Holiest sites in Islam
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Holiest sites in Islam There are sites, which are mentioned or referred to in the Quran, that are considered holy to Islam. Mecca and Medina are the two holiest cities in Islam, unanimous among all sects. In the Islamic tradition, the Kaaba in Mecca is considered the holiest site, followed by the Prophet's Mosque in Medina. It was first captured in the time of Kaliph Umer by the king Slahuddin Additionally many Muslims see Al-Aqsa Mosque in the Old City of Jerusalem as the third Holiest in Islam. Many different sites have been labelled as fourth Holiest, including Umayyad Mosque
Holiest sites in Islam
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cities of Mecca and Medina, and on volunteers fighting in the holy war against the Byzantine Empire. Under Caliph al-Mutawakkil (r. 847–861), a bureau of servants and pages ("dīwān al-mawālī wa ’l-ghilmān"), possibly an evolution of the "dīwān al-aḥshām", existed for the huge number of slaves and other attendants of the palace. In addition, the "dīwān al-khātam", now also known as the "dīwān al-sirr" (bureau of confidential affairs) grew in importance. Miskawayh also mentions the existence of a " dīwān al-ḥaram", which supervised the women's quarters of the palace. As the Abbasid Caliphate began to fragment in the 9th century,
Divan
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from the 7th century, Mecca and Medina became the pilgrimage destinations for large numbers of Muslims from across the Islamic world. Despite its spiritual importance, in political terms Arabia soon became a peripheral region of the Islamic world, in which the most important medieval Islamic states were based at various times in such far away cities as Damascus, Baghdad, and Cairo. However, from the 10th century (and, in fact, until the 20th century) the Hashemite Sharifs of Mecca maintained a state in the most developed part of the region, the Hejaz. Their domain originally comprised only the holy cities of
Arabian Peninsula
6988843
Alpha1Estates Alpha1Estates is a global Islamic real estate consultancy founded in 2004 with its headquarters in Marble Arch in London, United Kingdom. It also has its regional Middle East office in Nile City Towers in Cairo, Egypt. Alpha1Estates was the first company in the world to market properties in both of the main Islamic holy cities of Mecca and Medina. Launched on 1 January 2006 and 1 Dhu al-Hijjah of the Islamic hijra calendar, the company's main developments are ZamZam Tower in Mecca and Taiba Eastern Tower in Medina. On 1 January 2007, it launched the Ihsan al-Haramain Consultancy Programme,
Alpha1Estates
1544617
by laws on par with international standards". People of Hejaz, who feel particularly connected to the holy places of Mecca and Medina, have probably the most strongly articulated identity of any regional grouping in Saudi Arabia. The people of Hejaz have never fully accommodated to Saudi rule and their Wahhabi religion. They continue to be Sunni of Maliki rite with a Shia minority in the cities of Medina, Mecca and Jeddah. Many consider themselves more cosmopolitan because Hejaz was for centuries a part of the great empires of Islam from the Umayyads to the Ottomans. Hejaz The Hejaz (; ),
Hejaz
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the temple.The legend further goes that the Arab visitors argued with the then temple priest, Amara Singh Gurjar, on the superiority of their faith.They opined that Mecca and Medina were the holiest places on the earth.It is said that Amara Singh Gurjar offered them to take to the two holy cities within the temple premises.The Arab visitors challenged the priest for the same. What followed, according to legend, was a divine revelation of Mecca and Medina in the temple complex. The Arabs were said to have offered prayers right there. The panel showing the six Arab men said to be
Shyam Kaka Temple
2207516
nexus, ensuring its prosperity. The revenues of the provinces kept the treasury full, allowing the Caliph to launch huge expeditions against the Byzantine Empire and engage in vigorous diplomacy, his envoys arriving even at the distant court of Charlemagne. This wealth also allowed considerable patronage: charitable endowments to the Muslim holy cities of Mecca and Medina and the welcoming of religious scholars and ascetics secured the benevolence of the religious classes towards the dynasty, while the funds lavished on poets guaranteed its lasting fame; the splendour of the caliphal court provided the inspiration for some of the earliest stories of
Al-Mu'tasim
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Destruction of early Islamic heritage sites in Saudi Arabia The destruction of sites associated with early Islam is an ongoing phenomenon that has occurred mainly in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia, particularly around the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. The demolition has focused on mosques, burial sites, homes and historical locations associated with the Islamic prophet Muhammad and many of the founding personalities of early Islamic history. In Saudi Arabia, many of the demolitions have officially been part of the continued expansion of the Masjid al-Haram at Mecca and the Prophet's Mosque in Medina and their auxiliary
Destruction of early Islamic heritage sites in Saudi Arabia
13072551
restaurants, mosques, car parking, a helipad and VIP lounges. Stations were designed by Buro Happold and Foster + Partners. Haramain high-speed railway The Haramain high-speed railway, also known as the Western railway or Mecca–Medina high-speed railway, is a high-speed inter-city rail transport system in Saudi Arabia. It links the Muslim holy cities of Medina and Mecca via King Abdullah Economic City, using of main line and a branch connection to King Abdulaziz International Airport (KAIA), in Jeddah. The rail line aims to provide a safe and comfortable transport in electric trains. Construction on the project began in March 2009, and
Haramain high-speed railway
13072543
Haramain high-speed railway The Haramain high-speed railway, also known as the Western railway or Mecca–Medina high-speed railway, is a high-speed inter-city rail transport system in Saudi Arabia. It links the Muslim holy cities of Medina and Mecca via King Abdullah Economic City, using of main line and a branch connection to King Abdulaziz International Airport (KAIA), in Jeddah. The rail line aims to provide a safe and comfortable transport in electric trains. Construction on the project began in March 2009, and was officially inaugurated on 25 September 2018. The line was opened to the public on 11 October 2018 with
Haramain high-speed railway
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in 690, he met with failure. Only after the northern tribes had finally capitulated in 691 did success start. He defeated the weakened army of Mus'ab by bribing many of his soldiers to switch sides and kill their leader. He then turned his attention to the caliph, al-Zubayr. It should be noted that al-Zubayr controlled a large majority of the empire outside Umayyad core in Syria and Egypt, and more importantly, controlled Mecca and Medina. Ibn-al Zubayr was a living sahabah of Muhammad who stood opposed to Umayyad rule. Hajjaj besieged Mecca in 692 with almost 12,000 Syrian troops. He
Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan
17028377
In the Islamic holy cities of Mecca and Medina, neither Yazid nor his son were recognized as legitimate caliphs and Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr, based in Mecca, was recognized instead. Ibn al-Zubayr’s sovereignty soon extended to most of the caliphate’s provinces and he appointed his brother Mus'ab ibn al-Zubayr as governor in Iraq. Meanwhile, the Arab tribes of central and southern Syria which remained loyal to the Umayyads, in cooperation with the expelled Umayyad governor of Iraq Ubayd Allah ibn Ziyad, chose Marwan I as caliph. The latter came from a different branch of the Umayyad family that had been
Battle of Maskin
2265267
of Guy encouraging Raynald of Châtillon to attack Muslim pilgrimage convoys on their way to Mecca to provoke a war with Saladin is false. Guy was a weak, indecisive king who wanted to avoid a war with Saladin and who was simply unable to control the reckless Raynald. Saladin's abortive march on Kerak followed Raynald's raid on the Red Sea, which shocked the Muslim world by its proximity to the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. Guy and Raynald also harassed Muslim caravans and herders, and the claim that Raynald captured Saladin's sister is based on the account given in
Kingdom of Heaven (film)
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two holy cities of Mecca and Medina. The first Arab Ahmadi from the region, according to Ahmadiyya historical records, was Sheikh Muhammad bin Ahmad al-Makki, a resident of Shi'b 'Amir in the city of Mecca. Upon visiting India in 1891 and hearing of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad and his claim, he initially wrote an invective letter to him but upon meeting with him at Ludhiana, pledged his allegiance to Ghulam Ahmad and joined the Ahmadiyya movement. He remained for some time at Qadian before returning to Mecca in 1893 and maintained correspondence with Ghulam Ahmad requesting him to send some literature
Ahmadiyya in Saudi Arabia
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unopposed, but he was soon defeated by Marwan II. In 750, Mecca, along with the rest of the caliphate, was passed to the Abbasids. From the 10th century (and, in fact, until the 20th century) the Hashemite Sharifs of Mecca maintained a state in the most developed part of the region, the Hejaz. Their domain originally comprised only the holy cities of Mecca and Medina but in the 13th century it was extended to include the rest of the Hejaz. Although the Sharifs exercised at most times independent authority in the Hejaz, they were usually subject to the suzerainty of
History of Saudi Arabia
16689802
Napoleon invaded Egypt, the Ottomans were far too busy fighting him to be able to help the Jabrids. The Saudis annexed the Western Coast of Arabia, the Hejaz containing the Holy Cities of Mecca and Medina. The Saudis executed the Muftis of the holy cities, as they were considered heretical to the doctrine of Ibn Abdul Wahhab. The Emirate of Diriyah, now encompassing most of Arabia, was short lived. After Napoleon was defeated at the Battle of the Nile he abandoned his army and escaped to France. The Egyptian province or Eyalet was now much stronger under the command of
Al-Khaldi
1186843
18 and 6.2% of those age 65 or over. Medina was founded on November 30, 1818 as part of the Connecticut Western Reserve. It was originally named Mecca, but an unincorporated community in Ohio already had that name, so the name was changed. Both Mecca and Medina are cities in Saudi Arabia and particularly significant to Islam. Most early residents were farmers. In the 1830s, growth of the community was aided by the completion of the Ohio and Erie Canal, which helped transport agricultural products to markets. On January 31, 1835, Medina was incorporated as a village and as the
Medina, Ohio
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Medina Medina (; , ', "the radiant city"; or , ' (), "the city"), also transliterated as Madīnah, is a city in the Hejaz region of the Arabian Peninsula and administrative headquarters of the Al-Madinah Region of Saudi Arabia. At the city's heart is al-Masjid an-Nabawi ('The Prophet's Mosque'), which is the burial place of the Islamic prophet, Muhammad, and it is the second-holiest city in Islam after Mecca. Medina was Muhammad's destination of his Hijrah (migration) from Mecca, and became the capital of a rapidly increasing Muslim Empire, under Muhammad's leadership. It served as the power base of Islam
Medina
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brother of the eighth imam 'Ali ibn Musa al-Rida (d. 818), who was briefly the designated heir of the Abbasid caliph al-Ma'mun (r. 813–833). Ibrahim became active as a rebel following the damaging civil war of 811–813 between the rival caliphs al-Amin and al-Ma'mun, which had greatly weakened the ability of the Abbasid government to maintain its authority in Baghdad and the provinces of the empire. While in Mecca in 815, he was appointed by Abu al-Saraya al-Sari ibn Mansur, who had launched a pro-Alid revolt in southern Iraq and seized the cities of al-Kufah, al-Basrah, Mecca, and Medina, to
Ibrahim ibn Musa al-Kazim
14476894
pull out his 20,000 troops from Yemen, Faisal would stop sending arms to Yemen royalists, and three neutral Arab states would send in observers. Though far smaller in population than Egypt, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia had oil wealth and prestige as the land of Mecca and Medina, the two holy cities of Islam. To use Islam as a counterweight to Nasser's Arab socialism, Saudi Arabia sponsored an international Islamic conference in Mecca in 1962. It created the Muslim World League, dedicated to spreading Islam and fostering Islamic solidarity. The League was "extremely effective" in promoting Islam, particularly conservative Wahhabi
Arab Cold War
1544634
with those sanctioned by Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab. In 1926, after a caravan of Egyptians on the way to Mecca were beaten by his forces for playing bugles, he was impelled to issue a conciliatory statement to the Egyptian government. In fact, several such statements were issued to Muslim governments around the world as a result of beatings suffered by the pilgrims visiting the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. With the uprising and subsequent decimation thereafter of the Ikhwan in 1929 via British air power, the 1930s marked a turning point. With his rivals eliminated, Ibn Saud's ideology was
Ibn Saud
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the name of Nur al-Din Tihrani, a gnositc and ascetic of Allah. Amuli spent a little less than a month in his company before going on to wear the symbolic Sufi cloak or khirqa. Eventually, Haydar Amuli went on to embark on a pilgrimage or Hajj, going on to visit various Shi'ite shrines and also traveling to Jerusalem as well as the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. Unfortunately, due to ill health, Amuli had to leave Medina . It is documented that he spent the rest of his life in Iraq. For several years he studied in Baghdad amongst
Haydar Amuli
200434
Cairo and took a second side trip, this time to Mamluk-controlled Damascus. During his first trip he had encountered a holy man who prophesied that he would only reach Mecca by travelling through Syria. The diversion held an added advantage; because of the holy places that lay along the way, including Hebron, Jerusalem, and Bethlehem, the Mamluk authorities spared no efforts in keeping the route safe for pilgrims. Without this help many travellers would be robbed and murdered. After spending the Muslim month of Ramadan in Damascus, he joined a caravan travelling the south to Medina, site of the Mosque
Ibn Battuta
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"e. g.": the "Masjid al-Haram", the Sacred Mosque in Mecca, constituting the immediate precincts of the Ka'aba; "al-Haramain" or "the (two) Sanctuaries", a reference to the twin holy cities of Mecca and Medina; and the "Haram ash-Sharif" or Noble Sanctuary, the precincts of the Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. The Hebrew word קֹדֶשׁ, transliterated as "qodesh", has been used in the Torah to mean set-apartness and separateness as well as holiness and sacredness. The Torah describes the Aaronite priests and the Levites as being selected by God to perform the Temple services; they, as well, are
Sacred
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of the Congress. Its cofounder and Secretary-General for over four decades was Inamullah Khan. Although formally founded in 1949, the Congress traces its roots to a Congress hosted in Mecca in 1926 hosted by Ibn Saud of Saudi Arabia shortly after his occupation of Mecca and Medina; he "hoped [it] would confer Islamic sanction upon his administration of the holy cities, instead [it] leveled many criticisms, and he did not reconvene it." Mohammad Amin al-Husayni had also been a leading figure at this Congress. World Muslim Congress The World Muslim Congress ("Motamar al-Alam al-Islami") (Arabic: مؤتمر العالم الإسلامي) is an
World Muslim Congress
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the discovery of vast oil deposits propelled it into a key economic and geo-political role. At other times, the region existed in relative obscurity and isolation, although from the 7th century the cities of Mecca and Medina had the highest spiritual significance for the Islamic world, Mecca being the destination for the Hajj annual pilgrimage. For much of its history most of the Arabian Peninsula has been controlled by a patchwork of tribal rulers. The mountains, valleys and Red Sea beaches with turquoise water are known for some of the world's finest diving and attract some, but comparatively few, tourists.
Tourism in the Arab world
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Baghdad. Muhammad then retired to private life in the Egyptian capital, Fustat. The family had already amassed an enormous fortune through its control of the province's finances, but Muhammad went on to increase it further. At the same time, he publicly expressed his religious piety, by going to the annual "hajj" to Mecca every year between 913 and 934, and distributing lavish presents to the holy cities of Mecca and Medina and their inhabitants. He was re-appointed to the direction of Egyptian finances in 930, under the governorship of his friend Takin al-Khazari, but lost it again after Takin's death
Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Ali al-Madhara'i
18084830
ruler over Yemen and an explorer who travelled frequently. He was a Sayyid and a descendant of Ali and Fatimah through Ali al-Hadi. The father of the Sayyid was Abu Ahmad Muhammad Shuja. Sayyid Muhammad Shuja once left his native Mashhad with the intention of pilgrimage to the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. On the way Sayyid Muhammad Shuja passed through Baghdad where he met Abu Hafs Umar al-Suhrawardi, after spending some time in his presence, Suhrawardi gave his daughter in marriage to Sayyid Muhammad Shuja. Proceeding to Mecca along with his wife, he found that his wife was
Muhammad Al-Makki
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aftermath of the caliph's flight, al-Muwaffaq ordered that Ibn Tulun be publicly cursed in mosques throughout the empire and "de jure" dismissed him from his governorships, while Ibn Tulun similarly had al-Muwaffaq publicly cursed, declared him deposed from his position as al-Mu'tamid's second heir and proclaimed a "holy war" against him. As Ibn Tulun's relations with the Abbasid government deteriorated, he began to turn his attention to the city of Mecca in western Arabia. As one of the Holy Cities of Islam, Mecca carried with it a significant amount of symbolic prestige, and leadership of the annual hajj or pilgrimage
Battle of Mecca (883)
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providing clients with a bespoke service to select property in the cities for residential, commercial and investment purposes. The company also claims that land prices in these areas are also the most expensive in the world. Alpha1Estates Alpha1Estates is a global Islamic real estate consultancy founded in 2004 with its headquarters in Marble Arch in London, United Kingdom. It also has its regional Middle East office in Nile City Towers in Cairo, Egypt. Alpha1Estates was the first company in the world to market properties in both of the main Islamic holy cities of Mecca and Medina. Launched on 1 January
Alpha1Estates
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other forms of Islam. In 1801 or 1802, the Saudi Wahhabists under Abdul Aziz ibn Muhammad ibn Saud attacked and captured the holy Shia cities of Karbala and Najaf in Iraq, massacred the Shiites and destroyed the tombs of the Shiite Imam Husayn and Ali bin Abu Talib. In 1802 they overtook Taif. In 1803 and 1804 the Wahhabis overtook Mecca and Medina. The Fula or Fulani jihads, were a series of independent but loosely connected events across West Africa between the late 17th century and European colonization, in which Muslim Fulas took control of various parts of the region.
Islam and war
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and the holy cities of Mecca and Medina in the Arabian Peninsula. After the securalization of Turkey, Turkish Kurdistan had become the only remaining place where traditional Islamic institutions were preserved in the country, and many Turkish Muslim scholars went to Kurdistan in order to obtain the Islamic education. Sunni Islam among Kurds is characterized by the strong overtone of mysticism and its ulama's affiliation with tariqas. Tariqas in Kurdish society constitutes of hierarchical system, in which the leaders (sheikh) deploy their influence onto the localities through their deputies ("khalifa"), who mediate between sheikhs and common people. Today, Naqshbandiya and
Religion in Kurdistan
463707
the last Mamluk Sultan in Cairo. It was not until 1538 that the Ottomans decided to conquer Yemen. The Zaydi Highland tribes emerged as national heroes by offering a stiff, vigorous resistance to the Turkish occupation. The Ottomans had two fundamental interests to safeguard in Yemen: The Islamic holy cities of Mecca and Medina and the trade route with India in spices and textiles, both of which were threatened and the latter virtually eclipsed by the arrival of the Portuguese in the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea in the early part of the 16th century. Hadım Suleiman Pasha, the
History of Yemen
19062169
APC party in 2012. Yansaneh is a senior member of the APC party, and a member of the APC Advisory Council, which is made up of the most senior members of the APC. Yansaneh is a native of Kamakwie, Bombali District in northern Sierra Leone. Osman Foday Yansaneh was born in Kamakwie, Sella Limba chiefdom, Bombali District in the Northern Province of Sierra Leone. Yansaneh was born to very religious Muslim parents; and Yansaneh himself is a devote Muslim. Yansaneh has made the Hajj pilgrimage to the holy Islamic cities of Mecca and Medina. Yansaneh attended the Wesleyan Secondary School
Osman Foday Yansaneh
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workers — mostly from Somalia, Ethiopia, and Yemen — have been detained and deported since 2013. Saudi Arabia has centuries-old attitudes and traditions, often derived from Arab civilization. This culture has been heavily influenced by the austerely puritanical Wahhabi form of Islam, which arose in the eighteenth century and now predominates in the country. Wahhabi Islam has been called "the predominant feature of Saudi culture." The Hejazi region, where the Islamic holy cities of Mecca and Medina are located, is the destination of the Ḥajj pilgrimage, and often deemed to be the cradle of Islam. Islam is the state religion
Saudi Arabia
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the conclusion of the proceedings, the recommendations are sent to the caliph for approval which he may accept, reject or partially accept. The principal headquarters of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is the city, town or place where the caliph resides. As such, since the forced exile of the fourth caliph from Pakistan in 1984, the official headquarters of the Community has been based in London, England. Although the Islamic holy cities of Mecca and Medina are acknowledged to be more sacred, Qadian is considered to be the spiritual headquarters of the Community. It is believed, and prophesied, that in the
Ahmadiyya
8410081
Jeddah Islamic Port Jeddah Islamic Port is located in the middle of an international shipping route between east and west. It is the largest and busiest port in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The port lies on the Red Sea coast at latitude 21° 28' north and longitude 39° 10' east. It is the Saudi's principal port serving the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. The port serves the commercial centers through which 59% of the Saudi's imports by sea are being handled. The importance of Jeddah Port increased and reached its maximum limit when Saudi Arabia
Jeddah Islamic Port
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violating the law are handed harsh punishments. Drug trafficking is always punished by death. Under Saudi law conversion by a Muslim to another religion is considered apostasy, a crime punishable by death. In March 2014, the Saudi interior ministry issued a royal decree branding all atheists as terrorists, which defines terrorism as "calling for atheist thought in any form, or calling into question the fundamentals of the Islamic religion on which this country is based." Non-Muslims are also strictly banned from the Holy Cities of Mecca and Medina. On highways, religious police officers may divert them or hand out a
Freedom of religion in Saudi Arabia
8410085
approximately 1.74 kilometers from the coast, a half submerged wreck can be viewed on Google Earth. Jeddah Port Official Website Jeddah Islamic Port Jeddah Islamic Port is located in the middle of an international shipping route between east and west. It is the largest and busiest port in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The port lies on the Red Sea coast at latitude 21° 28' north and longitude 39° 10' east. It is the Saudi's principal port serving the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. The port serves the commercial centers through which 59% of the Saudi's
Jeddah Islamic Port
6243005
as per Shia tradition. The film world premier was on 27 August 2015. There are some new films currently being produced about Muhammad, considered the "second of their kind" (referring to Western films respecting the portrayal of Muhammad). In October 2008, Producer Oscar Zoghbi, who worked on the original "The Message", stated that he would shooting a remake called "The Messenger of Peace", to be shot around the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. Film producer Barrie M. Osborne has been hired as an adviser on a possible series of epics about Muhammad. The films, which are financed by a
Muhammad in film
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Futūḥ al-Ḥaramayn" ("Revelations of the Two Holy Sanctuaries"), written in Persian, is dedicated to Muzaffar al-Din ibn Mahmud Shah, who ruled Gujarat from 1511 to 1526. It is a guidebook for the Haj pilgrimage. The manuscript comprises 45 leaves with writing in two columns of "naskh" script and eighteen illuminated (but stylised, rather than accurate) illustrations, including holy sites in Medina, scenes between Medina and Mecca, and the various stages of the Hajj in Mecca. The illuminations are with ink, opaque watercolour and gold on paper. It contains a detailed depictions of the Kaaba, indicating the areas assigned for the
Muhi Al-Din Lari
2073431
Islam's second most important figure, this Mosque is considered by all Shi'ites as the third holiest Islamic site. The Boston Globe reports "for the Muslim Shias, Najaf is the "third holiest city", behind Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia." It is estimated that only Karbala, Mecca and Medina receive more Muslim pilgrims. According to Shias a hadith mentions the site as one of "five definitive holy places that we respect very much". Also buried within this mosque are Adam and Noah. The site is visited annually by at least 8 million pilgrims on average, which is estimated to increase to
Imam Ali Mosque
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Ahmadi Muslims there are in the country. The two holiest cities of Islam, Mecca and Medina, are in Saudi Arabia. For many reasons, non-Muslims are not permitted to enter the holy cities although some Western non-Muslims have been able to enter, disguised as Muslims. The large number of foreign workers living in Saudi Arabia (8 million expatriates out of a total population of 27 million) includes non-Muslims. For non-Sunni Muslims, non-Muslims, and non-religious, "freedom of religion is neither recognized nor protected under the law" and Saudi "government policies continued to place severe restrictions on religious freedom", according to the 2013
Religion in Saudi Arabia
16815410
Arabia has been criticized for its implementation of Islamic law and its poor human rights record. The official form of Islam is Sunni of the Hanbali school, in its Salafi version. According to official statistics, 85-90% of Saudi citizens are Sunni Muslims, 10-15% are Shia. (More than 30% of the population is made up of foreign workers who are predominantly but not entirely Muslim.) It is unknown how many Ahmadi there are in the country. The two holiest cities of Islam, Mecca and Medina, are in Saudi Arabia. For many reasons, non-Muslims are not permitted to enter the holy cities
Saudis
7815500
sponsored the Armenian Church, which became a serious rival to the Coptic Church and established its own, separate hierarchy. By the end of the century, the Armenian community in Egypt numbered almost 100,000 people, and was represented among the highest civil and military offices of Fatimid Egypt. In 1075, the two holy cities, Mecca and Medina, who had for a time recognized the Abbasid caliphs, reverted to Fatimid suzerainty. In the same year, dissensions arose between Atsiz and his brothers. One of them, Mankli, made contact with Badr, and even restored the name of al-Mustansir in the Friday prayer in
Badr al-Jamali
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Siege of Mecca (683) The Siege of Mecca in September–November 683 was one of the early battles of the Second Islamic Civil War. The city of Mecca served as a sanctuary for Abdallah ibn al-Zubayr, who was among the most prominent challengers to the dynastic succession to the Caliphate by the Umayyad Yazid I. After nearby Medina, the other holy city of Islam, also rebelled against Yazid, the Umayyad ruler sent an army to subdue Arabia. The Umayyad army defeated the Medinans and took the city, but Mecca held out in a month-long siege, during which the Kaaba was damaged
Siege of Mecca (683)
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regime, recognized the Yemen Arab Republic and other nations like the United Kingdom swiftly followed suit. Stunned by Saudi Arabia's recognition of the republican regime which had been negotiated without any consultation with him whatsoever, al-Badr refused to stay any longer in Saudi Arabia and demanded that he be permitted to leave the kingdom immediately. He went to England, where he lived quietly in a modest house in Kent, only going abroad to visit the holy cities of Mecca and Medina and to call on relatives and friends in that part of the world. He died in 1996 in London,
Muhammad al-Badr
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development of upscale hotels and condominium towers, restaurants, shopping centres and spas has caused some to criticize the over-commercialization of a site which many consider to be a divinely ordained sanctuary for Muslims. The rapid influx of capitalist investment in Mecca and Medina leads many to believe that money and economic growth are the ultimate reason for Saudi authorities. Critics argue that this monetary focus works with Wahhabi state policy that imposes a massive cultural and social deletion within the Holy Cities, erasing any elements that encourage practices counter to the Wahhabi creed. According to "The Independent", the House of
Destruction of early Islamic heritage sites in Saudi Arabia
18879127
holy cities of Mecca and Medina in the Hejaz (modern-day Saudi Arabia). According to historian Thomas Philipp, "the office of "amir al-hajj" was an extremely important one", which brought with it great political influence and religious prestige. Given the significance of the Hajj pilgrimage in Islam, the protection of the caravan and its pilgrims was a priority for the Muslim rulers responsible. Any mishandling of the caravan or harm done to the pilgrims by Bedouin raiders would often be made known throughout the Muslim world by returning pilgrims. The leader of the Muslim world, or the ruler aspiring to this
Amir al-hajj
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in Raqqa, while the caliph tried to get al-Ikhshid to march against Tuzun, which the latter refused. The meeting was not entirely fruitless, as al-Ikhshid secured an agreement that virtually repeated the terms of a similar treaty between the Tulunid Khumarawayh and Caliph al-Mu'tamid in 886. The caliph recognized the authority of al-Ikhshid over Egypt, Syria (with the "thughur"), and the Hejaz (carrying with it the prestigious guardianship of the two holy cities of Mecca and Medina), for a period of thirty years, with the right of hereditary succession for al-Ikhshid's sons. This development had already been anticipated by al-Ikhshid
Muhammad ibn Tughj al-Ikhshid
19554204
"amir al-ʿarab" and the Syrian Bedouin tribes was the defense of the sultanate's boundaries, and maintenance and oversight of the roads, bridges and mountain passes of the desert and within their "iqtaʿat". This also entailed the protection of merchant travelers and the annual Hajj pilgrim caravan, which traversed Bedouin territory to reach the Muslim holy cities of Mecca and Medina in the Hejaz. Tribesmen also served as desert guides for the army and state officials. The "amir al-ʿarab" was further responsible for collecting "zakat" (dues) on the livestock of the Bedouin tribes. During Sultan Baybar's reign (1260–1277), a "barid" (postal
Amir al-ʿarab
1720441
al-Zandjili, conquered the greater part of Hadramaut in 1180, upon Turan-Shah's return to Yemen. From Yemen, as from Egypt, the Ayyubids aimed to dominate the Red Sea trade routes which Egypt depended on and so sought to tighten their grip over the Hejaz, where an important trade stop, Yanbu, was located. To favor trade in the direction of the Red Sea, the Ayyubids built facilities along the Red Sea-Indian Ocean trade routes to accompany merchants. The Ayyubids also aspired to back their claims of legitimacy within the Caliphate by having sovereignty over the Islamic holy cities of Mecca and Medina.
Ayyubid dynasty