Pilgrimages to Religious Shrines

Buddhism and Islam are the universalizing religions that place the most emphasis on identifying shrines. Places are holy because they are the locations of important events in the life of Buddha or Muhammad. Making a pilgrimage to these holy places—a journey for religious purposes to a place considered sacred—is incorporated into the rituals of some religions.

Holy Places in Islam

The holiest locations in Islam are in cities associated with the life of Muhammad. The holiest city for Muslims is Makkah (Mecca), the birthplace of Muhammad. The word mecca now has a general meaning in the English language as a goal sought or a center of activity.

Now a city of 1.7 million inhabitants, Makkah contains the holiest object in the Islamic landscape, namely al-Ka’ba, a cube-like structure encased in silk, which stands at the center of the Great Mosque, Masjid al-Haram, Islam’s largest mosque (Figure 6-47). The Ka’ba, thought by Muslims to have been built by Abraham and Ishmael, contains a black stone that Muslims believe was given to Abraham by Gabriel as a sign of a covenant with Ishmael and the Muslim people.

Masjid Al Haram Makkah, Saudi Arabia

Muslims who undertook a hajj surround al-Ka’ba.

The Ka’ba had been a religious shrine in Makkah for centuries before the origin of Islam. After Muhammad defeated the local people, he captured the Ka’ba, cleared it of idols, and rededicated it to the all-powerful Allah (God). According to Islamic tradition, the Masjid al-Haram mosque also contains the well of Zamzam, considered to have the same source as the water given to Hagar by the angel Gabriel to quench the thirst of her infant, Ishmael.

The second-most-holy geographic location in Islam is Madinah (Medina), a city of 1.3 million inhabitants, 350 kilometers (220 miles) north of Makkah. Muhammad received his first support from the people of Madinah and became the city’s chief administrator. Muhammad’s tomb is at Madinah, inside Islam’s second-largest mosque.

Muslims are especially encouraged to make pilgrimages to visit holy places in accordance with recommended itineraries. Every healthy Muslim who has adequate financial resources is expected to undertake a pilgrimage, called a hajj, to Makkah (Mecca). Regardless of nationality and economic background, most pilgrims dress alike, in plain white robes, to emphasize common loyalty to Islam and the equality of people in the eyes of Allah. A precise set of rituals is practiced, culminating in a visit to the Ka’ba. The hajj attracts millions of Muslims annually to Makkah. Hajj visas are issued by the government of Saudi Arabia according to a formula of 1 per 1,000 Muslims in a country. Roughly 80 percent come from Southwest Asia & North Africa and 20 percent from elsewhere in Asia. Although Indonesia is the country with the most Muslims, it has not sent the largest number of pilgrims to Makkah because of the relatively long travel distance.