Mecca at the Time of Muhammad’s Birth
In the 7th century, the Arabian Peninsula was a desert with only a few settlements.
Jews, Christians, and polytheistic nomadic tribes lived there.
Mecca was the site of an annual pilgrimage to the Kaaba, a cube-shaped structure that held 360 deities.
The Kaaba is the house of Allah, and is believed to be directly below God’s throne in heaven.
In 630 CE, Muhammad restored the Kaaba by cleansing it of deities, leaving it only the house.
