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Mecca from Jabal Nur-1-

Mecca, officially Makkah al-Mukarramah (Arabic: مكة المكرمة‎, romanized: Makkat al-Mukarramah, and commonly shortened to Makkah Arabic: مكة‎, romanized: Makkah Hejazi pronunciation: [makːa]), is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the holiest city in Islam.

Once the hometown of Muhammad, the city is revered by Muslims for containing the holiest site of Islam, the Sacred Mosque of Mecca. A pilgrimage to Mecca during the week of the Hajj is one of the Pillars of Islam, a sacred duty that is required of all able-bodied Muslims who can afford to go, at least once in their lifetime. People of other faiths are forbidden from entering the city. Muslims also must pray facing in the direction of Mecca five times a day.

Mecca in "The Fake Pandemic"[]

On the advice of Martinus Paduei, Roman Emperor Justinian decided to drive on the Arabian Peninsula and take Mecca to prevent the eventual rise of Muhammad. When his quaestor Tribonian asked Justinian why he was following Padeui's recommendation, Justinian told Tribonian that it was better to be safe than sorry.[1]

When he visited Florence to meet with Paduei in 538, Tribonian confirmed that Justinian was following Paduei's advice.[2] Later, when Paduei warned Tribonian of the coming plague, he took care to confirm that Justinian was sending troops on ships to the Red Sea. He explained that their presence could also help stem the plague.[3]

Mecca in "Islands in the Sea"[]

In AD 769, after a series of meetings with both Christian and Muslim representatives, the Bulgar Khan Telerikh turned southeast, towards Mecca, sank to his knees and said the shahada three times to signify his decision that he and his people would convert to Islam.[4]

Mecca in Through Darkest Europe[]

In modern times, Mecca remained a pilgrimage destination for Muslims across the world, although an increasing number made the hajj out of tradition rather than any true religious fervor.[5] Money from the pilgrims lined the pockets of the ruling House of Faisali, a fact which many believed would one day lead to a reckoning with their subjects.[6]

Prior to the major Aquinist uprising in AH 1439, terrorists posing as pilgrims succeed in smuggling bombs on their persons and detonating them, killing not only themselves but many legitimate pilgrims.[7]

References[]

  1. Lest Darkness Fall & Timeless Tales Written in Tribute (second edition), pgs. 382, loc. 4995.
  2. Ibid.
  3. Ibid., pg. 385, loc. 5049.
  4. See, e.g., Departures, pgs. 86-86, mmp.
  5. Through Darkest Europe, pg. 34, HC.
  6. Ibid., pgs. 168-169.
  7. Ibid., pg. 51.
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