Mecca the greatest monument of mankind

[Patrick]

I am not an expert on the history of mecca I know the story of muhammad pbuh but I love the fact that in his quest he built the monument of monuments. When I think of places like Rome or the coliseum or the great wall in China or even the pyramids of giza I know they do not stand up to the kabaa in mecca. When you vacation to these sites you'll find guards tourist type of events and stone that is decaying. Grass that no longer grows and absence of life. When you think about muhammad and his achievement to me he beat any builder of any age. When you hear of mecca it is alive. It is preserved it has stood for as long as it has and would stand as long as Allah keeps the earth before judgement. No other builder if there were thousands working in unison can make the claim that the building not only stood the test of time in such condition but is actually living itself.

I would like to know it's history passed the prophet. Times of distress times it flourished as much as you educated people can inform me of. I am not an expert. I did study islamic empires and have read different literature but I do not know everything I should about this achievement. Which to me is a thing that people who know little do not give proper credit for. That muhammad was not only the last messenger but he brought about the construction of such a place that no builder before nor any after our time can maintain its purpose and beauty. Thank you.

[Insaanah]

Greetings Patrick, and welcome to the forum.

You might be interested to know that the Ka'bah wasn't built by Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of be on him)

And (mention) when Abraham was raising the foundations of the House and [with him] Ishmael, [saying], "Our Lord, accept [this] from us. Indeed You are the Hearing, the Knowing". (translation of Qur'an 2:127)

You can read more here: http://islamqa.info/en/3748

Peace.

[Patrick]

Haram and related religious sites (Jabal al-Nour)

Islamic tradition attributes the beginning of Mecca to*Ishmael's descendants. Many Muslims point to the Old Testament chapter Psalm 84:3–6 and a mention of a pilgrimage at the*Valley of Baca, that Muslims see as referring to the mentioning of Mecca as Bakkah in Qur'an Surah 3:96. Also the Greek historian*Diodorus Siculus*who lived between 60 BCE and 30 BCE writes about the isolated region of Arabia in his work*Bibliotheca historica*describing a holy shrine that Muslims see as referring to the Kaaba at Mecca "And a temple has been set up there, which is very holy and exceedingly revered by all Arabians".[27]*Ptolemy*has sometimes been alleged to have called the Mecca "Macoraba", though this identification is controversial.[28]

In the*Sharḥ al- Asāṭīr,*a commentary on the Samaritan*midrashic*chronology of the Patriarchs, of unknown date but probably composed in the tenth century C.E., it is claimed that Mecca was built by the sons ofNebaioth, the eldest son of*Ishmael.[29][30][31]

Some time in the 5th century, the Kaaba was a place of worship for the deities of*Arabia's pagan tribes. Mecca's most important*pagandeity*was*Hubal, which had been placed there by the ruling*Quraysh*tribe[32][33]*and remained until the 7th century.

In the 5th century, the Quraysh took control of Mecca, and became skilled merchants and traders. In the 6th century they joined the lucrative*spice trade*as well, since battles in other parts of the world were causing*trade routes*to divert from the dangerous sea routes to the more secure overland routes. The*Byzantine Empire*had previously controlled the*Red Sea, but*piracy*had been on the increase. Another previous route that ran through the*Persian Gulf*via the*Tigrisand*Euphrates*rivers, was also being threatened by exploitations from theSassanid Empire, as well as being disrupted by the*Lakhmids, the*Ghassanids, and theRoman–Persian Wars. Mecca's prominence as a trading center also surpassed the cities of*Petra*and*Palmyra.[34][35]*The Sassanids however did not always pose a threat to Mecca as in 575 CE they actually protected the Arabian city from invasion of the Kingdom of Axum, led by its Christian leader*Abraha. The tribes of the southern Arabia, asked the Persian king*Khosrau I*for aid, in response to which he came south to Arabia with both foot-soldiers and a fleet of ships into Mecca. The Persian intervention prevented Christianity from spreading eastward into Arabia, and Mecca and the Islamic prophet Muhammad who was at the time a six-year-old boy in the Quraysh tribe "would not grow up under the cross."[36]

By the middle of the 6th century, there were three major settlements in northern*Arabia, all along the south-western coast that borders the Red Sea, in a habitable region between the sea and the great mountains to the east. Although the area around Mecca was completely barren, it was the wealthiest of the three settlements with abundant water via the renowned*Zamzam Well*and a position at the crossroads of major*caravan*routes.[37]

The harsh conditions and terrain of the Arabian peninsula meant a near-constant state of conflict between the*local tribes, but once a year they would declare a truce and converge upon Mecca in an annual pilgrimage. Up to the 7th century, this journey was intended for religious reasons by the pagan Arabs to pay homage to their shrine, and to drink from the Zamzam Well. However, it was also the time each year that disputes would be arbitrated, debts would be resolved, and trading would occur at Meccan fairs. These annual events gave the tribes a sense of common identity and made Mecca an important focus for the peninsula.[38]

Camel caravans, said to have first been used by Muhammad's great-grandfather, were a major part of Mecca's bustling economy. Alliances were struck between the merchants in Mecca and the local nomadic tribes, who would bring goods – leather, livestock, and metals mined in the local mountains – to Mecca to be loaded on the caravans and carried to cities in*Syria*and*Iraq.[39]*Historical accounts also provide some indication that goods from other continents may also have flowed through Mecca. Goods from Africa and the Far East passed through en route to Syria including spices, leather, medicine, cloth, and slaves; in return Mecca received money, weapons, cereals and wine, which in turn were distributed throughout Arabia. The Meccans signed treaties with both the Byzantines and the*Bedouins, and negotiated safe passages for caravans, giving them water and pasture rights. Mecca became the center of a loose confederation of client tribes, which included those of the*Banu Tamim. Other regional powers such as theAbyssinian, Ghassan, and Lakhm were in decline leaving Meccan trade to be the primary binding force in Arabia in the late 6th century.[38]

[greenhill]

.... and what more would you like to know?

:D

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[Patrick]

Mostly periods that concern 800 AD up to present day. There has to be papers on it.