China (1,532 m) – One of the Five Sacred Mountains of China (east) Mount Tai in Shandong Province is the third highest of China’s Five Sacred Mountains. Representing the east, it is the most accessible, most visited and generally considered to be the most important from a religious standpoint. According to tradition, it was the home of several deities in ancient times, … [Read more...]
JABAL AL-NOUR
Saudi Arabia (842 m) – Periodic Home of the Prophet Muhammad Jabal Al-Nour is a tall, rocky hill just outside of the city of Mecca. According to Muslim tradition, it was on this mountain where the Prophet Muhammad received his earliest divine revelations that ultimately led to the foundation of Islam. Often overlooked because of its proximity to the great shrines of Mecca, … [Read more...]
HILL OF ARAFAT & TENT CITY OF MINA
Mecca, Saudi Arabia Virtually every pilgrim to Mecca makes a detour to visit the Tent City of Mina and the Hill of Arafat. These are mandatory stops for those pilgrims making the official Hajj, and important ceremonies and traditions take place at both of these locations. Both places played a small but important role in the early history of Islam. The Hill of Arafat is the … [Read more...]
CAVE OF HIRA
Mecca, Saudi Arabia Often overlooked because of its proximity to the great shrines of Mecca, the Cave of Hira is nevertheless one of the great if underappreciated holy sites of Saudi Arabia. It was in this tiny cave, barely more than a niche on the side of Jabal An-Nur, that the Prophet spent much of his time during his early adult years; and it was here that he received his … [Read more...]
BATTLEFIELDS OF THE PROPHET
Badr & Medina, Saudi Arabia In addition to his role as spiritual leader of the early Muslim community, the Prophet Muhammad served his followers as their military commander as well. This necessity was forced upon him by the myriad foes that constantly threatened the survival of the Muslims, and much of the latter part of his career was spent fighting to unite the tribes … [Read more...]
AL-QUBA MOSQUE (MASJID AL-QUBA)
Medina, Saudi Arabia The Prophet Muhammad spent most of the later years of his life in Medina, at first as an exile and later as a permanent resident. During this period he erected a mosque in Medina so that he and his followers would have a regular place to pray when not in Mecca. This was the Masjid Al-Quba, and it is considered the first mosque ever built, not counting … [Read more...]
AL-AQSA MOSQUE (MASJID AL-AQSA) & DOME OF THE ROCK
Jerusalem, Palestine Among the defining moments of the life of the Prophet Muhammad was his fabled night-journey to Jerusalem. In the course of a single evening, Muhammad traveled from Mecca to Jerusalem, and from there to Heaven, where he subsequently spoke with Abraham, Moses and Jesus. Specifically, the tradition of the Prophet’s journey only refers to his visit to ‘the … [Read more...]
AL-NABAWI MOSQUE (MASJID AL-NABAWI)
Medina, Saudi Arabia Medina, Mohammed’s home in exile and the first seat of the Caliphate under the Rashidun, is the second holiest city in Islam. Located north of Mecca in the western desert of the Arabian Peninsula, Medina has become an all-but-mandatory stopover for Muslims making the overland pilgrimage to or from Mecca. In fact a visit to Medina is usually so closely … [Read more...]
AL-HARAM MOSQUE (MASJID AL-HARAM)
Mecca, Saudi Arabia There is no other way to say it – Mecca is the Mecca of all religious pilgrimage destinations. This one-time small trading post, home to an ancient, tiny shrine of the Abrahamic faith, has reigned supreme as the world’s most visited religious site for well over a thousand years. To visit the Grand Mosque of Mecca and the Holy Kaaba at least once in is one … [Read more...]
