Arabic Al-Makkah
City (pop., 1992: 965,697), western Saudi Arabia.
The holiest city of Islam , it was the birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad . It was his home until AD 622, when he was forced to flee to Medina (See also Hijrah ); he returned and captured the city in 630. It came under the control of the Egyptian Mamlūk dynasty in 1269 and of the Ottoman Empire in 1517. King hajj ) once during a lifetime; only Muslims may enter Mecca. Services related to pilgrimages are the main economic activity. It is the site of the Ḥaram Mosque, which contains the {{link=Kabah">Kabah .