Mecca

Definitions: Mecca

Mecca

Noun

1. Joint capital (with Riyadh) of Saudi Arabia; located in western Saudi Arabia; as the birthplace of Mohammed it is the holiest city of Islam.

2. A place that attracts many visitors; "New York is a mecca for young artists".

Date "Mecca" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1613. (references)

The following table is compiled from various sources, across various languages. When English abbreviations or acronyms come from a non-English source, this is noted.
Entry	Source	Expression	Field
MECCA	English	Multi-element component comparison and analysis	N/A
MECCA	Italian	Consorzio di ricerca e valutazione dei modelli climatici.	N/A
Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references).

Mecca or Makkah Al-Mukkaramah (Arabic مكة المكرمة) is a city in the Hijaz region of western Saudi Arabia. It is revered as the holiest site of the Islamic religion, and a pilgrimage to it is required of all Muslims who can afford the trip.

In the 1980s the government of Saudi Arabia changed the official transliteration of the city's name from Mecca, as it had been known to Westerners for centuries, to Makkah. See below for the reasons.

Makkah was already an important trading city for the Arabian tribes by the time Muhammad was born there in about 570 CE. He soon lost both father and mother, and was raised by his grandfather and, later, by his uncle, Abu Talib. At the age of 25, he married a rich widow, Khadijah. When he was forty years old, in the year 610 CE, Muslims believe, he was visited by the angel Gabriel while meditating in a cave on Mount Hira outside of Makkah and told, "Recite! In the name of your Lord who created, Created man from a clot. Recite, and your Lord is most honorable, who taught how to write with the pen, taught man what he did not know," which now forms the beginning of Sura 96 of the Qur'an, or Koran.

Muhammad preached the religous doctrines of one God and the threat of the Day of Judgment. (Moslems worship the same God as Christians and Jews, who they call Allah, which is simply the Arabic word for God). Muhammad did not have much success at first. His tribe, the Quraysh, which was in charge of the Kaaba (a shrine to Arabic pagan gods), persecuted and harassed him continuously. He and his followers emigrated to the city of Yathrib, later called Medina (al-Madinah in Arabic, alternatively transliterated as Madinah), in 622 CE. This event, known as the hijra (or hegira in Latin), marks the beginning of the Islamic calendar (1 AH, anno hegirae, or "in the year of the hijra").

Muhammad and his followers clashed off and on with the Quraysh, steadily gaining in numbers and power. Finally Muhammad conquered Makkah in 630 and cleansed the Kaaba of its idols, after which Islam spread rapidly. Muhammad died in 632, and almost immediately afterward the Arab armies embarked on their wars of conquest which would eventually embrace most of the Middle East and North Africa, bringing Islam with them.

For Muslims, a pilgrimage to Makkah is required as one of the five pillars of the faith. Every year about three million gather for the major pilgrimage, or Hajj, during the Muslim month of Dhu'l-Hijja, and many more perform the minor pilgrimage, or Umrah, which may be performed at any time of year. Few non-Muslims have ever seen the rites and rituals of the hajj (non-Muslims are strictly prohibited from entering Makkah and Medina).

The focal point of Makkah is the Kaaba, the "House of God" believed by Muslims to have been built by Abraham and his son Ishmael, and which is covered in a gold-embroidered black fabric. Pilgrims circle the Kaaba seven times and may also try to touch or kiss its cornerstone, the Black Stone. Pilgrims may drink from the well of Zamzam, believed to have been shown to Hagar (the wife of Abraham) by an angel while she was frantically searching for water for her son Ishmael, between the hills of Safah and Marwah. The water of Zamzam is believed to have special properties. Few pilgrims return from the Hajj without a large plastic bottle of Zamzam water.

During the Hajj pilgrims travel to Mina, a small village, where the Devil, symbolised by stone columns, is ritually stoned. They then proceed to the hill Arafat (sometimes called a mountain, but with a height of only 70 m), a site for prayers, where Muhammad is believed to have delivered his final sermon.

The importance of Makkah for Muslims is inestimable. All Muslims, wherever they are on Earth, pray five times a day in the direction of the Kaaba in Makkah. The direction of prayer is known as the qibla.

The Al-Masjid al Haram, or Sacred Mosque, is for Muslims the holiest mosque on Earth. Both the mosque and the city itself are strictly off limits to non-Muslims.

Is Makkah the city of the valley of Baca?

Some have identified Makkah with an ancient city called Bakkah, identified with the Biblical "valley of Baca" in Psalm 84, but this identification is controversial.

The spelling of the name

Since the name of this city is Arabic, its name in English must necessarily be a translation for, or a transliteration of, its original name. In the West, 'Mecca' has long been the accepted spelling.

The name Mecca has become part of the English language, with the word "mecca" generally meaning a place which is the ultimate destination and/or activity center for any group of people with a common interest. Los Angeles, for example, is often referred to as the Mecca of show business, Las Vegas as the Mecca of both gambling and boxing, Paris, the Mecca of fashion and so on. The British bingo company Mecca Bingo named itself for this usage.

However many Muslims found these usages offensive, in particular because of the associations with gambling, which is strictly prohibited by Islam. In the 1980s, the Saudi Arabian government started to promote a new spelling (Makkah Al-Mukkaramah), which is in any case a lot closer to the proper Arabic pronunciation. Many English-speaking Muslims now consider this to be the preferred and more correct spelling, but it has yet to be adopted in general English use.

Mecca, California

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Mecca is a town located in Riverside County, California. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 5,402.

Geography

Mecca is located at 33°34'24" North, 116°4'25" West (33.573388, -116.073536)¹. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 3.4 km² (1.3 mi²). 3.4 km² (1.3 mi²) of it is land and none of it is covered by water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there are 5,402 people, 1,049 households, and 958 families residing in the town. The population density is 1,604.4/km² (4,167.1/mi²). There are 1,059 housing units at an average density of 314.5/km² (816.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the town is 24.10% White, 0.11% African American, 1.02% Native American, 0.74% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 70.66% from other races, and 3.37% from two or more races. 98.02% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. There are 1,049 households out of which 67.0% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.4% are married couples living together, 13.9% have a female householder with no husband present, and 8.6% are non-families. 4.0% of all households are made up of individuals and 1.0% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 5.04 and the average family size is 4.97. In the town the population is spread out with 39.8% under the age of 18, 14.4% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 13.1% from 45 to 64, and 3.7% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 23 years. For every 100 females there are 128.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 135.0 males. The median income for a household in the town is $22,973, and the median income for a family is $21,250. Males have a median income of $16,897 versus $11,901 for females. The per capita income for the town is $6,389. 45.5% of the population and 43.0% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 52.1% are under the age of 18 and 16.8% are 65 or older.

Mecca, Indiana

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Mecca is a town located in Parke County, Indiana. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 355.

Geography

Mecca is located at 39°43'35" North, 87°19'53" West (39.726254, -87.331507)¹. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.0 km² (0.4 mi²). 1.0 km² (0.4 mi²) of it is land and none of it is covered by water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there are 355 people, 136 households, and 96 families residing in the town. The population density is 342.7/km² (884.1/mi²). There are 156 housing units at an average density of 150.6/km² (388.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the town is 98.03% White, 0.00% African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.00% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.00% from other races, and 1.69% from two or more races. 0.00% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. There are 136 households out of which 36.8% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.3% are married couples living together, 16.9% have a female householder with no husband present, and 29.4% are non-families. 25.0% of all households are made up of individuals and 8.8% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.61 and the average family size is 3.08. In the town the population is spread out with 30.7% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 28.7% from 25 to 44, 26.8% from 45 to 64, and 7.3% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 33 years. For every 100 females there are 92.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 90.7 males. The median income for a household in the town is $31,375, and the median income for a family is $35,000. Males have a median income of $24,886 versus $20,938 for females. The per capita income for the town is $12,094. 8.6% of the population and 10.2% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 7.4% are under the age of 18 and 8.3% are 65 or older.

Crosswords: Mecca

English words defined with "Mecca": Balsam of Mecca ♦ capital of Saudi Arabia ♦ hadj, hadji, haj, haji, hajj, hajji ♦ Ihram ♦ Koran ♦ Meccawee ♦ Quran ♦ Riyadh ♦ Sherif. (references)

Specialty definitions using "Mecca": Benares ♦ Caaba, City of Refuge ♦ Doves' Dung ♦ Isaf ♦ Kaaba, Kaswa, Kingly Titles ♦ Mahadi, Menah ♦ Pigeon, Pigeons ♦ Sansonetto ♦ Zem. (references)

Non-English Usage: "Mecca" is also a word in the following language with the English translation in parentheses.

Italian (Mecca).

Domain	Usage
Screenplays	This is the Mecca of America. (Shock Treatment; writing credit: Richard O'Brien; Jim Sharman) Yeah, I'm sure it's a real mecca for factual information (Roswell; writing credit: Ronald D. Moore; Gretchen J. Berg)
Movie/TV Titles	A Mediterranean Mecca (1934) Scarlett Mecca and the Pentagram Girl (2000) The Road to Mecca (1992)
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Domain	Title
Books	Hollywood: Mecca of the Movies (reference) Paris Montmartre: A Mecca of Modern Art 1860-1920 (reference) Personal Narrative of a Pilgrimage to Al Madinah and Mecca (Volume 1) (reference) The Road to Mecca [UNABRIDGED] (reference) The Sheltered Quarter: A Tale of a Boyhood in Mecca (Modern Middle East Literatures in Translation Series) (reference) (more book examples)

Theater & Movies	ABC News Nightline: The Hajj - One American's Pilgrimage to Mecca (reference) (more DVD examples; more video examples)

Music	Mecca & The Soul Brother (reference) Mecca for Moderns (reference) (more classical music examples; more popular music examples)
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Thumbnail	Description & Credit
	The Great Mosque of Mecca, surrounded by vignettes of 20 mosques and holy sites of Islam.Credit: Library of Congress.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Author	Quotation
The Koran	Turn, therefore, thy face towards the holy temple of Mecca; and wherever ye be, turn your faces towards that place.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Subject	Topic	Quote
Business		Korea is a global Mecca for mobile telecommunications. (references)
		China permits Muslim citizens to make the hajj to Mecca. (references)
		Recently, the PIA management has decided to put back into commission its grounded Boeing 747-200s and two Airbuses in time for the Haj (Muslim Pilgrimage to Mecca) airlifts scheduled for January 2000. In order to facilitate this operation, PIA has signed an agreement with General Electric for the supply of engines and spare parts. (references)
Civil Liberties	Tajikistan	Individuals ultimately were permitted to use private vehicles to travel to Mecca. (references)
	Liberia	In March President Taylor sponsored the travel of more than 100 pilgrims to Mecca. (references)
	Tajikistan	In addition pilgrims were allowed to travel to Mecca and Medina by bus from Mashhad, Iran. (references)
Economic History	Bangladesh	To transport pilgrims to Mecca from Bangladesh, Biman leases at least two aircraft annually. (references)
	Pakistan	In November 1979, false rumors that the United States had participated in the seizure of the Grand Mosque in Mecca provoked a mob attack on the U.S. embassy in Islamabad. (references)
	Iran	In 1983, Iran expressed support for Shi'ites who bombed Western embassies in Kuwait, and in 1987, Iranian pilgrims rioted during the Hajj (pilgrimage) in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. (references)
Travel	Qatar	Eid Al-Fitr (four days) marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan (during which business hours are restricted) and Eid Al-Adha marks the conclusion of the pilgrimage (Hajj) to Mecca. (references)
Worker Rights	Saudi Arabia	Criminal rings consisting almost exclusively of foreigners have bought and imported South Asian children, including children with disabilities, and women for the purpose of organized begging, particularly in the vicinity of the Grand Mosque in Mecca during Islamic holidays. (references)
Lexicography	Devil's Dictionary	CAABA, n. A large stone presented by the archangel Gabriel to the patriarch Abraham, and preserved at Mecca. The patriarch had perhaps asked the archangel for bread.
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits.

"Mecca" is generally used as a noun (proper) -- approximately 82.56% of the time. "Mecca" is used about 195 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted)

Parts of Speech	Percent	Usage per 100 Million Words	Rank in English
Noun (proper)	82.56%	161	24,661
Noun (singular)	17.44%	34	59,261
Total	100.00%	195	N/A

The following table summarizes the usage of "Mecca" based on a population census conducted in the United States. Ranks and frequencies are based on all names reported and classified.

Name	Usage/Gender	Usage per 100 million Persons	Rank in USA
Mecca	Last name	300	27,372
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.

1. Mecca, CA (CDP, FIPS 46660)
Location: 33.57589 N, 116.07171 W
Population (1990): 1966 (416 housing units)
Area: 3.4 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)
Country: USA

2. Mecca, IN (town, FIPS 48132)
Location: 39.72713 N, 87.33149 W
Population (1990): 331 (159 housing units)
Area: 1.0 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)
Country: USA

3. Mecca , Saudi Arabia
Location: 21.26 North, 39.49 East
Population (2000 estimate): 684750
Time Zone: 3 GMT
Country: Saudi Arabia

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Expressions: Mecca

Expressions using "Mecca": Balsam of Mecca ♦ mecca for. Additional references.
Hyphenated Usage
	Beginning with "Mecca": mecca-based.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Frequency of Internet Keywords: Mecca

The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com.

Expression	Frequency per Day	Expression	Frequency per Day
mecca	897	mecca photo	9
arabia mecca saudi	718	islam mecca	9
mecca clothing	81	francisco mecca san	9
cola mecca	61	mecca restaurant	9
mecca iii	40	cola.com mecca	9
mecca picture	39	club mecca	8
mecca hotel	36	kabah mecca	8
pilgrimage to mecca	24	mecca medina	8
mecca resident	21	mecca model	8
map mecca	15	mecca city	8
mecca native	15	the road to mecca	7
mecca jean	14	city holy mecca	7
cola.com.pk mecca	14	mecca california	7
mecca clothes	14	mecca motel	6
mecca ca	14	hentai mecca	6
mecca usa	13	mecca properties	6
mecca shoes	12	mecca where	5
arrow direction indicator mecca qibla screen	11	highway mecca saudi	5
mecca bingo	10	mecca in	5
bug lady mecca	10	mecca wear	5
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Modern Translations: Mecca

Language		Translations for "Mecca"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses.
Afrikaan		Mekka. (various references)

Dutch		Mekka. (various references)

Esperanto		Mekko. (various references)

Farsi		مکه(mekka), مکه معظمه . (various references)

French		Mecque. (various references)

German		Mekkabalsambaum (balsam of Gilead tree, balsam of Mecca tree, Mecca myrrh tree), echter Balsambaum (balsam of Gilead tree, balsam of Mecca tree, Mecca myrrh tree). (various references)

Greek		όέκκα. (various references)

Indonesian		kiblat (direction to Mecca). (various references)

Italian		Mecca (Model Evaluation Consortium for climate assessment). (various references)

Japanese Kanji		メチル基 (mesh, methyl group). (various references)

Japanese Katakana		メッカ . (various references)

Pig Latin		eccamay

Russian		мекка. (various references)

Spanish		La Meca. (various references)

Swedish		meckabalsamträd (balsam of Gilead tree, balsam of Mecca tree, Mecca myrrh tree). (various references)

Thai		สถานที่มีผู้คนจำนวนมากต้องการไป. (various references)

Turkish		Mekke (mekka), Herkesin Görmek Ýstediği Yer. (various references)

Ukranian		Мекка. (various references)
Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references.

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Derivations & Misspellings: Mecca

Derivations
	Words beginning with "Mecca": meccas. (additional references)
Misspellings
	"Mecca" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: Ameca, Ecacc, ecca, Eccc, Ecci, Lecca, Maca, macac, macca, maccah, Maccam, Maccas, Marcucci, Mcca, Mcpa, Meca, Mecas, meccas, Mechai, Mecke, Mecken, Merca, Meshach, Messac, Moccas, Moccia, Muckla, Muecke, Neca, Necci, Pecca. (additional references)
Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references).

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Anagrams: Mecca

Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams
	Words within the letters "a-c-c-e-m"
	-1 letter: acme, came, ceca, mace.
	-2 letters: ace, cam, mac, mae.
	-3 letters: ae, am, em, ma, me.
	Words containing the letters "a-c-c-e-m"
	+1 letter: caecum, meccas.
	+2 letters: ceramic, macchie, racemic.
	+3 letters: academic, alchemic, ceramics, chemical, coachmen, comeback, cyclamen, gamecock, mechanic, sachemic.
	+4 letters: academics, acclaimed, acclaimer, acclimate, beachcomb, cacodemon, calcaneum, calcimine, camcorder, camelback, catchment, catechism, checkmark, checkmate, chemicals, chimaeric, cinematic, comebacks, compacted, compacter, cracksmen, creamcups, cyclamate, cyclamens, democracy, eclamptic, gamecocks, macrocyte, mechanics, megacycle, micaceous, mischance, schematic.
	+5 letters: academical, acclaimers, acclimated, acclimates, accomplice, accruement, accumulate, accustomed, alchemical, asceticism, ascomycete, bacteremic, beachcombs, cacodemons, cacomistle, calcimined, calcimines, camcorders, camelbacks, catchments, catechisms, catechumen, ceramicist, checkmarks, checkmated, checkmates, chemically, chimerical, cochairmen, cockamamie, commercial, compacters, compactest, complacent, compliance, complicate, cyclamates, decametric, democratic, economical, ecumenical, homocercal, impeccable, impeccably, macrocytes, macroscale, mechanical, megacycles, megascopic, mendicancy, microscale, mischances, necromancy, schematics, unacademic.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro.