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Located in present-day Saudi Arabia, the city of Mecca
is considered the birthplace of Prophet Mohammed
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and therefore also as the birthplace of Islam.
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The so-called Ka'aba is located in the center of the city.
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Legend has it that it was built by Adam, the first man,
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The story of the patriarch Abraham is also closely related to the Ka'aba.
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Long before the rise of Islam, it was a place of pilgrimage
for the surrounding Arab tribes.
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Since the year 631, the city has been taboo
for people of different faiths.
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Only Muslims are allowed to visit Mecca and the Ka'aba.
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The al-Masjid al-Haram, which surrounds the shrine,
is the largest mosque in the world.
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During the Hajj, the pilgrimage of the Muslims,
it is visited by more than two million people annually.