The central point of pilgrimage in Mecca before the advent of in the 7th century, the cube-shaped stone building has been destroyed and rebuilt several times | takes place in the region's many and , with the most commonly-grown crops being and , alongside other and |
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With the Ottoman collapse after , control of Mecca was contested between the sharifs and the of central Arabia, adherents to an austere, puritanical form of Islam known as | Demographics [ ] Population [ ] According to the Population Characteristics Surveys conducted by the General Authority of Statistics, the Mecca Province had a population of 8,557,766 as of December 2017, of which 4,516,577 were Saudis and 4,041,189 were foreign nationals |
Historically, the area was inhabited by the , the and the , among other tribes.
16, Splendid Arabia: A travel site with photos and routes• Divided by gender, 4,864,584 were males and 3,693,182 were females | As the ancient caravan route fell into decline, Mecca lost its commercial significance and has since lived mainly on the proceeds from the annual pilgrimages and the gifts of Muslim rulers |
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It is located in the historic region, and has an extended coastline on the | The current Emir is , who has held the position for a second term since 2015 |
is the principal language of the deaf community.
22Mecca became a place for trade, for pilgrimage, and for tribal gatherings | Its capital is , the in , and its largest city is , which is Saudi Arabia's main |
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According to , and , his son by , built the as the house of God | In 1269, the region came under the control of the Egyptian sultans |
The city of is famous for its cultivation of the flower, simplified as Damask rose and locally known as Ta'if rose.
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