Travel
The Kaaba is located within the Grand Mosque (Masjid Al-Haram) in Mecca. Travelers can fly into King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah and take a taxi or shuttle to Mecca. It is advisable to arrange transportation in advance during Hajj and Ramadan due to high demand.
History
The Kaaba is the holiest site in Islam and has been a place of worship for centuries. According to Islamic tradition, it was built by the Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) and his son, Ismail. The structure has been renovated several times throughout history, and its significance in Islamic rituals makes it a pilgrimage site for millions of Muslims worldwide.
Best Location
The best spot is within Masjid Al-Haram, where visitors can perform Tawaf (the act of circling the Kaaba). The mosque can accommodate millions of worshippers, particularly during the Hajj season.
Additional Information
Visitors are required to dress modestly and maintain respectful behavior. It is advisable to visit during off-peak hours to avoid large crowds.
Pilgrimage to a holy site is a core principle of almost all faiths. The Kaaba, meaning cube in Arabic, is a square building, elegantly draped in a silk and cotton veil. Located in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, it is the holiest shrine in Islam. In Islam, Muslims pray five times a day and after 624 C.E., these prayers were directed towards Mecca and the Kaaba rather than Jerusalem; this direction (or qibla in Arabic), is marked in all mosques and enables the faithful to know in what direction they should pray. The Qur'an established the direction of prayer.
All Muslims aspire to undertake the hajj, or the annual pilgrimage, to the Kaaba once in their life if they are able. Prayer five times a day and the hajj are two of the five pillars of Islam, the most fundamental principles of the faith. Upon arriving in Mecca, pilgrims gather in the courtyard of the Masjid al-Haram around the Kaaba. They then circumambulate (tawaf in Arabic) or walk around the Kaaba, during which they hope to kiss and touch the Black Stone (al-Hajar al-Aswad), embedded in the eastern corner of the Kaaba. The Kaaba was a sanctuary in pre-Islamic times. Muslims believe that Abraham (known as Ibrahim in the Islamic tradition), and his son, Ismail, constructed the Kaaba. Tradition holds that it was originally a simple unroofed rectangular structure. The Quraysh tribe, who ruled Mecca, rebuilt the pre-Islamic Kaaba in c. 608 C.E. with alternating courses of masonry and wood. A door was raised above ground level to protect the shrine from intruders and flood waters.
Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) was driven out of Mecca in 620 C.E. to Yathrib, which is now known as Medina. Upon his return to Mecca in 629/30 C.E., the shrine became the focal point for Muslim worship and pilgrimage. The pre-Islamic Kaaba housed the Black Stone and statues of pagan gods. Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) reportedly cleansed the Kaaba of idols upon his victorious return to Mecca, returning the shrine to the monotheism of Ibrahim. The Black Stone is believed to have been given to Ibrahim by the angel Gabriel and is revered by Muslims. Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) made a final pilgrimage in 632 C.E., the year of his death, and thereby established the rites of pilgrimage.
