Mecca: The Sacred City

Sardar, Ziauddin

Mecca: The Sacred City - First U.S. edition. - xxxviii, 408 pages : illustrations (chiefly color), map ; 24 cm

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Map -- Introduction: The lure of Mecca -- The Valley of Weeping -- 'I love thee more than the entire world' -- Rebellions at God's earthly throne -- Sharifs, sultans, and sectarians -- Love and fratricide in the Holy City -- The caravans of precious gifts -- The Wahhabi threat -- Camels, Indians, and feudal queens -- Western visitors, Arab garb -- Mecca under the Saudis -- The reconfigured utopia -- Chronology.

"Sardar unravels the meaning and significance of Mecca. Tracing its history from its origins as a barren valley in the desert to its evolution as a trading town and sudden emergence as the religious center of a world empire, Sardar examines the religious struggles and rebellions in Mecca that have significantly shaped Muslim culture ... [in a] blend of history, reportage, and memoir."--Amazon.com.

9781620402665

2014362215


Muslim pilgrims and pilgrimages
Islam--History.--Saudi Arabia--Mecca

DS248.M4S27