Makkah is located in the Hijaz region of Saudi Arabia. It lies on ancient caravan trade routes, for frankincense and myrrh, between Syria and Iraq to the northeast, and Yemen to the south. What first attracted traders and settlers to the particular sight was the Zamzam Well, a desert spring in the midst of a very dry and inhospitable region.

According to Michael Wolfe, an author and reporter for ABC, the city was never a major trade center. People came because it was a holy place. Indeed, the Muslims were not the first to revere Makkah or even the Kaba; countless Arabian tribes had established idols at the sight prior to establishment of Islam. Things have changed. Makkah is now the last forbidden city in the world and is barred to all non-Muslims. This hasn't stopped many frauds from gaining admission, but when they do they take their lives into their own hands.

This holy city has a population of just over 600,000 permanent residents, although population explodes during the city's most important event, the Hajj, when a reported 2 million pilgrims descend upon the city for a week's time. The importance of the Hajj is evident in the layout of the city since it is centered around the Holy Mosque. The Holy Mosque, in effect, acts as a central business district would, centering growth and land values around it. The majority of the buildings around the mosque have been raised up to thirty stories to increase the utility of the land. Hotels vie strenuously for the opportunity to service the mass of pilgrims with the prime location at the maximum rate as practically every room in Makkah gets filled. This competition for central space had helped preclude the sprawl of the city that its exponential, growth and wealth would have seemed to necessitate. However, with the explosion of pilgrims with the coming of the jet age, the city has shifted from a solely religious site to a lucrative market for new industries, particularly in the service sector and the sprawl has been unavoidable. Despite the fact that the development of the city has changed with modern technology, its focus has not wavered.

The Holy Mosque had such an attraction that, in attempts to live as close to the holy site as economically possible, settlers built on the dangerously steep slopes of the Valley of Abraham. Much of this quasi-legal development occurred prior to the current Saudi Arabian government's rule, so not all of it has been totally eradicated. However, the government has made every effort to discourage vertical growth up these slopes (which at points ranged up to 1,000 ft. above the city), and has slowly moved people away. Today, the settlements upon the slopes of the Valley of Abraham are just a remnant of what they were in the past. This movement has forced the city to sprawl like never before, although still not to the extent of many western cities.

Because of these settlers, Makkah boasts one of the most diverse populations in the world. Estimates on the percentage of non-Saudi Arabian residents who occupy Makkah range up to ninety percent. Many pilgrims, upon completion of the Hajj, decide that they love the city so much that they stay, enjoying the free schooling and health care established by the Saudi government for all of it's citizens. Of course, many of these new residents hail from countries where the standard of living is not quite as high such as the Islamic countries of India, Indonesia, Pakistan and, the Philippines. In the picture to the left, are immigrants from four different Muslim nations working on the Prophet's Mosque in Medina just north of Makkah. The commercial boom of the city with the expanding Hajj has helped persuade many non-Saudis that Makkah is not only a religious mecca, but an economic one as well.

The city has had to go to great lengths to accommodate its booming population as well as the seasonal masses of pilgrims. The city's infrastructure is top of the line and its population is extremely well serviced, as is all of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with free health care and schooling through college. The Ummul Qura University is located in Makkah and includes the College of Sharia and Islamic Studies, the Teachers Training College, the Arabic Language College, and the Applied Sciences and Engineering College. In addition, the city boasts 22 health centers and numerous other health facilities in usage during the Hajj. This is, no doubt, another factor in many immigrants' migration.

Makkah is a fascinating and profitable place for people from all walks of life, as long as they are Muslim. It seems like a shame that four fifths of the world's population is denied access to one of the most, if not the most, culturally significant cities of all time.

Images from Makkah