Mecca is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia; it is the holiest city according to Islam. It is 70 km inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valley 277 m above sea level. Its metropolitan population in 2022 was 2.4 million, making it the third-most populated city in Saudi Arabia after Riyadh and Jeddah. Around 44.5% of the population are Saudi citizens and around 55.5% are Muslim foreigners from other countries. Pilgrims more than triple the population number every year during the Ḥajj pilgrimage, observed in the twelfth Hijri month of Dhūl-Ḥijjah. With over 10.8 million international visitors in 2023, Mecca was one of the ten most visited cities in the world.
Country: Saudi Arabia
Established: c. 18th century BCE (per Islamic tradition)
Province: Mecca Province
Governorate: Holy Capital Governorate
Founded by: Ibrāhīm and Ismāʿīl (traditionally claimed to have built The Kaaba)
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