Mecca is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia and 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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