The word of the week come is yet another snazzy British style word.
Indefatigable, according to Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary is an adjective which describes something that is untiring, or is unable to be fatigued. For example: The Terminator was indefatigable in his pursuit of John Connor.
My subject of the week could not come from a more separate source.
Mecca is the most important city in the religion of Islam. It is located on the western side of Saudi Arabia and has been around. It started out as an important caravan stop since the time of the Greeks. In the 7th century AD the religion of Islam swept out of the area surrounding this city.
Since then it has been conquered by numerous countries surrounding it, with it currently ending up a part of Saudi Arabia. It is the most important city in Islam as the “goal of the annual Muslim Hajj” according to infoplease.com.
The Hajj is a highly ritualized journey which must be done once in one’s life, is one of the five pillars of Islam. It involves the wearing of garments which symbolize modesty, and the collective stoning of evil. The Hajj also requires pilgrims to circle the Kaaba, a black cubic structure, the central sanctum to the Great Mosque in Mecca. Finally those who complete the Hajj are entitled to add the words al-Hajj or hajji to their name.
The Great Mosque in Mecca was constructed in stages with the “first” part, the Kaaba, being built by Abraham and Ishmael according the Muslim tradition. Later things like walls and minarets were added by various rulers after the Muslims recaptured Mecca.
Mecca can be a very open city or a very closed city depending on one thing: one’s religion. Only Muslims are allowed into the city due to checks as people enter the city.
(On a side note several medieval and Renaissance Europeans entered the city at their own peril disguised as Muslims, for more information on their stories check out the book; “Mecca: A Literary History of the Muslim Holy Land”)
However, due to its importance to Islam, Mecca is open to all Muslims, no matter where they come from.
Mecca has definitely not been all peace and love throughout its long history. Being conquered some six or seven times has damaged the Kaaba before, but it wasn’t harmed in the two latest cases of violence.
In November 1979 100 rebels were killed in a two-week siege in the Great Mosque caused by fundamentalists.
And in July 1987 400 people were killed by Saudi military forces when Iranian pilgrims rioted.
Mecca is without a doubt the center of the Muslim world, and as long as Islam remains important Mecca certainly will.