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95-559: Shubra Palace is a royal palace in Taif, Saudi Arabia . It was one of the royal residences until 1995 when it was transformed into a museum. The building was originally constructed in 1858 as a two-storey house. It was rebuilt by Ali Pasha, former sharif of Mecca , and completed in 1905. It was named after a palace built in Cairo, Egypt . Following the capture of the city by Saudis the Shubra Palace

190-668: A Christian origin that explicitly mentions the Kaaba, and confirms the idea that not just the Arabs but certain Christians as well, associated the site with Ibrahim in the seventh century. This is the second dateable text mentioning the Kaaba, first being some verses from the Quran . Saudi archeologist Mohammed Almaghthawi discovered some rock inscriptions mentioning the Masjid al-Haram and the Kaaba, dating back to

285-585: A Greek carpenter from the same ship, called Baqum (باقوم Pachomius). Financial constraints during this rebuilding caused Quraysh to exclude six cubits from the northern part of the Kaaba. This portion is what is currently known as Al-Hateem الحطيم or Hijr Ismail حجر اسماعيل. Muhammad's Isra' is said to have taken him from the Kaaba to the Masjid al-Aqsa and heavenwards from there. Muslims initially considered Jerusalem as their qibla, or prayer direction, and faced toward it while offering prayers; however, pilgrimage to

380-536: A complex for heavy, medium and light industries along with a vocational training center, and the University City, a 16-square-kilometre (6.2 sq mi) university projected to be built in the Saiysad National Park. The Souk 'Okaz, one of the best known pre-Islamic souks , was not only a market, but in many ways, a historic theater, where sociopolitical and commercial exchanges took place between

475-449: A criss-crossed pattern of strips of wood, known as latticework . The interior of the building is designed with marble from Carrara, Italy . Taif, Saudi Arabia There is a belief that Taif is indirectly referred to in Quran 43:31 . The city was visited by the Islamic prophet Muhammad , sometime in the early 7th century , and was inhabited by the tribe of Banu Thaqif . It

570-760: A group of Muslims towards Mecca with the intention of performing the Umrah , but was prevented from doing so by the Quraysh. He secured a peace treaty with them, the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah , which allowed the Muslims to freely perform pilgrimage at the Kaaba from the following year. At the culmination of his mission, in 630 CE, after the allies of the Quraysh, the Banu Bakr, violated the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, Muhammad conquered Mecca . His first action

665-564: A pair of ram's horns were recorded to be inside the Kaaba. The pair of ram's horns were said to have belonged to the ram sacrificed by Ibrahim in place of his son Ismail as held by Islamic tradition. During its history, the Black Stone at the Kaaba has been struck and smashed by a stone fired from a catapult , it has been smeared with excrement, stolen and ransomed by the Qarmatians and smashed into several fragments. al-Azraqi provides

760-836: A post office was established sometime later. Prior to the Arab Revolt , Ahmed Bey had been made the commander of Ottoman forces in Tā'if. He had under him a force of 3,000 soldiers and 10 pieces of mountain artillery . Ghalib Pasha, the governor of the Hejaz was also present in the city. In 1916, the Hashemites launched their revolt against the Ottoman Empire in Mecca in June. That city had fallen and then in July, Abdullah ,

855-592: A rose festival in the city as well as a number of concerts and plays were held. Like most of Saudi Arabia, the most popular sport among Saudis in Ta'if is football. Wej SC ( Saudi Arabian Football Federation ) plays at King Fahd Sports City in North Ta'if near as-Sayl as-Saghir and is the football team representing the city. The expatriate minority in the city has brought several other games with them to Ta'if, including cricket , badminton and volleyball . Al Hawiyah Stadium

950-451: Is a small village situated high up in the mountains at an elevation of 2,200 to 2,500 metres (7,200 to 8,200 feet) above sea level, rich in agricultural products. The fruit gardens of Ta'if are located here. A camel ride is available, and Jabal Dakka is within view of the village. The Saiysad National Park is located in New Ta'if. Historically, Ta'if's economy depended on agriculture and

1045-513: Is a stone building at the center of Islam 's most important mosque and holiest site , the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca , Saudi Arabia . It is considered by Muslims to be the Baytullah (Arabic: بَيْت ٱللَّٰه , lit.   'House of God') and is the qibla (Arabic: قِبْلَة , direction of prayer ) for Muslims around the world. The current structure was built after the original building

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1140-550: Is disputed whether Allah and Hubal were the same deity or different. According to a hypothesis by Uri Rubin and Christian Robin, Hubal was only venerated by Quraysh and the Kaaba was first dedicated to Allah, a supreme god of individuals belonging to different tribes, while the pantheon of the gods of Quraysh was installed in the Kaaba after they conquered Mecca a century before Muhammad's time. Imoti contends that there were numerous such Kaaba sanctuaries in Arabia at one time, but this

1235-490: Is known to have had many wadis with running water before, suggested by the presence of dams along many of these. Taif's highest point, the Jebel Daka is even the fifth highest peak of Saudi Arabia. Ta'if has a hot desert climate ( Köppen climate classification BWh ), with hot summers and mild winters. It is much cooler in Ta'if during the summertime than it is other parts of Saudi Arabia, particularly Riyadh. Precipitation

1330-524: Is low, but all months see some rain, with more rain in spring and late autumn than in other months. Al-Rudaf Park is a large natural park in South Ta'if, where trees stand amidst weathered granite rocks. The site also has a small zoo. Additionally, the park has a large lake with fountains and cannons. The Ta'if rose plantation is a complex of rose fields filled with small fragrant pink roses that are distilled into expensive Ta'if rose oil. The famous grown here

1425-568: Is still inhabited to this day by their descendants. As a part of the Hejaz , the city has seen many transfers-of-power throughout its history, with the last being during the Saudi conquest of Hejaz in 1925. The city has been called the unofficial summer capital of Saudi Arabia and has also been called the best summer destination in Saudi Arabia as it enjoys a moderate weather during summer, unlike most of

1520-410: Is the 30-petal Damask rose ( Rosa damascena trigintipetala ), whose scent has been described as a robust, spicy, and dizzyingly complex scent which has been used by several luxury perfume brands, including Ormonde Jayne , Chanel , Guerlain and Hermès . The Nuqbat al-Hamra' park near Al-Hada is a large nature preserve at an elevation of 2,100 metres (6,900 feet) above sea level. Ash-Shafā

1615-481: Is the center of an agricultural area known for its cultivation of grapes , pomegranate, figs, roses and honey . Taif is also very active in the manufacturing of traditional attar , and is known locally as "City of the Roses" ( Arabic : مَدِيْنَة ٱلْوُرُوْد , romanized :  Madīnat al-Wurūd ). Taif also hosts the historic Souq 'Okaz . The Taif governorate is divided into 15 smaller municipalities, with Ta'if as

1710-627: Is the local football pitch. In 2004 Taif University was established which offers both undergraduate and graduate programs across four colleges and 16 faculties. It has four campuses located in the Taif Governorate, with the main campus in Al-Hawiyya. In 2014 the Canadian Niagara College opened a campus in Taif with programs in tourism, hospitality, and business. This effort is part of

1805-522: The Encyclopedia of Islam , Wensinck identifies Mecca with a place called Macoraba mentioned by Ptolemy . G. E. von Grunebaum states: "Mecca is mentioned by Ptolemy. The name he gives it allows us to identify it as a South Arabian foundation created around a sanctuary." In Meccan Trade and the Rise of Islam , Patricia Crone argues that the identification of Macoraba with Mecca is false and that Macoraba

1900-522: The Arabian Peninsula . The city owes its popularity among tourists to its many mountain resorts and moderate climate, even during the harsh summers of Arabia. The city is connected to the nearby resort town of Al-Hada via the iconic Highway 15 (Taif – Al-Hada Road). It stands out from the rest of the Hijazi region as it is a city that plays an active role in the agricultural output of Saudi Arabia and

1995-547: The Emir of Nejd and Hasa , soon broke out into violence. Although hostilities subsided in 1919, by September 1924, the then Saudi-sponsored Ikhwan militia , under the leadership of Sultan bin Bajad and Khaled bin Luwai', was ready to attack Ta'if. The city was supposed to have been defended by the king's son, 'Ali , but he fled in panic with his troops. Three hundred of 'Ali's men were slain by

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2090-616: The King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah. The historically well-known tribe of Thaqif still lives in and around the city of Ta'if. 'Utaibah is another Adnani tribe which still lives in Ta'if. Banu Harith is one of the Qahtani Arabs tribes living around Ta'if in Saudi Arabia. The tribe claims a very large area around the city in the area between Ta'if and Qunfudhah in Saudi Arabia. Thu al-Isba' al-'Adwani

2185-495: The Souk 'Okaz , the largest and best known of the pre-Islamic souks . The souq was a scene of annual social, political and commercial gatherings. It was also the location of competitive recitation of poetry and prose. The buildings remain, including prominent outlines of walls of basaltic stone. Wadi Mitna is a wadi believed to be the location where Muhammad sought refuge from the tribes of Hawazin and Thaqif in 619 AD, after he

2280-555: The Valley of Wajj , a significant valley within Arabian and Islamic history. The etymology of the city's current name, Taʾif ( Arabic : اَلطَّائِفُ ), comes from the Arabic root ط و ف , which could translate to "wanderer", "roamer", or "circulator"; the latter of which is the basis of the word Ṭawāf ( طَوَاف ), which literally translates to "circulation" or "circumambulation", and is used in

2375-547: The Wali of Egypt , Muhammad Ali , who launched an attack on the Hejaz and reconquered Ta'if in 1813. In 1813, the Swiss traveler and orientalist Johann Ludwig Burckhardt visited Ta'if and left an eyewitness account of the city just after its recapture by the Muhammad Ali, with whom he obtained several interviews while he was there. Burckhardt reported that the wall and ditch around

2470-576: The hatīm was a remnant of the foundations of the Abrahamic Kaaba, and that Muhammad himself had wished to rebuild it so as to include it. The Kaaba was bombarded with stones in the second siege of Mecca in 692 , in which the Umayyad army was led by al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf . The fall of the city and the death of 'Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr allowed the Umayyads under 'Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan to finally reunite all

2565-518: The 54 mi (87 km) mountain highway between Mecca and Ta'if, now part of Highway 15 and known as the Taif – Al-Hada Road. In 1974, the approximately-650-kilometer Ta'if- Abha – Jizan highway was commissioned part of the Highway 15. By the 1991 Gulf War , Ta'if was such a modern city in terms of communications that it was chosen as the site of the Rendon Group 's television and radio network, which

2660-506: The Black Stone in its place. According to Ishaq's biography, Muhammad's solution was to have all the clan elders raise the cornerstone on a cloak, after which Muhammad set the stone into its final place with his own hands. The timber for the reconstruction of the Kaaba was purchased by Quraysh from a Greek ship that had been wrecked on the Red Sea coast at Shu'aybah. The work was undertaken by

2755-643: The Colleges of Excellence program. The college faced criticism for being open to men only, including from the Canadian Association of University Teachers . As of 2023 it is unclear whether the campus in Taif is still active, with even the main website of Niagara College KSA having mixed information. There are a number of historical mosques in the city. One  [ ar ] ( 21°16′13.31″N 40°24′30.48″E  /  21.2703639°N 40.4084667°E  / 21.2703639; 40.4084667 ) houses

2850-543: The Hejaz." Both Ta'if and Mecca were resorts of pilgrimage. Ta'if was more pleasantly situated than Mecca itself, and their people of Ta'if had close trading relations. The people of Ta'if carried on agriculture and fruit‑growing in addition to their trade activities. In the early 7th century C.E. , Muhammad , who was born in Makkah, preached Islam to the inhabitants of Mecca and the Hijaz, and encountered resistance from many of

2945-447: The Hijaz, Ta'if was also given over to Ottoman control and the city remained Ottoman for a further three centuries, until in 1802, when it was retaken by rebels allied with the House of Saud . These forces then proceeded to take Mecca and Medina. The loss was keenly felt by the Ottoman Empire, which viewed itself as the protector of the holy cities. The Ottoman sultan, Mahmud II , called upon

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3040-611: The Ikhwan in what became known as the Ta'if massacre . In 1926, Abdulaziz al-Saud was officially recognized as the new King of Hejaz. Ta'if remained a part of the Kingdom of Hejaz until Abdulaziz al-Saud unified his two kingdoms and consolidated them into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1932. In 1934 the treaty was signed here that established the boundary lines between Yemen and the kingdom. The king himself

3135-562: The Islamic possessions and end the long civil war. In 693 CE, 'Abd al-Malik had the remnants of al-Zubayr's Kaaba razed, and rebuilt it on the foundations set by the Quraysh. The Kaaba returned to the cube shape it had taken during Muhammad's time. Its basic shape and structure have not changed since then. During the Hajj of 930 CE, the Shi'ite Qarmatians attacked Mecca under Abu Tahir al-Jannabi , defiled

3230-586: The Kaaba and trade with each other in the city. Various sculptures and paintings were held inside the Kaaba. A statue of Hubal (the principal idol of Mecca) and statues of other pagan deities are known to have been placed in or around the Kaaba. Apart from the paintings of pagan idols decorating the walls, which were destroyed at the behest of Muhammad after his conquest of Mecca , there were also paintings of angels , of Ibrahim holding divination arrows , and of Isa ( Jesus ) and his mother Maryam ( Mary ), which Muhammad spared. Undefined decorations, money and

3325-486: The Kaaba on the day of the conquest, ordered all the pictures erased except that of Maryam: Shihab (said) that the Prophet (peace be upon him) entered the Kaaba on the day of the conquest, and in it was a picture of the angels (mala'ika), among others, and he saw a picture of Ibrahim and he said: "May Allah kill those representing him as a venerable old man casting arrows in divination (shaykhan yastaqsim bil-azlam)." Then he saw

3420-462: The Kaaba was considered a religious duty though its rites were not yet finalized. During the first half of Muhammad's time as a prophet while he was at Mecca, he and his followers were severely persecuted which eventually led to their migration to Medina in 622 CE. In 624 CE, Muslims believe the direction of the qibla was changed from the Masjid al-Aqsa to the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, with the revelation of Surah 2 , verse 144. In 628 CE, Muhammad led

3515-538: The Kaaba was officially dedicated to Hubal , a Nabatean deity, and contained 360 idols which probably represented the days of the year. However, by the time of Muhammad's era, it seems that the Kaaba was venerated as the temple of Allah, the High God. Once a year, tribes from all around the Arabian Peninsula would converge on Mecca to perform the Hajj pilgrimage, which was a mark of the widespread conviction that Allah

3610-601: The Kaaba was the first masjid on Earth, and the second was Al-Aqsa in Jerusalem. Abu Dhar narrated: I said, "O Allah's Apostle! Which mosque was first built on the surface of the earth?" He said, "Al-Masjid-ul-Haram (in Mecca)." I said, "Which was built next?" He replied "The mosque of Al-Aqsa (in Jerusalem)." I said, "What was the period of construction between the two?" He said, "Forty years." He added, "Wherever (you may be, and)

3705-537: The Kaaba was thought to be at the center of the world, with the Gate of Heaven directly above it. The Kaaba marked the location where the sacred world intersected with the profane; the embedded Black Stone was a further symbol of this as a meteorite that had fallen from the sky and linked heaven and earth. According to Sarwar, about 400 years before the birth of Muhammad, a man named 'Amr bin Luhayy, who descended from Qahtan and

3800-433: The Kaaba, the floor is made of marble and limestone . The interior walls are clad with tiled, white marble halfway to the roof, with darker trimmings along the floor. The floor of the interior stands about 2 m (6 ft 7 in) above the ground area where tawaf is performed. The wall directly adjacent to the entrance of the Kaaba has six tablets inlaid with inscriptions, and there are several more tablets along

3895-636: The Mataaf are surrounded by pilgrims every day of the Islamic year , except the 9th of Dhu al-Hijjah , known as the Day of Arafah , on which the cloth covering the structure, known as the Kiswah (Arabic: كسوة , romanized:  Kiswah , lit.   'Cloth'), is changed. However, the most significant increase in their numbers is during Ramadan and the Hajj , when millions of pilgrims gather for Tawaf. According to

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3990-477: The Middle East, usually as a masculine fragrance, and due to its cultivation in Ta'if, it has gained the name "Ta'if rose." On October 1, 2017, King Salman of Saudi Arabia inaugurated the "New Ta'if" project, a $ 3.9 billion project aiming at establishing a new, international airport in the city, dubbed the Ta'if International Airport, renovation and modernization of the historic Souk 'Okaz , establishment of

4085-775: The Mosque was renovated. In 1916, after Hussein bin Ali had launched the Great Arab Revolt , during the Battle of Mecca between Arab and Ottoman forces, the Ottoman troops bombarded the city and hit the Kaaba, setting fire to the protective veil. This incident was later exploited by the propaganda of the Great Arab Revolt to attempt to demonstrate the impiety of the Ottomans and the legitimacy of

4180-441: The Oasis of Technology, which is expected to include an Antonov aircraft manufacturing and assembly plant, an industrial airport with a 3.5-km runway, a solar farm covering 25,000 square metres (270,000 sq ft) expected to produce 30 MW of electricity, the Residential Suburb, which is expected to include 10,000 residential units, the Industrial City, an 11-square-kilometre (4.2 sq mi) industrial city with

4275-452: The Roman army, which is known to have required colossal quantities of leather and hides for its equipment. According to Islamic cosmology , the Zurah pilgrimage site was the precursor to the Kaaba. Prior to Islam, the Kaaba was a holy site for the various Bedouin tribes throughout the Arabian Peninsula . Once every lunar year, Bedouin people would make a pilgrimage to Mecca. Setting aside any tribal feuds, they would worship their gods in

4370-421: The Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah , 6,791,100 external pilgrims arrived for the Umrah pilgrimage in the Islamic year AH  1439 (2017/2018  CE ). The literal meaning of the word Ka'bah ( Arabic : كعبة ) is cube . In the Qur'an, from the era of the life of Muhammad , the Kaaba is mentioned by the following names: According to historian Eduard Glaser , the name "Kaaba" may have been related to

4465-424: The Zamzam Well with the bodies of pilgrims and stole the Black Stone, taking it to the oasis in Eastern Arabia known as al-Aḥsāʾ , where it remained until the Abbasids ransomed it in 952 CE. After heavy rains and flooding in 1626, the walls of the Kaaba collapsed and the Mosque was damaged. The same year, during the reign of Ottoman Emperor Murad IV , the Kaaba was rebuilt with granite stones from Mecca, and

4560-405: The capital. The administration of the city itself is carried out by five municipalities, named North Taif, West Taif, East Taif, South Taif and New Taif. Taif is served by the Taif International Airport , with a larger international airport planned to open by 2030. Much like many of the cities in the Hejazi region, the city of Ta'if had an older name: Wajj ( وَجّ ). This was also the name of

4655-408: The city had been built by Othman el-Medhayfe. There were three gates and several towers on the city walls, which, however, were weak, being in some places only 45 cm (18 in) thick. Burckhardt stated that the castle had been built by Sharif Ghalib ibn Musa'id . He noted the destruction of the city caused by the conquest of 1802. Most of the buildings were still in ruin while he was there, and

4750-423: The city of Mecca." The Asatir book was likely compiled in the 10th century CE, though Moses Gaster suggested in 1927 that it was written no later than the second half of the 3rd century BCE. The Qur'an contains several verses regarding the origin of the Kaaba. It states that the Kaaba was the first House of Worship for mankind, and that it was built by Ibrahim and Ismail on Allah's instructions: Verily,

4845-428: The city's pagan past. The city then went through many exchanges-of-power, but most of the action within these conflicts took place between Makkah and Medina, and Ta'if dwindled in importance in contrast to the two holy cities. On 17 July 1517, the Sharif of Mecca capitulated to the Ottoman Sultan Selim I . As a sign of this, he surrendered to him the keys of the Islamic cities of Mecca and Medina . As part of

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4940-457: The context of the circumambulation of the Kaaba . Taʾif was given this name due to the wall that was built by the tribe of Banu Thaqif that circulated the city. In short, the city of Taʾif literally means the circulated or encircled city. In the 6th century A.D. , the city of Ta'if was dominated by the Thaqif tribe , which still lives in and around the city of Ta'if today. It has been suggested that Jewish tribes who were displaced in

5035-410: The cultivation of roses , which were traded throughout Central Asia and Transoxiana . Ta'if's modern economy is still mostly dependent on agriculture and perfumes , but an increasing diversification project has been taking place in order to combat the city's heavy dependence on these two industries. The distilled rose oil from the Rosa × damascena plant has been traditionally used as an attar in

5130-399: The eldest son of the Hashemite leader and Sharif of Mecca, Husayn ibn Ali , came with seventy men to Tā'if. Whilst his activities in the area aroused the suspicion of Ahmed Bey, Ghalib Pasha was unconcerned by so small a force. Abdullah secretly built up his army to 5,000 men. He then cut the telegraph wires to the city and took the offensive. All Hashemite assaults on the city were repelled by

5225-404: The first House (of worship) appointed for mankind was that at Bakkah (Makkah), full of blessing, and a guidance for mankind. Behold! We gave the site, to Ibrahim, of the (Sacred) House, (saying): "Associate not anything (in worship) with Me; and sanctify My House for those who compass it round, or stand up, or bow, or prostrate themselves (therein in prayer)." And remember Ibrahim and Ismail raised

5320-399: The first and second centuries of Islam. One of them reads as follows: God suffices and wrote Maysara bin Ibrahim Servant of the Kaaba (Khadim al-Kaaba). Juan Cole is of the opinion that the inscription is likely from the second century A.H. ( c.  718 –815 CE). During Muhammad's lifetime (570–632 CE), the Kaaba was considered a holy site by the local Arabs. Muhammad took part in

5415-454: The following narrative on the authority of his grandfather: I have heard that there was set up in al-Bayt (referring to the Kaaba) a picture ( Arabic : تمثال , romanized :  Timthal , lit.   'Depiction') of Maryam and 'Isa. ['Ata'] said: "Yes, there was set in it a picture of Maryam adorned ( muzawwaqan ); in her lap, her son Isa sat adorned." In her book Islam: A Short History , Karen Armstrong asserts that

5510-415: The foundations of the House (With this prayer): "Our Lord! Accept (this service) from us: For Thou art the All-Hearing, the All-knowing." Ibn Kathir , in his famous exegesis ( tafsir ) of the Quran, mentions two interpretations among the Muslims on the origin of the Kaaba. One is that the temple was a place of worship for mala'ikah ( angels ) before the creation of man. Later, a house of worship

5605-410: The geography starts with a speculation about the origin of the Muslim sanctuary in Arabia: Regarding the K'bta (Kaaba) of Ibrahim, we have been unable to discover what it is except that, because the blessed Abraham grew rich in property and wanted to get away from the envy of the Canaanites, he chose to live in the distant and spacious parts of the desert. Since he lived in tents, he built that place for

5700-441: The mountain guns, and both sides settled down to an uneasy siege. However, Hashemite guns were slowly brought up to Tā'if, and then the city held out a little longer; before finally surrendering on 22 September. The city thus later became a part of the self-proclaimed Hashemite Kingdom of Hejaz . Ta'if did not remain in Hashemite hands for very long. Tensions between the King of the Hejaz, Husayn ibn Ali, and Abdulaziz al-Saud ,

5795-401: The nearby town of Qia and is known as the Folk Theater of Qia. In the framework of Saudi Seasons initiative, the first Ta'if Season took place on August 1, 2019. Artists from seven countries participated in the event and a wide range of activities were overseen. Three main events have taken place during the season including the Souk 'Okaz festival and a camel race . As a sideline to the event,

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5890-418: The other walls. Along the top corners of the walls runs a black cloth embroidered with gold Qur'anic verses. Caretakers anoint the marble cladding with the same scented oil used to anoint the Black Stone outside. Three pillars (some erroneously report two) stand inside the Kaaba, with a small altar or table set between one and the other two. Lamp -like objects (possible lanterns or crucible censers ) hang from

5985-442: The people there. In 630, a battle took place at Hunayn , close to the city. Shortly after that, the unsuccessful siege of Ta'if took place. The city was assaulted by catapults from Banu Daus , but it repelled the attacks. The Battle of Tabuk in 631 left Tā'if completely isolated, so members of Thaqīf arrived in Makkah to negotiate the conversion of the city to Islam . The idol of Lāt was destroyed along with all other signs of

6080-410: The perpetually warring tribes, Mecca was declared a sanctuary where no violence was allowed within 30 km (20 mi) of the Kaaba. This combat-free zone allowed Mecca to thrive not only as a place of pilgrimage, but also as a trading center. In Samaritan literature, the Samaritan Book of the Secrets of Moses ( Asatir ) states that Ismail and his eldest son Nebaioth built the Kaaba as well as

6175-501: The picture of Maryam, so he put his hands on it and he said: "Erase what is in it [the Kaaba] in the way of pictures except the picture of Maryam." After the conquest, Muhammad restated the sanctity and holiness of Mecca, including its Great Mosque (Masjid al-Haram), in Islam. He performed the Hajj in 632 CE called the Hujjat ul-Wada' ("Farewell Pilgrimage") since Muhammad prophesied his impending death on this event. The Kaaba has been repaired and reconstructed many times. The structure

6270-440: The pilgrimage including doing naked circumambulation. A king named Tubba' is considered the first one to have a door be built for the Kaaba according to sayings recorded in Al-Azraqi 's Akhbar Makka . The interpretation that pre-Islamic Arabs once practiced Abrahamic religions is supported by some literary evidence, being the prevalence of Ishmael , whose God was that of Abraham , in pre-Islamic Arab culture. Writing in

6365-442: The prayer time becomes due, perform the prayer there, for the best thing is to do so (i.e. to offer the prayers in time)." Sahih al-Bukhari : Volume 4, Book 55, Hadith Number 585 While Abraham was building the Kaaba, an angel brought to him the Black Stone which he placed in the eastern corner of the structure. Another stone was the Maqam Ibrahim , the Station of Abraham, where Abraham stood for elevation while building

6460-405: The reconstruction of the Kaaba around 600 C.E., after its structure was weakened by a fire, and then damaged by a subsequent flood. Sources including Ibn Ishaq 's Sirat Rasūl Allāh , one of the biographies of Muhammad (as reconstructed and translated by Guillaume), as well as Al-Azraqi 's chronicle of Mecca, describe Muhammad settling a quarrel between the Meccan clans as to which clan should set

6555-431: The region completely. The only major highway in the Saudi Arabian network to pass through Ta'if is Highway 15 (known to locals as the Taif – Al-Hada Road) which arrives from Mecca in the west, bends around the mountains through Al-Hada, passes through the center of Ta'if, and travels to Abha and Khamis Mushait via Baha and Baljurashi . Ta'if is connected to Highway 40 via Highway 267 and Highway 287. Highway 267 forms

6650-402: The remains of Abdullah ibn Abbas , a cousin and companion of Muhammad . Another mosque  [ ar ] ( 21°15′27.65″N 40°23′27.37″E  /  21.2576806°N 40.3909361°E  / 21.2576806; 40.3909361 ) is named after Addas , an Iraqi Christian who embraced Islam after meeting Muhammad. Located 40 km (25 mi) north of Ta'if is the site of

6745-400: The revolt as a holy war. The Kaaba is depicted on the reverse of 500 Saudi riyal and 2000 Iranian rial banknotes. The Kaaba is a cuboid -shaped structure made of stones . It is approximately 15 m (49 ft 3 in) high with sides measuring 12 m (39 ft 4 in) × 10.5 m (34 ft 5 in) wide (Hawting states 10 m (32 ft 10 in). Inside

6840-471: The source: Diodorus puts the temple too far north for it to have been Mecca. Christian church father Arnobius , in around 300 CE, referred to "an unshapen stone" worshiped in an unspecified location in Arabia. This short Nestorian (Christian origin) chronicle written no later than the 660s CE covers the history up to the Arab conquest and also gives an interesting note on Arabian geography. The section covering

6935-545: The southern Arabian or Ethiopian word " mikrab ", signifying a temple. Author Patricia Crone disputes this etymology. Historian Patricia Crone has cast doubt on the claim that Mecca was a major historical trading outpost. Other scholars such as Glen Bowersock disagree and assert that it was. Crone later on disregarded some of her theories. She argues that Meccan trade relied on skins, hides, manufactured leather goods, clarified butter, Hijazi woollens, and camels. She suggests that most of these goods were destined for

7030-530: The structure. The Black Stone and the Maqam Ibrahim are believed by Muslims to be the only remnant of the original structure made by Abraham as the remaining structure had to be demolished and rebuilt several times over history for its maintenance. After the construction was complete, God enjoined the descendants of Ismail to perform an annual pilgrimage: the Hajj and the Qurban , sacrifice of cattle. The vicinity of

7125-464: The temple was also made a sanctuary where bloodshed and war were forbidden. According to Islamic tradition, over the millennia after Ismail's death, his progeny and the local tribes who settled around the Zamzam well gradually turned to polytheism and idolatry. Several idols were placed within the Kaaba representing deities of different aspects of nature and different tribes. Several rituals were adopted in

7220-470: The tomb of 'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas – cousin of Muhammad and ancestor of the Abbasids – had been severely damaged. He also recorded that the population of the city was still mostly Thaqīfi . In terms of trade, the city was an entrepôt for coffee . The castle and military barracks in Ta'if were repaired by the Ottomans in 1843, a hükûmet konağı – mansion for government business – was built in 1869, and

7315-400: The tribes of pre-Islamic Arabia . People from around the peninsula would come to visit the idol of the goddess Lat . This is proof that Ta'if has long been a historic center for trade and the arts in the Arabian Peninsula ; contemporary theaters in the area include the 'Okaz Market Theater and the recently opened King 'Abdullah Park Theater. A performing arts theater is also located in

7410-454: The valley of Mecca several years after leaving his wife Hajar ( Hagar ) and Ismail there upon Allah 's command. Circling the Kaaba seven times counterclockwise, known as Tawaf (Arabic: طواف , romanized:  tawaaf ), is a Fard (obligatory) rite for the completion of the Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages. The area around the Kaaba where pilgrims walk is called the Mataaf. The Kaaba and

7505-530: The wars of the Himyarite Kingdom by Ethiopian Christians settled near Ta'if. The walled city was a religious centre as it housed the idol of the goddess Lāt , who was then known as "the lady of Ta'if." Its climate marked the city out from its dry and barren neighbours closer to the Red Sea . Wheat , vines and fruit orchards were grown around Ta'if, and this is how the city earned its title "the Garden of

7600-593: The western part of the Ta'if beltway, but then continues southward toward Ash-Shafa , bypassing Mecca by using a longer route and gives access to Highway 304, Highway 301, Highway 40 and Highway 290 via Highway 298. Ta'if is served by the Taif International Airport . It was scheduled to open in 2020, but this had been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic . The new airport is mainly designed to cater to pilgrims of Hajj and ' Umrah , and to relieve pressure off

7695-468: The worship of God and for the offering of sacrifices. It took its present name from what it had been, since the memory of the place was preserved with the generations of their race. Indeed, it was no new thing for the Arabs to worship there, but goes back to antiquity, to their early days, in that they show honor to the father of the head of their people. This is an early record from the Rashidun caliphate , of

7790-404: Was a fort located near the Souk 'Okaz , many battles have been fought here and many prominent graves can be found, though only a small part of the original fort remains. Legend has it that Lawrence of Arabia also fought here. The Badawi Fortress is located in the southern reaches of East Ta'if. Due to Ta'if's location in the mountains, most major highways either bend around the city or avoid

7885-499: Was a town in southern Arabia in what was then known as Arabia Felix . A recent study has revisited the arguments for Macoraba and found them unsatisfactory. Based on an earlier report by Agatharchides of Cnidus , Diodorus Siculus mentions a temple along the Red Sea coast, "which is very holy and exceedingly revered by all Arabians". Edward Gibbon believed that this was the Kaaba. However, Ian D. Morris argues that Gibbon had misread

7980-596: Was an Arabic poet and a man of wisdom from the Banu 'Adwan tribe that historically lived in the northern parts of Ta'if. Furthermore, Banu Thabit are people descended from Thabit and the tribe is originally part of Hawazin clan. Pre-Islamic leaders of Banu Thaqif During the pre-Islamic era, the city was populated by the tribe of Thaqif. The city had then the following chieftains: Other important Islamic figures Monarchs and royals Others Kaaba The Kaaba , sometimes referred to as al-Ka'ba al-Musharrafa ,

8075-680: Was built on the location and was lost during the flood in Nuh ( Noah )'s time and was finally rebuilt by Ibrahim and Ismail as mentioned later in the Quran. Ibn Kathir regarded this tradition as weak and preferred instead the narration by Ali ibn Abi Talib that although several other temples might have preceded the Kaaba, it was the first Bayt Allah ('House of God'), dedicated solely to him, built by his instruction, and sanctified and blessed by him, as stated in Quran 22:26–29. A hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari states that

8170-458: Was damaged by fire during the siege of Mecca by Umayyads in 683 CE . In early Islam , Muslims faced in the general direction of Jerusalem as the qibla in their prayers before changing the direction to face the Kaaba, believed by Muslims to be a result of a Quranic verse revelation to Muhammad . According to Islam, the Kaaba was rebuilt several times throughout history, most famously by Ibrahim and his son Ismail , when he returned to

8265-464: Was later to die in the city on 9 November 1953, as did King Khalid on 13 June 1982. Ta'if was still little more than a medieval city when the Saudis took control of it. However, they later embarked on a project of modernizing the city. Saudi Arabia's first public power generator was set up in Ta'if in the late 1940s. In terms of building roads to the isolated city, in 1965 the then King Faisal inaugurated

8360-494: Was severely damaged by a fire on 3 Rabi' I 64 AH (Sunday 31 October 683 CE), during the first siege of Mecca in 683 in the war between the Umayyads and 'Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr , an early Muslim who ruled Mecca for many years between the death of ʿAli and the consolidation of power by the Umayyads . 'Abdullah rebuilt it to include the hatīm . He did so on the basis of a tradition (found in several hadith collections ) that

8455-506: Was stoned by the tribes. He was later given sanctuary by his fellows in a small house, which has now been converted into a mosque . Shubra Palace is the regional museum of Ta'if, housed in a building built around 1900, which served as Ibn Saud 's lodging in the 1930s, and was also used as the Presidency of the Council of Ministers of Saudi Arabia during King Faisal 's reign. The Turkish Fort

8550-407: Was the king of Hijaz , placed an idol of Hubal on the roof of the Kaaba. This idol was one of the chief deities of the ruling Quraysh tribe. The idol was made of red agate and shaped like a human, but with the right hand broken off and replaced with a golden hand. When the idol was moved inside the Kaaba, it had seven arrows in front of it, which were used for divination . To maintain peace among

8645-600: Was the only one built of stone. The others also allegedly had counterparts of the Black Stone. There was a "Red Stone", in the Kaaba of the South Arabian city of Ghaiman; and the "White Stone" in the Kaaba of al-Abalat (near modern-day Tabala ). Grunebaum, in Classical Islam , points out that the experience of divinity of that period was often associated with the fetishism of stones, mountains, special rock formations, or "trees of strange growth." Armstrong further says that

8740-583: Was the same deity worshipped by monotheists. At this time, the Muslims would perform the Salat prayer facing Jerusalem, as instructed by Muhammad, and turning their backs on the pagan associations of the Kabah. Alfred Guillaume , in his translation of the Ibn Ishaq 's seerah , says that the Kaaba itself might be referred to in the feminine form. Circumambulation was often performed naked by men and almost naked by women. It

8835-514: Was to remove statues and images from the Kaaba . According to reports collected by Ibn Ishaq and al-Azraqi , Muhammad spared a painting of Mary and Jesus , and a fresco of Ibrahim. Narrated Abdullah: When the Prophet entered Mecca on the day of the conquest, there were 360 idols around the Kaaba. The Prophet started striking them with a stick he had in his hand and was saying, "Truth has come and Falsehood has vanished..." (Qur'an 17:81) Al-Azraqi further conveys how Muhammad, after he entered

8930-449: Was used by King Abdulaziz as summer residence. Two of his sons, Prince Talal and Prince Nawwaf , were born there. It is where King Abdulaziz died in 1953. King Faisal used the Shubra Palace as a summer residence. The palace was also used as the office of Crown Prince Sultan . In 1995 the palace was made a heritage museum . The building consists of four floors and four uniform facades with gardens. The windows and balconies have

9025-677: Was used for communication with Kuwait during the Iraqi occupation . The entirety of the Ta'if governorate is situated on a raised valley surrounded by the Hejaz Mountains (part of the Sarat mountains ) to the west and south. The city is situated at an elevation of 1,879 m (6,165 ft) above mean sea level . For comparison, the surrounding mountains which separate Ta'if from nearby villages such as Al-Hada and Ash-Shafa , range in height anywhere from 2,000–3,500 m (6,600–11,500 ft). Ta'if

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