In 1814, the Swiss explorer John Lewis Burckhardt entered the city he called “Mecca” in his journals. The inhabitants called it Makkah. They were speaking of the same place. Mecca and Makkah are the same city in western Saudi Arabia, the holiest site in Islam. “Mecca” is the anglicized spelling of the Arabic “Makkah” (مكة). The two spellings refer to the same location, but the choice between them carries linguistic, historical, and at times political weight.
Definition: The Same City, Spelled Two Ways
Mecca and Makkah are one and the same: a city in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia, approximately 70 kilometers inland from the Red Sea port of Jeddah. “Mecca” entered English through Latin and medieval European languages, likely via the Greek Makka or the Italian Mecca. “Makkah” is a direct transliteration of the Arabic name, which appears in the Quran as Makkah (سورة الفتح 48:24). The Saudi government officially adopted the spelling “Makkah” in English-language publications in the 1980s, though “Mecca” remains common in older texts and everyday usage outside the Arabic-speaking world.
Where Do the Two Spellings Come From?
The oldest known reference to the city in Arabic is the Quranic Makkah. The etymology before Islam is uncertain. Some scholars connect the name to an ancient South Arabian word for “sanctuary” or “temple.” The city’s earlier name in the Quran is Bakkah （سورة آل عمران 3:96）, which some exegetes interpret as a variant of Makkah or a reference to the valley of the Kaaba.
Western travelers encountered the city through Ottoman intermediaries. The Venetian traveler Ludovico di Varthema, who visited in 1503, wrote Mecca. The 16th-century cartographer Abraham Ortelius used Mecca on his map of Arabia. By the time Burckhardt arrived, the spelling was fixed in European geography. The discrepancy between “Mecca” and “Makkah” is therefore a product of transliteration history: European languages approximated the Arabic emphatic consonant qaf as a hard “k” then softened by Romance pronunciation, while the medial short vowel shifted.
In 1986, the Saudi Arabian government directed that all official English-language materials use Makkah to reflect the original pronunciation. The change was not a renaming of the city but a spelling reform. The United States Board on Geographic Names followed suit in the 1990s, though the Associated Press Stylebook continues to accept “Mecca” as a common English term.
What the City Means in Islamic Esoteric Tradition
The city is not merely a geographical location. In Islamic cosmology, it is the umm al-qura – the mother of settlements – and the navel of the earth. This concept of the Kaaba as an omphalos (a world navel) appears in early Hadith literature. The Quran describes the Kaaba as the “first house established for mankind” (3:96). Sufi commentaries expand this: the Kaaba is the point where the celestial and terrestrial realms intersect, the axis around which the spiritual and physical worlds revolve.
The Black Stone, set in the eastern corner of the Kaaba, is said to have descended from paradise, whiter than milk, before being blackened by human sin. That story, recorded in the Hadith of Ibn Abbas, gives the stone a intermediary status between heaven and earth. Pilgrims kiss it not as an idol but as a tactile link to the divine covenant.
In Western occult traditions, the city appears in the writings of the 19th-century French esotericist Eliphas Levi, who referred to the Kaaba as a “magnetic center” and speculated about its alignment with cosmic forces. These interpretations are not part of Islamic orthodoxy but reflect how the city entered European occult discourse through travel narratives and Orientalist scholarship.
How the City Functions in Practice
The primary practice that defines the city is the Hajj, the annual pilgrimage that every able-bodied Muslim must perform at least once. The rituals – the circling of the Kaaba (tawaf), the running between Safa and Marwa, the standing at Arafat – are performed in and around Makkah. We note that the qibla, the direction of daily prayer, orients every mosque and every Muslim toward this city. That daily alignment is a quiet repetition of the pilgrimage, a way of turning toward the center five times a day.
Non-Muslims are prohibited from entering the city. This restriction dates to the time of Muhammad, who expelled polytheists from the precinct. In practice, the prohibition creates a boundary that most Western observers cannot cross. The city remains known to them through description, not direct experience.
Comparing Makkah to Other Sacred Centers
Makkah shares with Jerusalem and Varanasi the status of a ritual center that defines a tradition’s geography. Jerusalem was the first qibla for Muslims, before the direction was changed to Makkah in 624 CE. The shift is recorded in the Quran (2:142-144) and marks a moment of communal identity. Like Jerusalem, Makkah is a site of prophecy and judgment. But unlike Jerusalem, Makkah has remained continuously in Muslim hands since its conquest in 630 CE.
The omphalos concept appears in other traditions – the Navel Stone at Delphi, the Omphalos of Meroe in Nubia, the Buddhist Meru. Makkah’s distinction is that its role as center is not symbolic alone; it is physically enacted by millions each year.
Common Misconceptions
“Mecca and Makkah are two different cities.” No. They are the same city. The spelling difference is transliteration, not geography.
“Mecca is the birthplace of Muhammad.” Muhammad was born in Makkah around 570 CE, but most biographical sources place his birth in a specific house rather than a shrine. The city is his birthplace, not the birthplace of Islam as a community – that distinction belongs to Medina, where the first mosque was built.
“The spelling ‘Makkah’ is more correct.” From an Arabic perspective, yes. But “Mecca” has a four-century history in English. Both are valid in different contexts.
“The Black Stone is a meteorite.” This is a persistent rumor with no firm evidence. The stone’s composition has never been analyzed. The claim appears in 19th-century European travelogues but is not supported by Islamic sources.
FAQ
Why are there two spellings, Mecca and Makkah? One spelling came through European languages; the other is a direct transliteration of the Arabic. Both refer to the same city.
Is “Makkah” the official spelling now? The Saudi government uses “Makkah” in official English documents. Many international organizations and style guides accept either spelling.
Do Muslims prefer one spelling? Muslims who speak Arabic use “Makkah” (مكة). The preference for English use varies, but awareness of the transliteration issue has grown since the 1980s.
Is there any difference between Mecca and Makkah in terms of location? None. They are the same city at the same coordinates.
Closing
The two spellings of one city remind us that names are never neutral. They carry the history of contact, translation, and authority. For those interested in how sacred geography shapes practice, explore our guide to other sacred sites. The Kaaba itself as a ritual object is discussed in our glossary of the Kaaba. And for a broader look at how pilgrimage centers function across traditions, see the guide to sacred geography.