Mecca is the heart of Islam. It is the birthplace of Muhammad, the direction towards
which Muslims turn when they pray and the site of pilgrimage which annually draws
some three million Muslims from all corners of the world. Yet Mecca’s importance goes
beyond religion. What happens in Mecca and how Muslims think about the political and
cultural history of Mecca has had and continues to have a profound influence on world
events to this day.
In this captivating book, Ziauddin Sardar unravels the significance of Mecca. Tracing its
history, from its origins as a ‘barren valley’ in the desert to its evolution as a trading town
and sudden emergence as the religious centre of a world empire, Sardar examines the
religious struggles and rebellions in Mecca that have powerfully shaped Muslim culture.
Interweaving stories of his own pilgrimages to Mecca with those of others, Sardar offers
a unique insight into not just the spiritual aspects of Mecca – the passion, ecstasy and
longing it evokes – but also the conflict between heritage and modernity that has
characterised its history. He unpeels the physical, social and cultural dimensions that
have helped transform the city and also, though accounts of such Orientalist travellers
as Richard Burton and Charles Doughty, the strange fascination that Mecca has long
inspired in the Western imagination. And, ultimately, he explores what this tension could
mean for Mecca’s future.
An illuminative, lyrical and witty blend of history, reportage and memoir, this outstanding
book reflects all that is profound, enlightening and curious about one of the most
important religious sites in the world.
About the Aurthor:
Ziauddin Sardar was born in Pakistan and grew up in Hackney. A writer, broadcaster
and cultural critic, he is one of the world’s foremost Muslim intellectuals and author of
more than forty-five books on Islam, science and contemporary culture. He has been
listed by Prospect magazine as one of Britain’s top 100 intellectuals. Currently he is the
Director of Centre for Postnormal Policy and Futures Studies at East West University,
Chicago, co-editor of the quarterly Critical Muslim, consulting editor of Futures, a monthly
journal on policy, planning and futures studies, and Chair of the Muslim Institute in
London.
