THE REAL MECCA
If you want to be a hajji, you have to make a hajj.
A hajj is a pilgrimage, or journey, to the city of Mecca in Saudi
Arabia. Moslems, as believers in the religion of Islam are called, try
to make a hajj once in their life. After a Moslem makes a hajj to
the holy city of Mecca, he is called a hajji, or pilgrim.
The Great Mosque, or place of prayer, in Mecca is the center of worship
for all Moslems. Near the Great Mosque is a small building shaped like a
box. It is called the Kaaba. The Kaaba holds the sacred Black Stone that
Moslems believe God sent from heaven. Wherever Moslems live, they face
in the direction of the Kaaba when they pray.
Today, we use the word “mecca” to mean a place many people visit—a
mecca for children could be a zoo, a park, or an ice-cream shop. But the
real Mecca is the holy city for Moslems.
