Editing Mecca (section)

==Geography==
[[File:Mecca seen from international space station.png|thumb|Mecca as seen from the [[International Space Station]]. Haram is visible in the center while Mina is visible in the east.]] Mecca is located in the [[Hejaz|Hejaz region]], a 200&nbsp;km (124&nbsp;mi) wide strip of mountains separating the [[An Nafud|Nafud desert]] from the [[Red Sea]]. The city is situated in a valley with the same name around 70&nbsp;km (44&nbsp;mi) east of the port city of [[Jeddah]]. Mecca is one of the lowest cities in elevation in the Hejaz region, located at an elevation of 277&nbsp;m (909&nbsp;ft) above sea level at 21º23' north latitude and 39º51' east longitude. Mecca is divided into 34 districts.

The city centers on the al-Haram area, which contains the Masjid al-Haram. The area around the mosque is the old city and contains the most famous district of Mecca, Ajyad. The main street that runs to ''al-Haram'' is the Ibrahim al-Khalil Street, named after [[Abraham in Islam|Ibrahim]]. Traditional, historical homes built of local rock, two to three stories long are still present within the city's central area, within view of modern hotels and shopping complexes. The total area of modern Mecca is over {{convert|1200|km2|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite web|title=Mecca Municipality|url=http://www.holymakkah.gov.sa/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070529170352/http://www.holymakkah.gov.sa/|archive-date=29 May 2007|access-date=6 April 2010|publisher=Holymakkah.gov.sa}}</ref>

=== Elevation ===
Mecca is at an elevation of {{convert|277|m|abbr=on}} above sea level, and approximately 70&nbsp;km (44&nbsp;mi) inland from the Red Sea.<ref name="world-13">[[#iw|''Islamic World'']], p. 13</ref> It is one of the lowest in the [[Hejaz]] region, although some mountain peaks in Mecca reach {{convert|1000|m|abbr=on}} in height.

=== Topography ===
The city center lies in a corridor between mountains, which is often called the "Hollow of Mecca". The area contains the valley of al-Taneem, the valley of Bakkah and the valley of Abqar.<ref name="EIE" /><ref name="EIModern">"Makka – The Modern City", ''Encyclopaedia of Islam''</ref> This mountainous location has defined the contemporary expansion of the city.

=== Sources of water ===

[[File:بئر زمزم الأثري.jpg|thumb|The mouthpiece of the [[well of Zamzam]]]]
Due to Mecca's climatic conditions [[water scarcity]] has been an issue throughout its history. In pre-modern Mecca, the city used a few chief sources of water. Among them were local wells, such as the [[Zamzam Well]], that produced generally brackish water. Finding a sustainable water source to supply Mecca's permanent population and the large number of annual pilgrims was an undertaking that began in the Abbasid era under the auspices of [[Zubaidah bint Ja'far|Zubayda]], the wife of the caliph [[Harun al-Rashid|Harun ar-Rashid]].{{Efn|Possibly following their pilgrimage in 805 and seeing the city's issues with its water supply.}} She donated funds for the deepening of Zamzam Well and funded a massive construction project likely costing 1.75 million [[gold dinar]]s. The project encompassed the construction of an underground [[Aqueduct (water supply)|aqueduct]] from the {{Langx|ar|عين حنين|translit=ʿAyn Ḥunayn|lit=Spring of [[Hunayn, Saudi Arabia|Hunayn]]}} and smaller water sources in the area to Mecca in addition to the construction of a waterworks on [[Mount Arafat]] called {{Langx|ar|عين زبيدة|translit=ʿAyn Zubayda|lit=Spring of [[Zubaidah bint Ja'far|Zubayda]]}} using a separate conduit to connect it to Mecca and the Masjid al-Haram. Over time however the system deteriorated and failed to fulfil its function. Thus in 1245, 1361, 1400, 1474, and 1510 different rulers invested into extensive repairs of the system. In 1525, due to the system's troubles persisting however the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] sultan [[Suleiman the Magnificent]] began a construction project to rebuild the aqueduct in its entirety, the project took until 1571 to be completed. Its water quality was greatly lacking during the 19th century until a restoration and cleaning project by Osman Pasha began.<ref name="Literary">{{Cite book |last=Peters |first=F. E. |title=Mecca: a Literary History of the Muslim Holy Land. |date=1994 |publisher=Princeton University Press |isbn=978-1-4008-8736-1 |location=Princeton |pages=135–136 |oclc=978697983}}</ref>

Another source which sporadically provided water was rainfall which was stored by the people in small reservoirs or [[cistern]]s. According to al-Kurdī, there had been 89 floods by 1965. In the last century, the most severe flood was that of 1942. Since then, dams have been built to ameliorate this problem.<ref name="EIModern" />

In the modern day, [[water treatment]] plants and [[desalination]] facilities]] have been constructed and are being constructed to provide suitable amounts of water fit for human consumption to the city.<ref>{{Cite web |title=FCC Aqualia wins contract to operate two wastewater treatment plants in Mecca, Saudi Arabia |url=https://www.water-technology.net/uncategorised/newsfcc-aqualia-wins-contract-to-operate-two-wastewater-treatment-plants-in-mecca-saudi-arabia-4617046/ |access-date=2022-10-11 |website=water-technology.net |archive-date=11 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221011162006/https://www.water-technology.net/uncategorised/newsfcc-aqualia-wins-contract-to-operate-two-wastewater-treatment-plants-in-mecca-saudi-arabia-4617046/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Sun, Sand And Water: Solar-Powered Desalination Plant Will Help Supply Saudi Arabia With Fresh Water |website=GE News |url=https://www.ge.com/news/reports/sun-sand-and-water-solar-powered-desalination-plant-will-help-supply-saudi-arabia-with |access-date=2022-10-11 |language=en}}</ref>

=== Climate ===
{{main|Climate of Mecca}}
Mecca features a [[hot desert climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]]: ''BWh''), in three different [[Hardiness zone|plant hardiness zones]]: 10, 11 and 12.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Millison|first=Andrew|title=Climate Analogue Examples|url=https://open.oregonstate.education/permaculturedesign/chapter/climate-analogue-examples/|journal=Permaculture Design: Tools for Climate Resilience|date=August 2019|publisher=Oregon State University|language=en|access-date=24 March 2020}}</ref> Like most Saudi Arabian cities, Mecca retains warm to hot temperatures even in winter, which can range from {{convert|19|C}} at night to {{convert|30|C}} in the afternoon. Summer temperatures are extremely hot and consistently break the {{convert|40|C}} mark in the afternoon, dropping to {{convert|30|C}} in the evening, but humidity remains relatively low, at 30–40%. Rain usually falls in Mecca in small amounts scattered between November and January, with heavy thunderstorms also common during the winter. Occasional summer rainfall in recent years has been associated with the northward movement of the [[Intertropical Convergence Zone]]. 
{{Weather box
| location = Mecca (1991-2020)
| metric first = 1
| single line = 1
| Jan record high C = 39.0
| Feb record high C = 40.0
| Mar record high C = 42.4
| Apr record high C = 44.7
| May record high C = 49.4
| Jun record high C = 51.8
| Jul record high C = 51.0
| Aug record high C = 50.0
| Sep record high C = 49.8
| Oct record high C = 47.0
| Nov record high C = 41.2
| Dec record high C = 39.4
| year record high C = 
| Jan high C = 30.9
| Feb high C = 32.6
| Mar high C = 35.4
| Apr high C = 39.0
| May high C = 42.4
| Jun high C = 43.9
| Jul high C = 43.2
| Aug high C = 42.9
| Sep high C = 42.9
| Oct high C = 40.4
| Nov high C = 35.6
| Dec high C = 32.5
| year high C =
| Jan mean C = 24.3
| Feb mean C = 25.4
| Mar mean C = 27.8
| Apr mean C = 31.3
| May mean C = 34.6
| Jun mean C = 36.2
| Jul mean C = 36.2
| Aug mean C = 35.9
| Sep mean C = 35.2
| Oct mean C = 32.5
| Nov mean C = 28.7
| Dec mean C = 25.9
| year mean C = 
| Jan low C = 19.2
| Feb low C = 19.9
| Mar low C = 21.8
| Apr low C = 25.1
| May low C = 28.1
| Jun low C = 29.3
| Jul low C = 29.8
| Aug low C = 30.1
| Sep low C = 29.2
| Oct low C = 26.5
| Nov low C = 23.4
| Dec low C = 20.7
| year low C = 
| Jan record low C = 11.0
| Feb record low C = 10.0
| Mar record low C = 13.0
| Apr record low C = 15.6
| May record low C = 20.3
| Jun record low C = 22.0
| Jul record low C = 23.4
| Aug record low C = 23.4
| Sep record low C = 22.0
| Oct record low C = 18.0
| Nov record low C = 16.4
| Dec record low C = 12.4
| year record low C = 10.0
| precipitation colour = green
| Jan precipitation mm = 20.7
| Feb precipitation mm = 2.5
| Mar precipitation mm = 5.2
| Apr precipitation mm = 8.3
| May precipitation mm = 2.6
| Jun precipitation mm = 0.0
| Jul precipitation mm = 1.4
| Aug precipitation mm = 5.8
| Sep precipitation mm = 6.3
| Oct precipitation mm = 14.1
| Nov precipitation mm = 23.2
| Dec precipitation mm = 24.7
| year precipitation mm = 104.6
| daily = Y
| Jan humidity = 58
| Feb humidity = 54
| Mar humidity = 48
| Apr humidity = 43
| May humidity = 36
| Jun humidity = 33
| Jul humidity = 34
| Aug humidity = 39
| Sep humidity = 45
| Oct humidity = 50
| Nov humidity = 58
| Dec humidity = 59
| year humidity = 46
|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm
| Jan precipitation days = 1.8
| Feb precipitation days = 0.3
| Mar precipitation days = 0.6
| Apr precipitation days = 0.7
| May precipitation days = 0.3
| Jun precipitation days = 0.0
| Jul precipitation days = 0.1
| Aug precipitation days = 0.8
| Sep precipitation days = 0.7
| Oct precipitation days = 1.1
| Nov precipitation days = 1.7
| Dec precipitation days = 1.3
| year precipitation days = 9.6
| Jan sun = 260.4
| Feb sun = 245.8
| Mar sun = 282.1
| Apr sun = 282.0
| May sun = 303.8
| Jun sun = 321.0
| Jul sun = 313.1
| Aug sun = 297.6
| Sep sun = 282.0
| Oct sun = 300.7
| Nov sun = 264.0
| Dec sun = 248.0
| year sun =
| Jand sun = 8.4
| Febd sun = 8.7
| Mard sun = 9.1
| Aprd sun = 9.4
| Mayd sun = 9.8
| Jund sun = 10.7
| Juld sun = 10.1
| Augd sun = 9.6
| Sepd sun = 9.4
| Octd sun = 9.7
| Novd sun = 8.8
| Decd sun = 8.0
| yeard sun = 9.3
| source 1 =[[World Meteorological Organization]],<ref>{{cite web
| url = https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/2.2/data/0-data/Region-2-WMO-Normals-9120/SaudiArabia/CSV/Makkah_41030.csv
| title = World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991–2020
| publisher = World Meteorological Organization
| access-date = 2 August 2023}}</ref> Jeddah Regional Climate Center<ref name="JRCC">{{cite web |url=http://jrcc.sa/reports_files/1985_2010Reports/Mecca.RTF |title=Climate Data for Saudi Arabia |publisher=Jeddah Regional Climate Center |access-date=29 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120512182826/http://jrcc.sa/reports_files/1985_2010Reports/Mecca.RTF |archive-date=12 May 2012 }}</ref>
| source 2 = [[Deutscher Wetterdienst]] (sunshine hours, 1986–2000)<ref name="DWD">{{cite web |url=http://www.dwd.de/DWD/klima/beratung/ak/ak_410300_kt.pdf |title=Klimatafel von Mekka (al-Makkah) / Saudi-Arabien |work=Baseline climate means (1961–1990) from stations all over the world |publisher=Deutscher Wetterdienst |language=de |access-date=25 January 2016}}</ref>
| source =
}}