Editing Mecca (section)

==Culture==
[[File:مكة المكرمة meca.jpg|thumb|Al-Haram Mosque and the [[Kaaba]]]]Mecca's culture has been affected by the large number of pilgrims that arrive annually, and thus boasts a rich [[cultural heritage]]. As a result of the vast numbers of pilgrims coming to the city each year, Mecca has become by far the most diverse city in the Muslim world.

=== Sports ===

In pre-modern Mecca, the most common sports were impromptu wrestling and foot races.<ref name="EIModern" /> [[Association football|Football]] is now the most popular sport in Mecca and the kingdom. The city hosts some of the oldest sport clubs in Saudi Arabia, such as [[Al-Wahda (Mecca)|Al Wahda FC]] (established in 1945). [[King Abdul Aziz Stadium|King Abdulaziz Stadium]] is the largest stadium in Mecca with a capacity of 38,000.<ref>[http://www.fussballtempel.net/afc/listeafc.html Asian Football Stadiums] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090629224018/http://www.fussballtempel.net/afc/listeafc.html |date=29 June 2009 }} – Stadium King Abdul Aziz</ref>

=== Architectural landmarks ===
{{see also|Sacred sites in Mecca}}
Adorning the southern facade of the Masjid al-Haram is the [[Abraj Al Bait|Abraj al-Bait Complex]]; towering over the Great Mosque, it is a seven-building complex with the central clock tower having a length of 601 m (1,972 feet), making it the world's fourth-tallest building. All seven buildings in the complex also form the [[List of largest buildings in the world|third-largest building by floor area]].

The [[Mecca Gate]], known popularly as the Quran Gate, sits on the western entrance of the city, which is the route from Jeddah. Located on Highway 40, it marks the boundary of the [[Haram (site)|Haram area]] where non-Muslims are prohibited from entering. The gate was designed in 1979 by an Egyptian architect, Samir Elabd, for the architectural firm IDEA Center. The structure is that of a book, representing the Quran, sitting on a [[Rehal (book rest)|''rehal'']], or bookrest.<ref name="Makkah Gate Design - elabdarchitecture.com">{{cite web |title=IDEA Center Projects|url=http://elabdarchitecture.com/resume.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150208203337/http://elabdarchitecture.com/resume.htm|publisher=Elabdar Architecture|archive-date=8 February 2015}} – Makkah Gate</ref>