Geography of Makkah Al-Mukarramah City

The Geography of Makkah Al-Mukarramah City includes the factors, influences, natural phenomena, human factors, and natural landmarks in Makkah Al-Mukarramah City, and everything related to the study of the nature of the earth in terms of geological structure, natural phenomena, human phenomena, and climate. 
 

Geographical boundaries of Makkah Al-Mukarramah City

Makkah Al-Mukarramah City is the administrative capital of Makkah Al-Mukarramah Province, west of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It is located at latitude twenty-one degrees twenty-seven minutes and longitude thirty-nine degrees forty-nine minutes, at an altitude of approximately 280 m above sea level. It is bordered to the north by Al-Jumum Governorate, to the east by Taif Governorate, and to the south and west by Bahrah and Al-Jumum Governorates. Makkah Al-Mukarramah City is approximately seventy-three km from Jeddah, eighty-seven km from Taif, 450 km from Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah, and 990 km from the capital, Riyadh. According to the 2022 Saudi Census, the population of the holy capital is approximately 2,427,924 people, representing approximately 30 percent of the population of Makkah Al-Mukarramah Province.

Area of Makkah Al-Mukarramah City

The holy capital represents about 2.14 percent of the total area of Makkah Al-Mukarramah Province, as it extends for a length of about 77.5 km from north to south, and a width of about eighty-nine km from east to west, and its area is about 3,004 km2. Ibrahim Al-Khalil Valley embraces the center of Makkah Al-Mukarramah City, and it is in turn confined between two mountain ranges close to each other on the eastern, western, and southern sides. The northern mountain range consists of Al-Falaq Mountain and Qaiqan Mountain. The southern range starts from Abu Hadidah Mountain in the west and heads south towards Kuday Mountain, then Abu Qubais Mountain in the southeast, then Khandama Mountain, located in the southeast on the Jeddah-Taif road.

Geological formation of Makkah Al-Mukarramah City

The topographic corridor where Makkah Al-Mukarramah City has lain since the fifth century is known as "Jawf Makkah" (Hollow of Makkah), and is situated between Wadi Al-Taneem and Wadi Makkah. This mountainous location has defined the contemporary expansion of the city, which started to stretch from the central area of the Grand Mosque, which is lower in elevation than most of the city's areas. On the other hand, the valleys of Makkah Al-Mukarramah City are covered by sediments of gravel and sand. The structure of most of these valleys, from which Makkah Al-Mukarramah is formed, follows the movements of the rifts and fractures that the Arabian Shield passed through over ancient geological times.

Topography of Makkah Al-Mukarramah City

The topography of Makkah Al-Mukarramah is one of the most difficult geological formations, as most of it is composed of volcanic rocks, within the formations of the Arabian Shield, which includes the mountains of Makkah Al-Mukarramah. Its topography varies between hills, mountains, and valleys. This topography is divided into three sections: the western, central, and eastern. The height of the topography in the western section of the city ranges between two hundred and 250 m, and the height of some mountain peaks may reach four hundred meters above sea level. Meanwhile, the height of the topography of the western section exceeds three hundred meters. It includes several historical mountains, including: Thawr Mountain, whose peak rises to 759 m, Qaiqan Mountain, whose height reaches 427 m, Khandama Mountain, whose peak reaches 420 m, and Abu Qubais Mountain, whose height reaches 372 m. 
The eastern part of Makkah Al-Mukarramah City has an altitude of more than four hundred meters above sea level. It contains mountain peaks whose altitude exceeds eight hundred meters, including Mount Al-Tariqi, which is located east of Mina holy site. Its peak reaches a height of nine hundred meters, and it is the highest peak in the mountains of Makkah Al-Mukarramah and the holy sites.

Climate of Makkah Al-Mukarramah City

The climate of the Holy Capital is characterized by extreme dryness and heat in the summer, and by warmth and dryness, with little rainfall in the winter. The temperature exceeds forty-eight degrees Celsius in the summer, while its climate is moderate in the winter, dropping to eighteen degrees Celsius. The location of Makkah Al-Mukarramah City, which is relatively far from large bodies of water, has contributed to it recording the highest temperatures in the world, with the average annual temperature reaching 29.9 degrees Celsius. As a result of the changes in atmospheric pressure centers, which are one of the most important factors influencing the winds blowing over Makkah Al-Mukarramah City, and the city's location and topography, which play a major role in wind directions, according to studies conducted on Makkah Al-Mukarramah, the winds blowing over the city come from the north, northwest, and southwest. The average wind speed in Makkah Al-Mukarramah is less than three knots, or 5.6 km/h, while the highest average wind speed was recorded at thirty-six knots, or 66.7 km/h. The average normal wind speed ranges between four and 4.5 knots per hour.
Makkah Al-Mukarramah's winds are: northwestern winds, which are dry in the summer but wet and rainy in the winter; northeastern winds, which are hot and dry in the summer but warm in the winter; and southwestern monsoon rainy winds.

Rainfall in Makkah Al-Mukarramah City

Rainfall in Makkah Al-Mukarramah is scarce. It is usually caused by northwesterly or southwesterly monsoon rainy winds. Rainfall in Makkah Al-Mukarramah ranges between twenty-five and eighty mm annually. The general humidity rate in Makkah Al-Mukarramah City is relatively low due to its desert dry nature. According to the latest official statistics, the highest humidity percentage recorded according to climatic standards was 57 percent, while the lowest was 32 percent.

History of Makkah Al-Mukarramah City

Makkah Al-Mukarramah City has religious significance, as it is the holy city for more than a fifth of the world's population, who flock to it to perform Hajj and Umrah rituals. It is the birthplace of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him (PBUH). Entry to the city is restricted to Muslims. It is also one of the oldest cities in the world, and its name was mentioned in ancient Greek, Syriac, and Roman sources. In Syriac, it is called 'Makrabo', in Assyrian, 'Maka', and in ancient Sabaean, 'Makraba'. All of these names mean 'the holy city'. Millions of Muslims from all over the globe gather in Makkah Al-Mukarramah City, as it is the place of divine revelation and contains the Grand Mosque and its honorable Kaaba, which is the Islamic Qibla and the destination of pilgrims and Umrah performers. As part of the development of geographic information systems for the Holy Capital, the Holy Makkah Municipality provides maps and geographic data of the Holy Sites through the Geographic Explorer service provided by the Ministry of Municipalities and Housing. This service includes a set of identification maps for each of the municipalities affiliated with the provinces or governorates of Saudi Arabia, including the Holy Makkah Municipality. All spatial data for the province has been collected, and a geographic database for the Holy Sites has been built, classified, and divided into categories according to the authority to which it belongs, with the data being displayed on digital and paper maps.