The sacred Mosque in Mecca surrounds the Kaba, a cubical structure 48 feet tall and draped in black silk, newly sewn each year. According to the Koran, revealed to the Prophet Mohammed in his birthplace of Mecca in 570, the first Kaba was built by Abraham and his son Ishmael to worship the one true God. Ishmael's mother Hagar searched for water in the hills of this area and was guided by an angel to the Well of ZamZam located within the Mosque today. Photo by Muhammad Sadiq, 1880 ------- back |start | next