Famous Places

Mecca

Pre-Reading Warm Up Questions ☀

Mecca 1. Where is Mecca located?

2. Do you know why Mecca is so important to the

Mecca is Islam’s holiest city. Muslims turn toward Mecca five times religion of Islam?
a day to pray. 3. Do you know when the religion of Islam was founded?

4. Have you heard of the spiritual journey to Mecca called

Mecca is located in Saudi Arabia, in a narrow valley about 50 miles
the Hajj?
from the Red Sea. It was a trading center originally.
5. Do you know how many people take part in the annual
Islam was founded in Mecca by the Prophet Mohammed in the 7th Hajj?
century. The Ka’ba, a cubed-shaped, black brick building, is the
center of Islam. Al-Haram Mosque (the Great Mosque) surrounds
the Ka’ba and the modern city of Mecca surrounds the mosque.

Only Muslims are allowed to visit Mecca. All able-bodied Muslims

who have enough money to make the journey must perform a
spiritual Hajj, or pilgrimage, to Mecca at least once in their life.
During the Hajj, pilgrims must wear special white clothes and
cannot do things like shave, cut their nails, wear jewelry, kill or
hunt, or fight or argue.

More than 2 million Muslims from 70 countries take part in the

annual Hajj. Many travel thousands of miles to reach the holy city.
While there, they perform certain rituals. After entering al-Haram
Mosque, they walk around the Ka’ba seven times in a counter-
COMPREHENSION ✍
clockwise direction, a ritual called the Tawaf. They must also run
seven times along one of the passageways in the mosque. This ritual A. True or False. Read the statements below. If the
honors the search for water by Hajar, the Prophet Abraham’s wife. statement is true, write T beside the sentence. If it is
false, write F. If it is false, correct the information.

The crowds of people and the heat have created problems in the 1. Mecca is located at the top of a mountain in Saudi
past. Many pilgrims have died of heat stroke; many others have died Arabia.
after being crushed in stampedes or caught in fires or as a result of
2. Mecca was once a trading center.
violent political demonstrations. The government of Saudi Arabia
has set a fixed number of pilgrims who are allowed to come from 3. All Muslims, rich or poor, must travel to Mecca once in
their lifetime.
each country each year to try to overcome these problems.
4. The spiritual journey to Mecca is called the Ka’ba.

5. Many people have died during their spiritual journey to

Mecca.

1
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 Famous Places
Mecca

B. Practice asking and answering the following questions with your partner. Then write the answers in complete sentences.

1. Where is Mecca located?

DISCUSS
2. Why is Mecca so important in the religion of Islam?
3. What is the Ka’ba? 1. Besides Mecca, what are some other
4. What is the Hajj and what are some of the requirements of the Hajj? holy sites around the world? What
5. How many Muslims take part in the annual Hajj? religions are these places associated
with? Have you visited any of these
6. What are some of the rituals associated with the Hajj?
places?
7. What are some of the problems that have occurred during the Hajj?

2. There are several rituals associated with

VOCABULARY REVIEW ✍ the Hajj that are mentioned in the
A. Match the word on the left with the correct meaning on the right. reading. Discuss some of the rituals
involved in ceremonies or services in
your own religion or culture.
_____ 1. holy a) a religious journey
_____ 2. pray b) very forceful 3. Many people have died while making
_____ 3. narrow c) started, established the pilgrimage to Mecca because of heat,
_____ 4. valley d) religious, spiritual overcrowding, fires, and demonstrations.
_____ 5. originally e) in good physical condition; not sick What do you think the Saudi government
can do to prevent these problems in the
_____ 6. founded f) speak to God, worship
future?
_____ 7. cube g) a public gathering to show feelings about something
_____ 8. able-bodied h) at first; in the beginning
_____ 9. pilgrimage i) an action performed in connection with a ceremony or religious service
_____ 10. ritual j) thin; not wide
_____ 11. stampede k) a block having six equal square sides
_____ 12. violent l) a sudden rush of frightened people or animals
_____ 13. demonstration m) a piece of land between hills or mountains

B. Choose the correct word from the left column above to complete the following sentences.

1. That is a very _______________________ bridge. Two cars cannot pass each other at the same time.
2. The United Nations was _____________________________ in 1945 after the Second World War.
3. Many houses were destroyed during the _____________________________ storm.
4. In many countries, all ______________________ young men have to join the army for one or two years.
5. There is going to be a _______________________ downtown tomorrow to protest against the government’s decision to raise taxes.
6. He went to church to _____________________________ for his sick child.
7. When the fire started in the barn, the horses began to _________________________ across the field.
8. After hiking in the hills all day, the campers went down into the _____________________ to set up their camp and spend the night.

2
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 Famous Places
Mecca

ANSWER KEY

Please note: The reading for this topic is also available in full-page format at the end of the lesson (page 4).

PRE-READING QUESTIONS
1-5. Individual answer

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS
A. True or False
1. F 2. T 3. F 4. F 5. T

B. Written Answers
1. Mecca is located in Saudi Arabia in a narrow valley about 50 miles from the Red Sea.
2. Mecca is considered the holiest city of Islam to where Muslims turn to pray five times day.
3. The Ka’ba is a cubed-shaped, black brick building in the center of Islam.
4. The Hajj is a spiritual pilgrimage to Mecca all able-bodied Muslims must make at least once in their life. During the Hajj, pilgrims
must wear special white clothes and cannot do things like shave, cut their nails, wear jewelry, kill or hunt, or fight or argue.
5. More than two million Muslims from 70 countries take part in the annual Hajj.
6. Some of the rituals associated with the Hajj include walking around the Ka’ba seven times in a counter-clockwise direction, and
running seven times along one of the passageways in the mosque.
7. During the Hajj, problems have occurred including the death of many pilgrims from heat stroke, from being crushed in
stampedes or from getting caught in fires as a result of violent political demonstrations.

VOCABULARY REVIEW
A. Match the words...
1. d 2. f 3. j 4. m 5. h 6. c 7. k 8. e
9. a 10. i 11. l 12. b 13. g

B. Choose the correct word...

1. narrow 2. founded 3. violent 4. able-bodied 5. demonstration 6. pray
7. stampede 8. valley

3
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 Famous Places
Mecca

Mecca

Mecca is Islam’s holiest city. Muslims turn toward Mecca five times a day to pray.

Mecca is located in Saudi Arabia, in a narrow valley about 50 miles from the Red Sea. It was a trading center
originally.

Islam was founded in Mecca by the Prophet Mohammed in the 7th century. The Ka’ba, a cubed-shaped, black

brick building, is the center of Islam. Al-Haram Mosque (the Great Mosque) surrounds the Ka’ba and the modern
city of Mecca surrounds the mosque.

Only Muslims are allowed to visit Mecca. All able-bodied Muslims who have enough money to make the
journey must perform a spiritual Hajj, or pilgrimage, to Mecca at least once in their life. During the Hajj,
pilgrims must wear special white clothes and cannot do things like shave, cut their nails, wear jewelry, kill or

hunt, or fight or argue.

More than 2 million Muslims from 70 countries take part in the annual Hajj. Many travel thousands of miles to

reach the holy city. While there, they perform certain rituals. After entering al-Haram Mosque, they walk around
the Ka’ba seven times in a counter-clockwise direction, a ritual called the Tawaf. They must also run seven times
along one of the passageways in the mosque. This ritual honors the search for water by Hajar, the Prophet

Abraham’s wife.

The crowds of people and the heat have created problems in the past. Many pilgrims have died of heat stroke;

many others have died after being crushed in stampedes or caught in fires or as a result of violent political
demonstrations. The government of Saudi Arabia has set a fixed number of pilgrims who are allowed to come
from each country each year to try to overcome these problems.

4
Copyright 2009. This eBook is produced and distributed by Red River Press Inc. All rights reserved. The contents within this e-book/document may only be
photocopied by members of [Link] in accordance with membership terms and conditions. Contact info@[Link] for complete details.