Places to visit in Makkah, Saudi Arabia
20 places to visit in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, each with LOQAH's carefully crafted stamp of its own: Al-Balad, Jabal Thawr, Jabal al-Nour and more. Stand at any of them with the app open and the stamp is yours, confirmed on site, in your Makkah volume.
1 UNESCO World Heritage site · 10 Famous places to visit · 9 Hidden gems
UNESCO World Heritage sites in Makkah (1)
-
Al-Balad
The old walled quarter of Jeddah on the Red Sea, known for tall merchant houses built of coral stone with carved wooden balconies. It was the gateway for pilgrims arriving by sea for centuries, and is listed by UNESCO as Jeddah Historic District.
Famous places to visit in Makkah (10)
-
Jabal Thawr
A rugged mountain about 750 metres high on the south side of Mecca. In Islamic tradition the Prophet Muhammad and Abu Bakr sheltered in a cave near its top for three nights during the migration to Medina in 622.
-
Jabal al-Nour
A mountain a few kilometres north east of Mecca, topped by the small cave of Hira. It is where, in Islamic tradition, the Prophet Muhammad received the first revelation of the Quran, and many pilgrims climb the steep stone steps to the cave.
-
Jannat al-Mu'alla
The historic cemetery of Mecca, lying north of the Grand Mosque and also known as Al-Hajun. Khadija, the first wife of the Prophet Muhammad, and many of his relatives and companions are buried here.
-
Jeddah Corniche Circuit
A street circuit along the Red Sea coast of Jeddah that has hosted the Formula One Saudi Arabian Grand Prix since 2021. It is one of the fastest street tracks in the calendar, and runs on public roads along the waterfront.
-
Jeddah Tower
A megatall skyscraper rising in the north of Jeddah as the centrepiece of the Jeddah Economic City project. It was designed to be the first building one kilometre tall, and the unfinished concrete core already dominates the skyline.
-
KAUST
A graduate research university on the Red Sea coast at Thuwal, north of Jeddah, which opened in 2009. Its campus has a beach, a harbour and a large mosque, and it is known for science and engineering research.
-
King Fahd's Fountain
A fountain on the Red Sea waterfront of Jeddah that is among the tallest in the world. Its jet of salt water rises more than 300 metres, and it is lit at night, so it can be seen from far across the city.
-
Makkah Royal Clock Tower
The tallest of seven hotel towers of the Abraj Al Bait complex beside the Grand Mosque in Mecca. Opened in 2012, it rises about 600 metres and carries one of the largest clock faces in the world on four sides.
-
Masjid al-Haram
The Great Mosque of Mecca, the largest mosque in the world, built around the Kaaba, the cube shaped building that Muslims face in prayer. It is the centre of the Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages, and only Muslims may enter the city.
-
Mount Arafat
A granite hill about 20 km south east of Mecca, around 70 metres high, rising from a wide plain. Pilgrims gather here on the ninth day of the Hajj to stand in prayer until sunset, and it is also called the Mount of Mercy.
Hidden gems in Makkah (9)
-
Abdullah Ibn Abbas Mosque
A historic mosque in the city of Taif, in the mountains east of Mecca, named after Ibn Abbas, a cousin of the Prophet Muhammad and a noted scholar of the Quran. His tomb lies in the mosque, which has been rebuilt several times.
-
Jamarat Bridge
A multi level pedestrian bridge at Mina, east of Mecca, built around the three pillars that pilgrims strike with pebbles during the Hajj. It was rebuilt on several floors to spread the crowds, and sits in a tent city that is largely empty for most of the year.
-
Jeddah Flagpole
A freestanding flagpole in Jeddah, 171 metres high, which was the tallest in the world from 2014 until 2021. It flies a huge Saudi flag in the middle of the city, near the Red Sea coast and the Corniche.
-
Mosque of the Jinn
A small mosque in Mecca near the Jannat al-Mu'alla cemetery, also called Masjid al-Haras or the Mosque of Allegiance. It is believed to mark the place where a group of jinn listened to the Prophet Muhammad recite the Quran.
-
Muzdalifah
An open, level valley between Arafat and Mina, a few kilometres south east of Mecca. Pilgrims spend the night here under the open sky on the way back from Arafat during the Hajj, and gather the pebbles used in the ritual at Mina.
-
Namirah Mosque
A large mosque at the western edge of Arafat, in Wadi Uranah near Mecca. It is where the Prophet Muhammad is believed to have stayed until noon on the day of Arafat, and pilgrims hear the Hajj sermon here before moving to the plain.
-
Nasseef House
A historic merchant house in Al-Balad, the old quarter of Jeddah, built between 1872 and 1881 for Omar Nasseef Effendi. King Abdulaziz Ibn Saud lived here after he entered Jeddah in 1925, and the restored house now serves as a cultural venue.
-
Shubra Palace
A royal palace in Taif, created by Al-Shareef Ali Basha in 1905 and completed in 1907. It served as a royal residence before being converted into a museum in 1995, and its mix of stone, wood and marble reflects Hejazi building styles.
-
Souq Okadh
A historical market site between Nakhla and Taif, once the largest annual gathering in pre Islamic Arabia. Traders, tribes and poets met here to sell goods and compete in verse, and the souq is now revived each year as a cultural festival.
Collecting in Makkah
What are the best places to visit in Makkah?
LOQAH lists 20 places in Makkah. The best known include Al-Balad, Jabal Thawr, Jabal al-Nour, Jannat al-Mu'alla and Jeddah Corniche Circuit. Each has a stamp of its own to collect when you are there.
How many LOQAH stamps are there in Makkah?
20, and more are added over time. Each place has LOQAH's carefully crafted stamp of its own.
How do I collect a stamp in Makkah?
Open LOQAH at the place and get its stamp. LOQAH checks where you are once, at that moment; at the place itself the stamp is confirmed on site, with a gold badge.
I have been to places in Makkah before. Can I add them?
Yes. In Earlier trips, choose Makkah and swipe through its stamps, or import your Google Timeline. Each one goes into your volume with the date, if you know it.
More in Saudi Arabia
Collect your first stamp.
LOQAH is free on iPhone and Android, in India and 40 more countries, with more countries on the way. Stand at a place, collect its stamp, and keep every trip in a passport that grows.