"It all begins in Makkah, Arabia." a Mecca Travel Page by Muarrij

This was my first trip to Saudia Arabia. In particular to Makkah and Medina. These really are the most magnificent places on earth and the most moving too!
I made intentions to go on the Hajj. Thats the Muslim Pilgrimage.
The pilgrimage that every muslim must do at least once in a life time, if possible.
I have added quite a few pages for those wishing to goto Hajj or Umrah. Umrah being the shorter less extensive pilgrimage. Its not a mini Hajj as most people say. As in Umra you only really need to goto the Qiblah.
From the picture you can see how busy it was, I took this picture from the roof of the Mosque. The black structure in the middle is the Kaabah, (or Qiblah). Originally there was a structure built on this exact same spot by Adam, the first person and first prophet. The Kaabah was rebuilt a few times. It was also rebuilt by Prophet Abraham. So you can see the historic significance of the building. The side you can see in the picture depicts the solid gold door and the black stone. The black stone also has a history.
The people around it are encircling it and remembering God. Muslims dont pray "to" the structure but to God, however they use the structure as a focus point from where ever they might be in the world. Hence they face the Kaabah to pray.