The Kaaba sits at the center of the sacred al-Haram Mosque in Saudi Arabia. It plays an essential role in the rite of the hajj, the pilgrimage that Muslims make to Mecca, which begins today.

Muslim worshipers pray at the Kaaba, Islam’s holiest shrine, at the Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia’s holy city of Mecca, June 23, during the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan.

Hubal was one of the most significant gods in pre-Islamic Mecca, with his statue placed at the Kaaba. Worshippers sought Hubal’s guidance through rituals that resembled Hindu traditions.

The Kaaba at the Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia will be illuminated by the sun directly overhead at 12:18 p.m. local time Friday, coinciding with the call to prayer in a phenomenon that happens only ...

The Kaaba at the Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia will be illuminated by the sun directly overhead at 12:18 p.m. local time Friday, coinciding with the call to prayer in a phenomenon that happens only ...