Mecca – Ian D. Morris

Mecca before Islam: 2) Macoraba

March 24, 2017 34 Comments

UPDATE: Following the success of this blog post, I developed it into a peer-reviewed article, which was published in Al-‘Usur al-Wusta: The Journal of Middle East Medievalists, vol. 26 (2018). You can read the article open-access here. Needless to say,… Continue Reading →

Mecca before Islam: 1) Diodorus and the Kaaba

February 27, 2017 11 Comments

The first in a series on pre-Islamic sources adduced for Mecca. Next: 2) Macoraba. “Hieron d’ hagiōtaton hidrutai, timōmenon hupo pantōn Arabōn perittoteron.” “A very sacred temple has been established there which is highly revered by all the Arabs.” —Diodorus Siculus,… Continue Reading →