Makkah is primarily visited for worship. Each year, millions of Muslims travel from around the world to the holy city for Hajj and Umrah, following rituals centred on the Grand Mosque and surrounding sacred sites.
For many pilgrims, it may also be their only visit to the city, making the days before or after the main rites a chance to see places tied to the earliest years of Islam.
Some are connected to revelation and migration. Others are cemeteries, mosques and new cultural institutions that help explain the people, events and texts that shaped the faith in the city.
Some sites can be reached by taxi from the Grand Mosque or from nearby hotels, or visited as part of local religious heritage tours, while others are best approached on foot once in the area. Access can vary during Hajj, so visitors should check current guidance and plan with care.
Here are five places to visit.
1. Jabal Al Nour and Cave Hira
Jabal Al Nour, known as the Mountain of Light, is one of Makkah’s most important sites for understanding the beginning of Islam.
Near the summit is Cave Hira, where the Prophet Mohammed is believed to have received the first revelation of the Quran. Islamic tradition also holds that, before prophethood, he would withdraw there for periods of reflection.
Reaching the cave requires a relatively steep climb, which could last up to two hours depending on fitness, heat and crowd levels. The cave itself is small, with limited space around it, so expect a line snaking around the mountain at busy times. An early morning start is strongly recommended to best avoid the heat and crowds.
About 4km north-east of the Grand Mosque in Makkah
2. Jabal Thawr and Cave Thawr
South of the Grand Mosque, Jabal Thawr, or Mount Thawr, is linked to one of the defining episodes in the Prophet’s life: the Hijrah, or migration, from Makkah to Madinah.
Inside the mountain is Cave Thawr, where the Prophet Mohammed and his close companion Abu Bakr are believed to have hidden for three nights after leaving Makkah for Madinah. They were pursued by the Quraysh, the ruling tribe in Makkah, during a journey that became known as the Hijrah, or migration, a turning point in early Islamic history.
The cave sits near the summit and, according to authorities, is reached by a steep ascent that can take about 90 minutes to two hours.
South of Makkah, about 5km from the Grand Mosque
3. Jannat Al Mualla Cemetery
Jannat Al Mualla, also known as Al Ma’alah Cemetery, is one of Makkah’s oldest burial grounds.
The site is deliberately bare, predates Islam, and is closely associated with the early history of the city. Islamic tradition links the cemetery to several important figures, including Khadijah bint Khuwaylid, the Prophet Mohammed’s first wife.
For pilgrims, the site offers a quieter encounter with Makkah’s past. Access can vary, particularly during Hajj, so visitors should check current local guidance before going.
Al Hajun area, about 1km north of the Grand Mosque in Makkah
4. Masjid Al Bay’ah
The mosque is modest in scale but significant in history. Masjid Al Bay’ah takes its name from bay’ah, the Arabic word for pledge, and is linked to the Pledges of Aqabah, the agreements made by supporters from Yathrib, later known as Madinah, before the the Prophet Mohammed’s migration there.
Those pledges helped make the Hijrah, or migration, possible, allowing the persecuted Muslim community in Makkah to move to Madinah, where the first Muslim community was established. Because the mosque sits near Mina and the Jamarat area, access can be difficult during Hajj, when movement around the ritual sites is tightly managed. The mosque is best visited a few days before or after the main Hajj rituals, when the area is less crowded.
Near Mina and the Jamarat Bridge, about 7km north of Grand Mosque
5. Holy Quran Museum
The Holy Quran Museum is the most contemporary and accessible cultural stop on this list.
Opened in 2025, the indoor space is dedicated to the Quran’s revelation, writing and preservation across Islamic history, with displays on manuscripts, recitation and calligraphy.
It adds useful context for those visiting the holy city by connecting the site of the first revelation with the long history of how the Quran was preserved, studied and passed on.
The Hira Cultural District is at the foot of Jabal Al Nour, about 4km north-east of the Grand Mosque
