Tab Article

Ratings: ★★★★☆ (4.5/5)
Genre: History, Islamic Studies, Religion, Travel Memoir

Book Review:
''Mecca: The Sacred City – A Brilliant and Provocative History of Islam's Holiest Site''

Ziauddin Sardar's ''Mecca: The Sacred City'' is a major achievement, a hugely enjoyable and important study of one of the world's great cities. Blending history, memoir, and incisive social commentary, Sardar offers a unique and illuminating portrait of the birthplace of Islam.

Mecca is the heart of the Islamic faith: the birthplace of Muhammad, the direction of Muslim prayer, and the site of the annual Hajj pilgrimage that draws millions from around the world. Yet its significance extends far beyond religion. What happens in Mecca continues to have a considerable influence on world events, and the city itself has been transformed almost beyond recognition in recent decades.

Sardar traces Mecca's history from its origins as a ''barren valley'' to its emergence as the religious center of a vast empire. He interweaves stories of his own pilgrimages—he has visited Mecca many times since his first Hajj as a young man—with accounts from other travelers and historians, creating a rich and multi-layered narrative.

The book is both a labor of love and a work of critical engagement. Sardar celebrates the spiritual power of Mecca, its ability to inspire devotion and awe. But he also offers a devastating critique of the forces that have shaped the modern city: the greed, racism, intolerance, and rampant commercialism of the Saudi establishment. The final chapter, as The Times noted, is a ''devastating attack'' on these forces, a passionate plea for the preservation of Mecca's heritage and spiritual integrity.

Critics have praised the book lavishly. William Dalrymple called it ''a major achievement and a hugely enjoyable and important study.'' The Spectator described it as ''a captivating history and memoir, a hymn of love to a place sacred to the world's Muslims.'' The Independent praised its scholarship, and the New Statesman noted that ''few books celebrate life, with joy and sadness, quite like this one does.''

''Mecca: The Sacred City'' is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand Islam, the Middle East, or the complex interplay of religion and modernity. It is a powerful, instructive, and deeply moving book. A masterpiece.