Mecca owes its prosperity to certain shrines in the area that are visited by Arabs from all over the peninsula.

Some Arabs, particularly in the Hijaz, hold religious beliefs that recognize a number of gods as well as a number of rituals for worshiping them.

The most important of these beliefs involves the sense that certain places and times of year are sacred and must be respected.

At these times and in those places, warfare, in particular, is forbidden, and various rituals are required. Foremost of these is the pilgrimage, and the best known pilgrimage site is Mecca.