The Myth of Mecca

Mecca is probably Islam's holiest city in part because it was the first religious capitol captured and "converted" to Islam. There is a rich historical tradition among the peoples of the Middle East of capturing a city and either dedicating the existing temple to the conqueror's god(s), or better yet, razing it to the ground and building on top of it. We saw this behavior carry through into the 21st century when the Taliban destroyed ancient Buddhas in the mountains of Afghanistan.

There's nothing quite like claiming somebody else's holy city as your own holy city, now is there?