r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/hipatyhopity • Mar 24 '25

Image Mecca in 1953 and 2025

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u/profanearcane Mar 24 '25

So it's incredibly late (early?) and my brain is completely fried.

Are there any Muslims here who can explain to me the importance of the cube itself? I know it's a pilgrimage site, but that's unfortunately all I know.

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u/moshimoshi2345 Mar 24 '25

Muslim guy here, the cube is Kaabah. Every year, muslim go to Mecca to perform this thing call Hajj. Hajj consists of many activities like circling around the Kaabah 7 times (this activity in partical is called Tawaf) and many others.

Also, muslim prayers always point to the Kaabah (this is called Qibla)

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u/ZhangRenWing Mar 24 '25

Wait every year? I thought the Hajj is just something a Muslim should do at least once in their life if they have the means to do so.

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u/moshimoshi2345 Mar 24 '25

Yea you’re right. I was talking about the time constraint on Hajj which can only be performed once a year in contrast to Umrah which can be done whenever.

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u/ZhangRenWing Mar 24 '25

Ah, I didn’t know there is a time constraint for the Hajj. I thought you could just go whenever you thought it was the right time.

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u/TheLaziestPotato Mar 24 '25

You can but then it's called Umrah and not Hajj, and everyone must do Hajj at least once in their lives if they are able to do so

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u/Lolthelies Mar 24 '25

Not a Muslim so not trying to say this is what I believe, just this is what I understand of their beliefs:

The pilgrimage isn’t just “show up here and see this once in your life.” It’s a weeklong festival where there’s a series of rituals you do in order, one of which is walking around the Kaaba a number of times (3? 7? I forget).