Maalim Makka al-Tarikhiyya wa al-Athariyya
- Author died
- 1431 AH
- Editions
- Dār Makkah lil-Nashr wal-Tawzī‘
Maalim Makka al-Tarikhiyya wa al-Athariyya (The Historical and Archaeological Landmarks of Mecca) is a concise geographical gazetteer of Mecca and its surrounding areas by the Saudi historian and geographer Atiq al-Biladi (d. 1431 AH / 2010 CE) .
Composition and Publication
The text originated as a series of short research articles published in the Meccan newspaper al-Nadwa before being collected into book form . The first edition was published in Mecca by Dar Makka for Publishing and Distribution in 1400 AH / 1980 CE, followed by a second edition in 1403 AH . The author conceived the work as a specialized, pocket-sized dictionary focused on the sites and terrain of Mecca, complementing his broader multi-volume survey Mujam Maalim al-Hijaz .
Scope, Structure, and Method
The book is organized alphabetically as a dictionary of Meccan toponyms and historical sites . It opens with an introduction discussing the three major ancient tribes surrounding Mecca—Hudhayl, Kinanah (including Quraysh), and Khuza'ah—highlighting the poetic legacy of Hudhayl as a primary record of the topography and natural features of the region .
Entries in the work cover:
- Topographical landmarks such as mountains (e.g., Abu Qubays, the Thabir range, and Qu'ayqi'an), valleys, and watercourses .
- Ancient and pre-Islamic sites, including historic pilgrimage stations and markets such as Dhu al-Majaz .
- Historical and archaeological mosques across Mecca, arranged under a dedicated thematic section and identified according to their historical origins or later attributions .
In each entry, al-Biladi provides vocalization for place names, cites classical Arabic verse that mentions the locality, cross-references classical geographical and historical authorities—such as Yaqut al-Hamawi and al-Azraqi—and identifies the contemporary locations and distances from Mecca in kilometers based on modern road networks and settlements .
Reception
The book is frequently consulted by contemporary researchers on the prophetic biography (al-Sira al-Nabawiyya) and Meccan local history as a practical reference for identifying classical places through modern topographical measurements . While recognized for its utility in defining modern distances, scholars have noted that al-Biladi's geographical works require occasional editorial refinement and do not always exhaustively cover every classical textual report .
Answer updated