CONSTRUCTING MECCA’S SANCTITY: SCHOLARS, CALIPHS, AND THE MAKING OF A SACRED CENTER

Abstract

This dissertation examines how Mecca’s sanctity was actively constructedduring the first two centuries of Islam, arguing that it emerged through ongoing negotiation across textual, legal, and spatial domains. Drawing on sources such as epistles, inscriptions, historiography, and legal opinions, it explores how various actors mobilized Mecca’s sacred space to assert political, religious, and communal authority. Central to this process was the role of memory, particularly in narratives linking Mecca to Yemen’s cultural and political legacy. Concepts such as ahl Allāh (People of God) and mujāwara (devotional residence near the Kaʿba) signaled claims to spiritual legitimacy and spatial control. The study also analyzes legal and political tensions surrounding urban development, showing how sanctity was reinterpreted in response to competing visions of authority. By foregrounding the dynamic interplay of memory, power, and space, it presents Meccan sanctity as a product of deliberate human intervention and ongoing redefinition.