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the most beautiful, colorful and exotic, though some are
dangerous.
Between the glimmering coral ramifications, shoals of
fish of multicolor are seen swimming swiftly and gracefully.
A patient spectator will be rewarded as he is bound to see
the huge sea tortoise pass by majestically, together with
other species of fish which are now under government
protection as they are threatened with extinction.
The Red Sea is home to innumerable varieties of fish,
some of which have unusual shapes and unusual names.
Thus there is the cat fish that has colored spots, the
butterfly fish with its beautiful stripes, the imperial angel,
the rocky fish that looks like a rock, the hedgehog fish,
the global fish, which is a very curious fish with its dark
yellow face and a somewhat flat body that is covered with
thorns. It is so named because when exposed to danger, it
swallows great quantities of water and is transformed into
a ball (We have one such fish at home, which looks like a
cactus).
If one plunges down to the bottom of the sea, one finds
it crowded with sea creatures. These include the leopard
fish with eyes on its left side. Another fish is characterized
by burying itself in the sand and is not seen by its potential
prey. Another fish looks like a rainbow and extracts its
food by sharp horns that hang from the lower part of its
head. Mention should also be made of crabs and lobsters
that live in this water basin that abounds with a rich variety
of sea creatures. There are of course dangerous fish such
as the hammer fish and many varieties of sharks. The
city authorities deserve all praise as they have installed
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protective barriers against the danger posed by such kinds
of fish to enable the guests of this city to swim, dive
underwater and fish safely.
There are many coral islands in the Red Sea. Most of
them are uninhabited, with the exception of two or three
because there are no fresh water in them. Tourism agents
organize trip to such islands for people who are interested
in fishing, as their catch in these islands exceeds all
expectation. In other words this is a fishing paradise for
fishing experts.
The coral islands are located en route of migrating birds
that stop therein for rest, incubation and hatching. In the
old times, fishermen used to lay primitive traps to catch
these birds and collect their eggs from the nests which
they build on the earth. The law prohibits such activities
these days and many such places are now considered
reservations where no hunting is permitted.
Since time immemorial the Red Sea used to be a source
of living for the local population. With the advent of
navigation, they began to have contacts with the outside
world. Jeddah sea port is today not only a source of pride
for Jeddah citizens, but is the location of the Main Port
Authority with absolute powers over the ports that were
established in 1976. The Port Authority exerted great
efforts to develop Jeddah Port, which is today an integral
part of the natural surrounding mountainous view. Giant
cranes and winches operate round the clock to unload an
endless queue of ships on 45 modern piers. The annual
loads exceed 15 million tons. There is a special quay
for receiving pilgrims who come for performing the
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pilgrimage duty. Its capacity is 40 thousand travelers at
one and the same time.
Throughout the year, millions of pilgrims arrive in
Jeddah by planes and ships. They receive a friendly and
courteous welcome from the citizens of Jeddah. The
authorities make sure that they are comfortable, probably
more so than they are at home. The highly organized
method of dealing with such great multitudes of pilgrims
is simply amazing. Thus the pilgrims are shown to places
where they can find rest and hospitality after a tiring
journey. Here goods are not lost. There are plenty of rooms
at hotels and buses await the pilgrims at pre-determined
places in order to transport them to Mecca.
Thus we headed towards Mecca, the religious capital
of the Kingdom, or as they call it “Um al-Qura” (The
mother of cities), which is 80 kilometers from Jeddah.
The highway with its four lanes is simply wonderful,.
It looks like an aircraft runway. The buses have sleep-
inviting comfortable seats, are air-conditioned and have
a toilet. They drive smoothly towards the Holy City.
Suddenly, a huge arch appears straddling both sides of the
highway. On top of it is a large open book in the form of
the Holy Scripture. This great monument is a present from
King Fahd to the millions of believers, under which only
Muslims can pass. We proceeded along a desert place,
rocky mountains and round hills inside which lies, like a
cradle, Holy Mecca, the first Islamic city, home of Prophet
Muhammad, peace be upon him, the messenger of the last
world religious message.
The time of appearance of the settlement of Macoraba
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(Mecca of today) near the spring of Zamzam water is
not known. It goes back to very ancient times. Before
the advent of Islam, it was a place of worship for the
nomadic tribes. It also played an important commercial
role between Asia and the countries of the Mediterranean
basin. The caravan routes helped not only in the
transformation of the small settlement into a city, but also
in the emergence of professional traders and of people
that specialize in leading caravans. The major factor that
contributed to its development is the pilgrimage whose
impact affected other regions in Hijaz. Most pilgrims
used to trade the commodities they brought along from
neighboring countries. Sometimes they traded their own
children to cover, albeit partially, travel expenses. On
their way back they would carry the coffee and spices
they bought together with other local goods. The Mecca
market used to attract handicraft and agricultural products
from all over the Arabian Peninsula. This has contributed
to the growth of internal trade and commercial – financial
relations. At the time of the birth of Prophet Muhammad,
peace be upon him, Mecca was not so much a city as a
settlement with narrow alleys and low houses. The only
important monument was of course the Mosque and the
small Kaaba, which was a man’s height, as well as the
Black Stone at its eastern corner. The Kaaba was built at a
certain time by Prophet Abraham and his son Ishmael.
Muhammad, peace be upon him, was brought up by his
uncle Abu Taleb, who implanted in the youth lofty ethical
principles. When the angel Gabriel brought down to the
Prophet, be upon him, God’s revelation, when the Prophet
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