What is the Arabic name for the mosque sanctuary in Mecca, a major Ramadan pilgrimage site?

The Arabic name for the mosque sanctuary in Mecca is Masjid al-Haram, also called the Sacred Mosque or the Great Mosque of Mecca.

Masjid al-Haram surrounds the Kaaba, the cube-shaped building toward which Muslims face in prayer. It is Islam’s holiest mosque and the central setting for the tawaf ritual, in which pilgrims circumambulate the Kaaba during Hajj and Umrah. The complex also includes sites associated with pilgrimage, including the Black Stone, Zamzam Well, Maqam Ibrahim, and the hills of Safa and Marwa.

The other options are important Islamic mosques but are located elsewhere. The Prophet’s Mosque and Quba Mosque are in Medina, while Al-Aqsa Mosque is in Jerusalem. “Masjid” means mosque, and “al-Haram” refers to the sacred or inviolable sanctuary. Although Ramadan is associated with increased worship and pilgrimage-related devotion, Hajj takes place in the Islamic month of Dhu al-Hijjah, not Ramadan; Umrah, by contrast, may be performed at any time of year.