Saudi Arabia is home to the Kaaba, the central shrine of Islam’s Great Mosque in Mecca.
The Kaaba stands at the center of Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, in Saudi Arabia’s Hejaz region. Muslims around the world face toward it during prayer, a direction known as the qibla. During Hajj and Umrah, pilgrims also circle the Kaaba seven times in the ritual called tawaf.
The site is closely connected with Eid al-Adha because the festival coincides with the main days of Hajj. Eid begins on 10 Dhu'l-Hijja, after the Day of Arafah, when pilgrims gather at Mount Arafat. Hajj rituals continue through locations around Mecca, including Mina, Muzdalifah and Arafat.
The Kaaba is sometimes confused with the entire mosque or with the city of Medina. The Kaaba is the cuboid building itself; Masjid al-Haram is the surrounding mosque, while Medina is home to the Prophet’s Mosque, another major Islamic site.