Makkah Province

Makkah Province contains Islam's holiest city, the Grand Mosque hosting the Kaaba around which all Muslims orient their prayers. The Hajj pilgrimage obligation brings millions annually—2019's 2.5 million pilgrims representing the scale that makes Mecca the focal point of global Islamic practice. This religious function creates an economy unlike any other, hospitality and services organized around visitors whose motivation transcends commercial tourism.

Jeddah provides the province's commercial counterweight—Saudi Arabia's second city, the Red Sea port that handles pilgrim arrivals while serving as business hub independent of religious function. The Jeddah waterfront developments, concerts, and cultural festivals represent Vision 2030's entertainment investments transforming the province's economic diversity.

The Grand Mosque expansion—costing billions and expanding capacity toward 2 million simultaneous worshippers—demonstrates investment scale that religious significance justifies. Tourism's projected 10% of Saudi GDP by 2030 includes both pilgrimage and entertainment, the province capturing both. Whether sacred and secular tourism can coexist—and whether infrastructure can accommodate combined demand—shapes a province whose religious centrality ensures perpetual relevance.