Al-Marwa
/alˈmarwa/noun
Al-Marwa is one of the two small hills in Mecca between which Muslim pilgrims perform the ritual walking called saʿy.
Did you know?The Qur’an explicitly names Al-Safa and Al-Marwa as symbols connected with pilgrimage, preserving an ancient sacred landscape within Islamic ritual.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-Islamic Arabia
Arabic
marwah
“A flint or hard white stone; also the name of a hill near Mecca.”
7th Century
Quranic Arabic
al-Marwah
““The Marwah,” named alongside Al-Safa in Qur’an 2:158 as a sacred site associated with pilgrimage.”
7th Century
Arabic
al-saʿy bayna al-Safa wa-al-Marwah
“Walking or moving between Al-Safa and Al-Marwah as a ritual act.”
Medieval English
Arabic loan usage
Marwah
“A transliterated proper name for the Meccan hill, appearing in English descriptions of Islamic pilgrimage.”
Modern English
English
Al-Marwa
“The conventional English rendering of the sacred hill’s Arabic name.”