Al-Marwah
/æl ˈmɑːr.wə/noun
Al-Marwah is a small rocky hill in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, traditionally visited during the Islamic ritual of sa'i.
Did you know?Al-Marwah is paired with Ṣafā in the Qur’an, and walking between the two hills is a central rite of the Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-Islamic Arabic
Arabic
مَرْو (marw)
“Flint, a hard stone used for striking sparks”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
مَرْوَة (marwah)
“A flint stone or rocky place; the feminine form associated with the hill’s name”
7th Century
Arabic
ٱلْمَرْوَة (al-Marwah)
“The Marwah, literally “the flint stone,” referring to the hill in Mecca”
7th Century
Qur’anic Arabic
ٱلصَّفَا وَٱلْمَرْوَة (al-Ṣafā wa-al-Marwah)
“Ṣafā and Marwah, the two landmarks between which pilgrims perform ritual walking”
Modern English
English
Al-Marwah
“The name of the sacred hill and pilgrimage site in Mecca”