Bakkah
/ˈbæk.ə/noun
A Quranic name for the sacred sanctuary or city traditionally identified with Mecca in western Arabia.
Did you know?Bakkah appears specifically in Qur’an 3:96, while the form Makkah appears elsewhere in the Qur’an; traditional interpretation identifies both with Mecca.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-Islamic Arabia
Arabic
b-k-k
“A Semitic root associated in Arabic with crushing, breaking, or crowding; its connection to the place-name remains debated.”
7th Century
Quranic Arabic
بَكَّة (Bakkah)
“The sacred sanctuary or place identified with the first house established for worship, in Qur’an 3:96.”
7th–10th Centuries
Classical Arabic
بَكّة (Bakka)
“A traditional name for the sanctuary at Mecca, discussed by Arabic exegetes and lexicographers.”
Medieval Period
Arabic scholarship
Bakka/Bakkah
“A name interpreted variously as referring to the sanctuary, the valley, or a place where people gather or press closely together.”
Modern English
English
Bakkah
“A transliterated Quranic and Islamic historical name for Mecca or its sacred sanctuary.”