Jabal al-Nour

Jabal al-Nour
Jabal al-Nour in the vicinity of Mecca
Highest point
Elevation	642 m (2,106 ft)
Coordinates	21°27′29″N 39°51′41″E / 21.45806°N 39.86139°E / 21.45806; 39.86139
Naming
Native name	جَبَل ٱلنُّوْر (Arabic)
Geography
Jabal al-Nour Location of Jabal al-Nour in Saudi Arabia
Location	Makkah Province, Hejaz, Saudi Arabia
Parent range	Hijaz Mountains

Jabal al-Nour (Arabic: جَبَل ٱلنُّوْر, romanized: Jabal an-Nūr, lit. 'Mountain of the Light' or 'Hill of the Illumination') is a mountain near Mecca in the Hejaz region of Saudi Arabia.^[1] The mountain houses the grotto or cave of Hira (Arabic: غَار حِرَاء, romanized: Ghar-i-Hira, lit. 'Cave of Hira'), which holds tremendous significance for Muslims throughout the world, as it is here where the Islamic prophet Muhammad is said to have received his first revelation of the Quran, which consisted of the first five ayat of Surah Al-Alaq from the angel Jibra'il (as is pronounced in certain Quran recitation schools and some Arab tribes; also known as Gabriel).^[2] It is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Makkah. The mountain itself is barely 640 m (2,100 ft) tall; nonetheless one to two hours are needed to make the strenuous hike to the cave. There are 1750 steps to the top which, even for a fit individual, can take anywhere between half an hour and one-and-a-half hours.