Mecca and
Long-Distance Trade
n Cities had developed in the trading
system linking the Mediterranean to
East Asia.
n The most important, Mecca, in
western Arabia, had been founded
by the Umayyad clan of the
Quraysh tribe.
n This city was the site of the Ka'ba,
an important religious shrine, that,
during an obligatory annual truce in
inter-clan feuds, attracted pilgrims
and visitors.