Due to the fact that there are simply no references to Mecca anywhere before the mid-8th century (in other words no records for the first hundred years following Muhammad’s death, if indeed he did exist), Muslims have scoured the historical landscape to find anything to help nail this city down in history…but to no avail.

They thought that the ‘Trade Route Theory’ championed by William Montgomery Watt in the last century would help them, but Dr Patricia Crone in her 1987 book “Meccan Trade and the Rise of Islam” soon scuppered that by simply looking at a 7th century map and noting that the trade routes at that time went along the Western Plateau of Arabia; yet, Mecca was a good 3,000 feet off of that plateau, with hardly any water and even less vegetation, proving that it couldn’t have accommodated any trade caravans.

She also noted, by looking and reading the original trade route documents (she could read and write 15 archaic languages, one of the few who could), that all of the trade which came from the East was maritime, and not by land.

And the reason? Because it was so much safer and cheaper to send the goods by boat than by land.

By sea there were no animals to feed or water as the wind pushed the sails of the boats, and wind costs nothing, and while the camel herders could be attacked at any time in the desert by thieves hiding behind rocks or hills or sand-dunes, the boats-men could see any possible pirates miles away and quickly ready themselves, or go to shore for protection.

Thus, it was not surprising that she found in her research that all of the trade in the 7th century and before went from the West coast of India, across the Arabian Sea, passing Aden on its way to the Red Sea.

If one were to look at the Red Sea today (using current topographical maps), they would discover that in the center of the Red Sea is a deep-water channel (see the red arrow in our title picture), which would accommodate large modern ships today. But back in the 7th century and before they didn’t use such large ships, as everything had to be driven by sails.

Their water channels were much shallower and hugged the coast line since smaller ships needed to go into the port more often to procure goods, but which shore line, the eastern Arabian shore line, or the Western African shoreline.

Look at the title picture again and you will see where the shallow channels ran (see the golden arrows in our title picture).

These channels ran close to the Western, African shore, in order to get provisions.

Unlike the Eastern Arabian shore of the Red Sea which was arid, with no fresh water, and thus few people, the Western African shore had plenty of fresh water, and had larger populations.

What’s more, the West coast had easily accessible ports! And we know their names…

There are 5 coastal cities along the Red Sea’s Western Africa coast which are quite historical, because the people who lived there and the traders who used them all wrote about them, and they are:

1) Assab, which is situated in what is called Eritrea today. It’s history goes back to 246 BC.

2) Adulis, which is also situated in what is called Eritrea today. It’s history goes back to 79 AD.

3) Suaken, which is situated in what is called Sudan today. It’s history goes back to 170 AD.

4) Berenice, which is situated in what is called Egypt today. It’s history goes back to 275 BC.

5) Safaga, which is also situated in what is called Egypt today. It’s history goes back to 282 BC.

Notice that their dates all predate Islam by quite a few centuries.

Notice also that all 5 cities are a day’s distance by small boats which would have been used in the 7th century and before.

On the Red Sea’s Eastern Arabian coast, only Yanbu is known, used as Yathrib’s port city

What then about Jeddah, as a port for Mecca?

We have no history for either Jeddah or Mecca until after 741 AD, which is the mid-8th century AD!

Why? Because neither had water, nor a population large enough to accommodate early trade.

Without any land or Sea trade going through Mecca, we can’t find any reason to give this city any importance, and therefore have to wonder if it ever really did exist before the 8th century. Without Mecca in the 7th century, what then happens Islam in that century?

The more questions we ask about this city, the more difficult it is to find any answers. And so, once again another nail goes into the coffin of Islam’s holiest city.

© Pfander Centre for Apologetics – US, 2023
(70,450) Music: “Epic Heroic Conquest” by Musiclfiles, from filmmusic-io