Mecca in pictures: Then versus now

For centuries, Mecca has been the one place all of us Muslims hope to visit at least once in our lifetime for the pilgrimage, otherwise known as the hajj. Not only is it the holiest city for Muslims, but it is home to the holy Islamic site, the Kaaba, and the world's largest mosque, Masjid al-Haram.

Following the Battle of Mecca in 1924, the city was incorporated into Saudi Arabia, making the country a place where vast numbers of Muslims from all around the world visit annually. It has been estimated that ever since 1985, about 95% of Mecca's historic buildings, most over a thousand years old, have been demolished under Saudi rule.

Nevertheless, the place is as historic as a city can ever be.