Live Webcams in Mecca

Mecca, in the west of Saudi Arabia, is the city the Islamic world faces five times a day, and the live webcams in Mecca show the point it faces: the courtyard of the Grand Mosque, the Masjid al-Haram, where the Kaaba stands at the centre and the tawaf, the circling of pilgrims around it, never stops. The city keeps Arabia Standard Time, UTC+3, with no daylight saving, and its rhythm is the prayer times, which move with the sun; the mosque is fullest at dawn and evening prayers, and the courtyard after dark, under the lights, is the sight people remember. The Kaaba is a cube some 13 metres high, draped in black. Makkah, as the city writes its name, is closed to non-Muslims, so a webcam is the only way most of the world will see it. Ramadan and the Hajj bring the crowds.