Hazrat Sayyedah Khadijah — Page 5
5 5 The people of Makkah used to perform their marriage ceremonies in this building. In the sixth century, the Quraish tribe began to play a leading role in trade with the neighbouring countries. Their trade caravans travelled as far as Syria, Egypt, Palestine, Iraq and Persia in the north and to The Yemen and Abyssinia in the south. There was also a certain amount of trade with India and China. The Arab traders used to supply luxury items like pearls, ivory, diamonds, silks, weapons, dyes and pepper. From the seaports of Aden and Mocha, the bales of goods were taken from the ships and loaded on camels. Sometimes the caravan consisted of one thousand camels, which made the long journey from the seaports to Makkah and then to Damascus in Syria and beyond. Makkah was prosperous because of the profits derived from the trade and because of the sanctity of the Ka‘bah, the House of Allah, which had been a centre of pilgrimage for ages. The reli- gious rites of the pilgrimage lasted only three days but a series of fairs were held at various sites in the neighbourhood during the preceding weeks where the Quraish sold the articles brought by their caravans. As a settled community, Makkah attracted various types of individuals, other than those belonging to the Quraish tribe. They were artisans, slaves, domestic servants, carpenters, sword makers, weavers and leather workers. Guards were also employed for the safe journey of the caravans. Thus Makkah was no longer restricted to one tribe. Instead it gradually emerged as an urban society.