NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
Mecca
From: R.H. van Gent
Date: 2000 Aug 24, 4:46 PM
From: R.H. van Gent
Date: 2000 Aug 24, 4:46 PM
Dear all, I hope that my query will not be too much out of place on this list but I would be most grateful if anyone could help me on this matter. As most list members will know the Kabah of Mecca (Saudi Arabia) represents the geographical centre of the Islamic world and its exact position with respect to Greenwich would seem to be exactly known. I know that up to fairly recent times this was not so due to the fact that the city of Mecca was (and still is) forbidden territory for non-Muslims, making it virtually impossible for European surveyors to determine its position with any exactitude. Modern encyclopaedias, atlases and internet gazetteers all give its position as 21 degree 27 minutes North and 39 degree 49 minutes East of Greenwich but do not specify for which part of Mecca this refers to. Can anyone on this list quote more precise figures for the geographical position of the Kabah of Mecca, preferably with a reference, or direct me to sources that can provide me with this information? Thanks in advance. ======================================================== * Robert H. van Gent * Tel/Fax: 00-31-30-2720269 * * Zaagmolenkade 50 * * * 3515 AE Utrecht * E-mail: r.h.vangent@astro.uu.nl * * The Netherlands * * ******************************************************** * Home page: http://www.phys.uu.nl/~vgent/homepage.htm * ========================================================
