AP PHOTOS: Islamic site near Mecca among few still preserved

Just outside the city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia lies one of Islam's most important historical sites — a cave where, according to tradition, the Prophet Muhammad spent time in seclusion, contemplation and self-reflection.

It was here, inside Hira Cave located near the top of a steep hill called Noor Mountain, where Muslims believe God revealed to the prophet the first verses of the Quran through the angel Jebril, or Gabriel as he is named in English.

AP PHOTOS: Editor selections from the Middle East for 2015

In this Sunday, Aug. 23, 2015 file photo, Lebanese activists hold up a makeshift shield as they are sprayed by riot police using water cannons during a protest against the ongoing trash crisis, in downtown Beirut, Lebanon. Lebanese riot police fired several rounds of tear gas and water cannons for the second consecutive day in downtown Beirut Sunday as they battled protesters with batons and stones _ a marked escalation of mass demonstrations against an ongoing trash crisis.  

Hajj

Muslim pilgrims pray on a rocky hill called the Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2015. Mount Arafat, marked by a white pillar, is where Islam's Prophet Muhammad is believed to have delivered his last sermon to tens of thousands of followers some 1,400 years ago, calling on Muslims to unite.