Jabal al-Nour
Holy mountain in Saudia Arabia
Jabal al-Nour (Arabic: جَبَل ٱلنُّوْر, romanized: Jabal an-Nūr, lit. 'Mountain of the Light' or 'Hill of the Illumination') is a mountain near Mecca in the Hejaz region of Saudi Arabia. The mountain houses the grotto or cave of Hira (Arabic: غَار حِرَاء, romanized: Ghar-i-Hira, lit. 'Cave of Hira'). It is here where the Islamic prophet Muhammad is said to have received his first revelation of the Quran from the angel Jibra'il, which consists of the first five ayat of Surah Al-Alaq. The mountain itself is barely 640 m (2,100 ft) tall; nonetheless one to two hours are needed to make the strenuous hike to the cave. There are 1750 steps to the top which can take anywhere between half an hour and three hours. Jabal al-Nour is a major tourist destination for visitors and pilgrims. However, access is restricted to Muslims, as non-Muslims are not permitted to enter Mecca.
Etymology
The mountain is where Muhammad is said to have had his first revelation and received five verses of the Quran, and was given the title Jabal an-Nūr ("Mountain of the Light" or "Mountain of the Enlightenment"). This experience is sometimes identified with the beginning of revelation; hence the present name. The date of the first revelation is said to have occurred on Laylat al-Qadr, one of the last 10 nights of Ramadan, suggested to have been around August of 610 A.D.
Appearance
One physical feature that differentiates Jabal al-Nour from other mountains and hills is its unusual summit, which makes it look as if two mountains are on top of each other.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Jabal al-Nour” is holy mountain in Saudia Arabia. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Jabal, al-Nour and Holy, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “holy mountain in Saudia Arabia” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 15, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1033157. Authority coordinates are 21.458, 39.861. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1750.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Jabal al-Nour”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Jabal al-Nour primary sources, Jabal al-Nour archive and Jabal research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Jabal al-Nour”?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Jabal al-Nour” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.