By Gabriel Lam

Mecca Pg 3 – 4

Saint Paul’s Cathedral Pg 5 – 6

Westminster Abbey Pg 7 – 9

Bibliography Pg 10

Glossary Pg 11

Mecca is the most holy city in Islam. The city is sacred in their beliefs as the first place created on Earth. The Ka’ba, the centre of Islam, is a rectangular building made of bricks. Around the Ka’ba is the great mosque, al-Haram.

Every year, approximately 200 million pilgrims attend the Hajj, the fifth pillar of Islam, and an obligation that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by every Muslim who can afford to do so.

The cathedral has very few treasures: many have been lost, and in 1810 a major robbery took almost all of the remaining

precious artefacts.

The task of designing this structure was assigned to Christopher Wren in 1668, along with over 50 other City churches. His first design, to build a replacement on the foundations of the old cathedral, was rejected in 1669.

Westminster Abbey was built by Edward the Confessor. It is also tombs for kings and queens, and to show memorials to the famous and the great.

History did not cease with the passing of the medieval monastery in 1540. Queen Elizabeth I, buried in one of the aisles of Henry VII’s chapel, refounded the Abbey in 1560.

A daily pattern of worship is still offered to the Glory of God. Special services are held regularly. In 1965-66 the Abbey celebrated its 900th anniversary, taking as its theme, ‘One People’.

http://www.westminster-abbey.org/history-research/a-brief-history/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Paul's_Cathedral#Description

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Paul's_Cathedral#Design_and_construction

http://i-cias.com/e.o/mecca.htm http://www.historic-uk.com/DestinationsUK/

WestminsterAbbey.htm http://web.mit.edu/manoli/www/gallery/london/london.html http://www.sacredsites.com/middle_east/saudi_arabia/

mecca.html http://www.westminster-abbey.org/

Obligation (Pg 4) - a favor, service, or benefit for which gratitude is due.

Artefacts (Pg 5) - An object produced or shaped by human craft, especially a tool, weapon, or ornament of archaeological or historical interest.

Cease (Pg 8) - to come to an end