Mecca from the last 1,500 years have survived Saudi rule. Expansion of the city is ongoing and includes the construction of tall Abraj Al Bait Towers across the street from the Masjid al-Haram. The towers were the third tallest building in the world when completed in 2012. The construction of the towers involved the demolition of the Ajyad Fortress, which in turn sparked a dispute between Turkey and Saudi Arabia. The Zamzam Well is home to a celebrated water spring. The Qishla of Mecca was an Ottoman castle facing the Grand Mosque and defending the city from attack. However, the Saudi
Black mecca Black mecca A black mecca, in the United States, is a city to which African Americans, particularly professionals, are drawn to live, due to some or all of the following factors: Atlanta has been referred to as a black mecca since the 1970s, while New York City's Harlem was referred to as a black mecca during the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s, 1930s, 1940s and still is today. Atlanta has frequently been referred to as a black mecca since the 1970s. In 1971, "Ebony" magazine called Atlanta the "black mecca of the South", because "black folks have more, live better,