Miʼkal (Riyadh)
Neighbourhood in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Miʼkal or Maʼkal (Arabic: بلدة معكال, romanized: baldah Maʿkāl, lit. 'Maʼkal township') is an ancient village and a historic neighborhood[1] in southern Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, located that is a subject of Baladiyah al-Batha[2] in southern Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, located between ad-Dubiyah and al-Wusaita.[3] The town came into existence when Hajr al-Yamamah[4] disintegrated up into several settlements and estates in the 16th century (10 AH), the most notable of them being Migrin (or Muqrin) and Ma'kal.[5] Its name reportedly comes from two pre-Islamic Arabian deities, Kāl and Maʿkāl (Arabic: كال ومعكال) that were worshipped in Najd.[6]
Maʼkal
معكال | |
|---|---|
  Maʼkal Location within Saudi Arabia  Maʼkal Location within Asia | |
| Coordinates: 24°37′22″N 46°42′53″E | |
| Country | Saudi Arabia |
| City | Riyadh |
| Government | |
| • Body | Baladiyah Al Batha |
| Language | |
| • Official | Arabic |
History
The town came into existence when Hajr al-Yamamah[4] disintegrated up into several settlements and estates in the 16th century (10th century AH), the most notable of them being Migrin (or Muqrin) and Ma'kal.[5] It was reportedly named after two pre-Islamic Arabian deities, Kāl and Maʿkāl (Arabic: كال ومعكال)[6] that were worshipped in Najd.
According to historian Abd al-Malik ibn Husayn al-Isami al-Makki, Maʼkal was also the site of a military conflict when it was besieged in 1578 (986 AH) by 50 soldiers of the Sharif of Mecca Abu Numayy II[7][8] in which he killed several of its political leaders and imprisoned others for almost a year until they agreed to pay concessions.[5]