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Zamzam

Encyclopedia of the Modern Middle East and North Africa | 2004 | | Copyright

ZAMZAM

The famous well of Mecca.

According to Muslim legend, Zamzam was opened by the angel Gabriel to provide for Hagar and Ismaʿil, who were in danger of dying of thirst after Abraham deposited them in what was then an un-populated desert valley. History suggests that it was the coexistence of this well and the adjacent shrine (Kaʿba) that led to the emergence of Mecca as an important commercial and cultural center in pre-Islamic Arabia. For centuries Muslims have cherished the brackish water of Zamzam as sacred and have sought to benefit from its reputed blessings. To this day, pilgrims to the Meccan sanctuary descend the enclosed staircase to the well and either draw water for themselves to drink, or bottle it and take it home for a relative or friend who is ill.

Zamzam

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions | 1997 | | Copyright

Zamzam. The sacred well of Mecca, also called the well of Ismāʿīl, because, according to tradition, Jibrīl (Gabriel) opened it to save Hagar and her son in the desert. Important in the ḥajj, pilgrims hope to dip in, or touch with, its waters the clothes in which they will be buried.

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JOHN BOWKER. "Zamzam." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

JOHN BOWKER. "Zamzam." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Zamzam.html

JOHN BOWKER. "Zamzam." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Zamzam.html

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Zamzam

The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. | 2011 | Copyright

Zamzam see Mecca , Saudi Arabia.

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"Zamzam." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"Zamzam." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-X-Zamzam.html

"Zamzam." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-X-Zamzam.html

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Free newspaper and magazine articles

	The Zamzam affair: Canadian civilians are caught in a diplomatic tussle after... Magazine article from: Esprit de Corps; 10/1/2008
	The Zamzam affair: the long journey home: innocent civilians pay the high... Magazine article from: Esprit de Corps; 11/1/2008
	Hajis not getting Aab-e-Zamzam. Newspaper article from: The Nation (Karachi, Pakistan); 12/19/2008