Mecca in the Writing of Western Europe

From the late 15^th century onwards, changes in Western European thought and culture and the rise of humanism led to a shift in Western Europe’s vision of the rest of the world. Nations such as Britain and France came to regard the Ottoman Empire as one of their greatest rivals. A small number of Western European explorers made the perilous journey to Mecca, motivated by a desire to undermine the Ottoman State, a spirit of adventure and colonial conquest, missionary zeal, a growing fascination with the Islamic world, and genuine curiosity about the mysterious city of Mecca, forbidden to non-Muslims. They employed various means to do this, most notably by claiming to be Muslim converts and disguising themselves in Islamic attire or by adopting a more elaborate disguise as a traveler from a more distant part of the Muslim world.