A holy city is a city important to the history or faith of a specific religion. Such cities may also contain at least one headquarters complex (often containing a religious edifice, seminary, shrine, residence of the leading cleric of the religion and/or chambers of the religious leadership's offices) which constitutes a major destination of human traffic, or pilgrimage to the city, especially for major ceremonies and observances. A holy city is a symbolic city, representing attributes beyond its natural characteristics. Marketing experts have suggested that holy cities may be the oldest brands, and more specifically, place brands because they have value added via the perception of religious adherents.[1]

List of holy cities in the world

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Africa

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City Country Religion(s)
Axum   Ethiopia Christianity
Alexandria   Egypt Christianity[2]
Ewu   Nigeria Christianity
Harar   Ethiopia Islam
Ifẹ   Nigeria Yoruba religion
Lalibela   Ethiopia Christianity
Nkamba   Democratic Republic of the Congo Kimbanguism
Zion City Moria   South Africa Christianity
Kairouan   Tunisia Islam
Nri-Igbo   Nigeria Odinala
Point of Sangomar   Senegal Serer religion
Yaboyabo   Senegal Serer religion

Asia

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Varanasi, one of the oldest and holiest cities of Hinduism

Western and South Asia

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Haram-e-Sharif, or Temple Mount in Jerusalem, a holy city in Judaism, Christianity and Islam
 
Nazareth a holy city in Christianity
 
Kaaba in Mecca, the holiest city of Islam
City Country Religion(s)
Amritsar   India Sikhism
Anandpur Sahib   India Sikhism
Antakya (Antioch)   Turkey Christianity
Ayodhya   India Hinduism
Balkh   Afghanistan Islam (Shia)[3]
Beirut   Lebanon Christianity
Bethlehem   Palestine Christianity, Islam, Judaism[4]
Bodh Gaya   India Buddhism, Hinduism
Dwarka   India Hinduism
Haifa   Israel Baháʼí Faith
Hebron   Palestine Judaism,[5] Islam
Hittin   Israel Druze faith[6]
Jerusalem   Israel /   Palestine
(Status of Jerusalem)
Judaism, Christianity, Islam
Kanchipuram   India Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism
Haridwar   India Hinduism
Karbala   Iraq Islam (Shia)
Kathmandu   Nepal Hinduism
Khalwat al-Bayada   Lebanon Druze faith[7]
Kufa   Iraq Islam (Shia)
Lahore   Pakistan Islam, Sikhism
Lumbini   Nepal Buddhism
Mashhad   Iran Islam (Shia)
Mathura   India Hinduism
Mecca   Saudi Arabia Islam[8]
Medina   Saudi Arabia Islam[9]
Meron   Israel Judaism[10]
Mtskheta   Georgia Christianity[11]
Nashik   India Hinduism, Buddhism
Nablus   Palestine Judaism,[12] Samaritanism[13]
Najaf   Iraq Islam (Shia)
Nankana Sahib   Pakistan Sikhism
Nazareth   Israel Christianity[14]
Prayagraj   India Hinduism
Qom   Iran Islam (Shia)
Safed   Israel Judaism
Tiberias   Israel Judaism
Vagharshapat   Armenia Christianity
Varanasi   India Hinduism, Buddhism

Central and East Asia

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City Country Religion(s)
Beigang   Taiwan Folk religion
Dajia   Taiwan Folk religion
Ise   Japan Shinto
Kyoto   Japan Buddhism, Shinto
Tenri   Japan Tenrikyo
Lhasa   China Buddhism
Turkistan   Kazakhstan Sufism

Southeast Asia

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Baiturrahman Grand Mosque in Banda Aceh, symbol of Islamic sharia law's application in Aceh
City Country Religion(s)
Bali   Indonesia Hinduism
Cebu City   Philippines Christianity[15]
El Salvador, Misamis Oriental   Philippines Christianity[16]
Naga, Camarines Sur   Philippines Christianity (Roman Catholicism)
Siem Reap   Cambodia Buddhism, Hinduism

Europe

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St Peter's Square, Vatican City.
 
Hagia Sophia, Istanbul.
 
Canterbury Cathedral.
City Country Religion(s)
Assisi   Italy Christianity
Athens   Greece Hellenism, Christianity
Avila   Spain Christianity
Barcelona   Spain Christianity[17]
Canterbury   England Christianity
Caravaca de la Cruz   Spain Christianity
Cologne   Germany Christianity
Corinth   Greece Christianity
Częstochowa   Poland Christianity
Fátima   Portugal Christianity
Istanbul (Constantinople)   Turkey Christianity[18][19]
Kilkenny   Ireland Christianity[20][21]
Kraljevo   Serbia Christianity
Leeds   England Christianity
Madrid   Spain Christianity
Marija Bistrica   Croatia Christianity
Medjugorje   Bosnia and Herzegovina Christianity
Milan   Italy Christianity
Moscow   Russia Christianity
Munich   Germany Christianity
Veliky Novgorod   Russia Christianity
Ohrid   North Macedonia Christianity
Paris   France Christianity
Prague   Czech Republic Christianity
Rome   Italy Christianity
Santiago de Compostela   Spain Christianity[22]
Santo Toribio de Liébana   Spain Christianity
Sergiyev Posad   Russia Christianity
Thessaloniki, Mount Athos   Greece Christianity
Toledo   Spain Christianity
Trondheim   Norway Christianity
Uman   Ukraine Breslov Hasidic Judaism[23]
Uppsala   Sweden Christianity
Vatican City   Vatican City Christianity
Vladimir   Russia Christianity
Walsingham   England Christianity
Warsaw   Poland Christianity
Wittenberg   Germany Christianity

North America

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The Salt Lake Temple in Salt Lake City.
 
The Flag Building in Clearwater, Florida.
City Country Religion(s)
Clearwater, Florida   United States Church of Scientology
Mexico City   Mexico Christianity
Quebec City   Canada Christianity
Salt Lake City   United States Latter Day Saint movement
Siparia   Trinidad and Tobago Christianity, Hinduism[24]

South America

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City Country Religion(s)
Aparecida   Brazil Christianity[25]
Luján   Argentina Christianity[26]

References

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  1. ^ Metti, Michael Sebastian (1 June 2011). "Jerusalem – the most powerful brand in history". Stockholm University School of Business. Archived from the original on 12 June 2011. Retrieved 1 July 2011.
  2. ^ Trigilio, Rev John Jr.; Brighenti, Rev Kenneth; Cafone, Rev Monsignor James (10 May 2011). Catholic Mass For Dummies. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 9780470767863 – via Google Books.
  3. ^ "Visit Mazar-i-Sharif Afghanistan • The City Of The Noble Shrine". www.joaoleitao.com. 17 January 2020.
  4. ^ "Bethlehem". www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  5. ^ "Four Holy Cities of Israel: What and Why?". Chabad.
  6. ^ Dana, Nissim. (2003). The Druze in the Middle East: Their Faith, Leadership, Identity and Status, Sussex Academic Press, pp. 28–30.
  7. ^ Nissîm Dānā (2003). The Druze in the Middle East: Their Faith, Leadership, Identity and Status. Sussex Academic Press. pp. 38–. ISBN 978-1-903900-36-9. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
  8. ^ "Makkah". www.visitsaudi.com. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  9. ^ www.nusuk.sa https://www.nusuk.sa/destination/madina. Retrieved 3 May 2024. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  10. ^ "Meron: Tomb of Rabbi Shimon Ben Yochai".
  11. ^ "Historical city Mtskheta becomes "Holy City"". Agenda.ge. 7 April 2014. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
  12. ^ "Shechem (Nablus)". www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  13. ^ UNESCO World Heritage Centre (11 October 2017). "Mount Gerizim and the Samaritans". Retrieved 24 December 2020.
  14. ^ Jeffrey, David L. (1992). A Dictionary of biblical tradition in English literature. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. pp. 538–40. ISBN 978-0-85244-224-1. Archived from the original on 8 October 2020. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  15. ^ "Pilgrimage to the Philippines for the 51st International Eucharistic Congress, 2016".
  16. ^ BusinessWeek Mindanao 26 August 2011: "Divine Mercy Shrine in Misamis Oriental celebrates Birthday of the Blessed Virgin Mary" Archived 2018-03-16 at the Wayback Machine
  17. ^ "10 Destinos únicos para todo o peregrino católico visitar".[permanent dead link]
  18. ^ Parry, Ken (2009). Christianity: Religions of the World. Infobase Publishing. p. 139. ISBN 9781438106397.
  19. ^ Parry, Ken (2010). The Blackwell Companion to Eastern Christianity. John Wiley & Sons. p. 368. ISBN 9781444333619.
  20. ^ "The Kilkenny Cats - Popular Rhymes and Sayings of Ireland". www.libraryireland.com.
  21. ^ "St Canice's Cathedral is Kilkenny's Sacré Coeur - except that it has ghosts". www.kilkennypeople.ie. 15 February 2013.
  22. ^ Encyclopaedia Britannica; Or A Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, and Miscellaneous Literature. Archibald Constable. 1823. p. 500.
  23. ^ "Pilgrimage to Uman • Abbas • Patrick Zachmann • Magnum Photos Magnum Photos". Magnum Photos. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  24. ^ Keith McNeal (March–April 2002). "Miracle Mother — Siparee Mai, La Divina Pastora". Caribbean Beat Magazine.
  25. ^ Humanas, Alexandre De Freitas-Graduado E. Pós-graduado Em Ciências (16 July 2012). "Cidades e Lugares: Cidades sagradas para o Cristianismo".
  26. ^ Martin Gray (2022). "Luján". Sacred Sites.
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