Hira Mountains

The Hira Mountains (比良山地, Hira-sanchi) are a mountain range to the west of Lake Biwa on the border of Shiga Prefecture and Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. The range runs 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) north to south. It is narrowest in the southern part of the range, running 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) east to west, and broadest at the northern part of the range, running 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) km east to west. The eastern side of the Hira Mountains looks steeply over Lake Biwa, while the western side of the range forms a gentler valley in Kyoto.

The three main peaks of the Hira Mountains are Mount Bunagatake, the highest with an elevation of 1,214.4 metres (3,984 ft); Hōraisan, at 1,174 metres (3,852 ft), and Mount Uchimi at 1,103 metres (3,619 ft).

The spring snow of the Hira Mountains is one of the Eight Views of Ōmi.

Hira-oroshi

A strong local wind Hira-oroshi (比良颪) often blows from Hira Mountains to Lake Biwa especially in the late days of the March. The wind sometimes sinks boats on the lake and stops trains of the Kosei Line, a JR line passing along the foot of the mountains. In every 26 March, Tendai priests hold a memorial service for casualties of shipwreck accidents.

Hira

Hira (Arabic: حراء‎ Ḥirāʾ ) or the Cave of Hira (غار حراء Ġār Ḥirāʾ ) is a talus cave about 3 kilometres (2 mi) from Mecca, on the mountain named Jabal al-Nour in the Hejaz region of present-day Saudi Arabia.

It is notable for being the location where Muslims believe Muhammad received his first revelations from God through the angel Jebril (Arabic: جِبرِيل ) (alternatively spelled Jabraeel, جبرائيل , as is pronounced in certain Quran recitation schools and some Arab tribes). To Christians, Jebril is known as Gabriel and to Jews as Gavri'el.

Description

Taking 600 steps to reach, the cave itself is about 3.7 m (12 ft) in length and 1.60 m (5 ft 3 in) in width. The cave is situated at a height of 270 m (890 ft). During the Hajj season an estimated five thousand visitors climb to the Cave of Hira daily to see the place where Muhammad is believed to have received the first revelation of the Quran on the Night of Power. The majority of Muslims do not consider visiting the cave as an integral part of the Hajj. Nonetheless many visit it for reasons of personal pleasure and spirituality, and though some consider it a place of worship, this view conflicts with Salafist interpretations of Islamic ritual. While the Cave of Hira plays an important role in the Al-sīra (prophetic biography) it is not considered as holy as the other sites in Mecca (for example, the Masjid Al-Haram) and so under most interpretations of Islam, the same reward is received for praying here as any other place in Mecca.

Hira (town)

Hira is a small settlement approximately 20 kilometres (12 mi) northeast of Nelson, New Zealand. It sits in the valley of the Wakapuaka River.

Coordinates: 41°13′S 173°24′E / 41.217°S 173.400°E / -41.217; 173.400

Hira (disambiguation)

Hira is a cave where Islamic prophet Muhammad received his first revelations from Allah. Hira may also mean: