The Arabian Peninsula was the center of the ancient world’s most lucrative trade network — the Incense Road carrying frankincense, myrrh, and spices from Yemen and Oman north to the Mediterranean. This trade made Arabia economically vital to the ancient world and created the mercantile culture that Mecca would inherit. The Nabataean kingdom (centered at Petra) was the northern terminal of this trade. Mecca’s position as a sacred site gave it additional commercial value — the prohibition of violence during pilgrimage months (the ‘sacred months’) created a unique trade fair environment. The Quraysh tribe’s control of Mecca and the Ka’ba gave them dominance over both the religious and commercial infrastructure of Arabia. Muhammad himself worked as a merchant on these trade routes before his prophetic call — his first wife Khadijah was a wealthy merchant widow for whom he worked.