I WILL POST THE TRUE ANSWER AFTER I HEAR YOUR BIASED OPINION THAT IS NOT BASD ON ANYTHING BIBLICAL.
Rather than simply attacking (first language Arabic) Dr. Amari for studying Arabia, Arab paganism, and Islam (for 20 years, 8-10 hours a day, 6 days a week, without vacation), including through original source material in the middle east, why don't you instead bring something substantive to refute it, rather than lying about the messenger?
http://www.historyofmecca.com/resources.htm
Show us some evidence that suggests that Mecca existed before the 4th century AD.
http://www.historyofmecca.com/
The fact is that you actually believe thousands of years of Islamic fictional "history" that was all penned in the 7th and 8th century AD. And you believe that created "tradition" as if it were an actual, genuine, historical record, don't you?
Even though your own characterization of a 6th century AD Arabia is that of a bunch of ignorant, illiterate, desert dwelling pagan moon, sun, star and demon worshipers, that had been cut off from the rest of the civilized world - that was quite highly developed even long before the Christian era.
So how do you suppose - just a couple generations after Arabia was populated with ignoramuses - Mohammedan 7th and 8th century AD "tradition" creators, came up with a few thousand years of pre-Mohammed Islamic "history"?
http://islamchristianforum.com/index.php?topic=1176.0
VERY INTERESTING OPINION RAFAT AMARI HOLDS, and it is a great question to be studied, for that I would have to go to MAKKAH and ask the Saudis what they have unearthed, it seems the only avenue Dr Rafat has not pursued. The Saudis seem to hold a vast amount of knowledge in Arabic in the Universities that predate all the western Universities as the Arabs were the first to gather knowledge in Bagdad Call Baitul Ghikma (HOUSE OF WISDOM), much of which was destroyed by the mongols.
I will make some enquiries from the Arab kingdom, The only references to Arabia I have thus far is from the BIBLE that confirms that Ishmael and Hagar was given Arabia, Makkah is obviously mentioned but I see that you dont believe the Bible when it differs from your view.
Biblically
Arabs show up in three biblical lists of genealogy:
The descendants of Jaktan (Genesis 10:25-30)
The descendants of Abraham through Keturah (Genesis 10:1-6)
The descendants of Ishmael (Genesis 25:13-18)
(It is possible that some of the descendants of Cush, the son of Ham (Genesis 10:7) are also called Arabs.)
There seems to have been some intermingling between the tribe of Simeon and the Ishmaelites, for the clans of Mibsam and Mishma are associated with both. (Genesis 25:13 and I Chronicles 4:25).
Ishmaelites do not appear among the victims of David's raids into the lands south and east of Israel, even though these enter Arab lands. (I Samuel 27:8 and Genesis 25:18) David's sister married Jether the Ishmaelite (I Chronicles 2:17) and two of David's administrators were Obil the Ishmaelite, and Jaziz the Hagarite, (I Chronicles 27:30).
Hagar and Ishmael were given Arabia (Genesis 21:8-21) and Isaac's descendants were promised the Holy Land. Apparently they were not hostile to each other, for Ishmael and Isaac worked together to bury their father Abraham in the Cave of Macphilah, in Mamre (Genesis 25:9).
On the other hand, the Bible refers to various individuals and groups as being 'Arabs.' Jeremiah prophesied against the 'kings of the Arabs' sometime between 627 and 586 BC.
Arab Genealogists
It is the common view of Arab genealogists and modern historians that Arabs originated in the southern part of the Arabian Peninsula, and then moved northward. (James Montgomery, Arabia and the Bible, Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania Press, 1934 and Hitti, History of the Arabs.) This view is based on the identification by Muslim Arabs of their oldest ancestor as being Qahtan, whom they identify as the biblical Jaktan. Genesis 10:25-26.
Arab Genealogists divide the Arabians into two ethnic stocks. First, the original Arabic Arabs ('aribah) and then the arabized Arabs (musta 'iribah). The Arabic Arabs are supposed to have originated with the Yamanites and are descended from Qahtan (Jaktan of the Bible) and are the original stock. The Arabized Arabs are the Hijazis, Najdis, Nabataeans, and Palmyrenes. These Arabized Arabs are supposed to have all descended from Adnan, an offspring of Ishmael.
Much is written about Arabia and very little about Makkah but then again very little detail is given about the region as it is a much disputed territory that was ruled and conquered by the strongest tribe.
I know that Makkah and its artifacts are off limits to the public as many Pagan practises creep into the objects as many consider anything from Makkah as the holiest, I worship ALLAH (AL_the ielaah GOD) not Makkah, the honor, property and blood of a believer is more sacred than Makkah and the Ka'aba (words of the Prophet)
Please give sometime but please understand that I place no weight or value in archeological finds, it is not a science and dating techniques have not nearly been perfected also ruins have very little to do with belief or holiness or sacredness the whole world is a place to pray in.
