The Pre-Islamic Paganism and Dhu’l-Khalasa as One of Idols of Al-Hedjaz

The paganism was common in pre-Islamic Arabic culture and each tribe had its own idols and places peculiar to those idols. Dhu'l-Halasa was one of the pilgrimage sites which were quite then common in Arabia. It was constructed as a retribution or similitude to the Kaabah, which was quite prestigious in that region since the prophet Abraham. A Kaabah-shaped structure was built on an idol named “el-Khalasa” in that region, it became famous with the name of Dhu'l-Halasa and was also mentioned as al-Kaabah al-Yamaniyya. This house (bayt) turned into a place respe-cted by Has'am, Bacîla, Davs ve Azdu's-Sarât tribes.Also Dhu'l-Halasa had servants and protectors such as Banû Umâma from Banû Bâhila b. Âsûr, Hâris b. Ka'b, Curm, Zabîd, Gavs b. Murr b. Udd and Banû Hilal b. Âmir tribes.It can easily be said that all the rituals, worship and respect such as circumambulating, immolation, wows, donation and divining arrows at-tributed to the Kaaba go for Dhu'l-Halasa as well. Dhu'l-Halasa had also the invocation (talbiyah) peculiar to itself just like the ones in other tribes' and temples' prayers