What is "haramayn"

Haramayn (from , dual form of haram, meaning "The Two Sanctuaries"), is the traditional Islamic appellation of the two holy cities of Islam, Mecca and Medina. It may also refer to:

• During the Mamluk and Ottoman eras it was applied to Jerusalem and Hebron, echoing their status as holy sites for Palestinian Muslims
• Imam al-Haramayn (1028–1085 CE), a Sunni Shafi'i hadith and Kalam scholar
• al-Haramain Foundation (or al-Haramayn Foundation) a banned charity foundation, based in Saudi Arabia, alleged by the U.S. Department of the Treasury to have "direct links" with Osama bin Laden
• A claimed "The Province of the Haramayn", "The Province of the Two Holy Places" of the rebel group Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant