Why "Makkah" and "Makkatu"?

You say "Makkah" when alone, but in a title it's "Makkatu-l-Mukarramah". Why does the same letter sound like "h" sometimes and "t" other times? This is the rule of Waqf (Pause).

In the Middle of Speech

مَدِيْنَتُ الرَّسُولِ

Madinatu-r-Rasool

The City of the Messenger

ة sounds like "tu" — the Ta' is fully pronounced, connecting to the next word.

At the End (Pause / Waqf)

مَدِيْنَه

Madinah

A city (said alone, with stop)

ة sounds like "h" — when you pause/stop speaking at this word, the Ta' softens to a "h" sound.

The Waqf Rule

In Connected Speech (Wassal وَصْل)

مَدِيْنَةُ, مُعَلِّمَةُ, مَكَّةُ

ة = pronounced as "t" + vowel

Madinat-u, Mu'allimatu, Makkat-u

At a Pause (Waqf وَقْف)

مَدِيْنَه، مُعَلِّمَه، مَكَّه

ة = pronounced as "h" (silent)

Madinah, Mu'allimah, Makkah

Famous Examples You Already Know

مَكَّة

Pause: "-ah"

مَكَّةُ الْمُكَرَّمَة

Makkah / Makkatu-l-Mukarramah

The Honored Makkah

مَدِيْنَة

Pause: "-ah"

مَدِيْنَةُ الرَّسُولِ

Madinah / Madinatu-r-Rasool

The City of the Messenger

سُورَة

Pause: "-ah"

سُورَةُ الْبَقَرَةِ

Suurah / Suuratu-l-Baqarah

Surah Al-Baqarah

رَحْمَة

Pause: "-ah"

رَحْمَةُ اللهِ

Rahmah / Rahmatu-llah

The mercy of Allah