Eggplant:

I noticed how Heliogabalus was usually associated with Astarte, Minerva, and/or Urania. This is similar to the “three daughters” (al-Lat, al-Uzza, and Manat) of Allah in the “satanic verses”. On the other hand, El-Gabal was a solar deity while Allah was a lunar deity, so I doubt there was any direct connection between the two religions.

It’s probable that Mecca was founded not by Abraham but by King Nabonidus of the late Babylonian Empire. King Nabonidus worshipped a moon deity and extended his empire into Arabia as far as the modern city of Medina. He was fond of founding shrines, and it would not have been out of character for him to found the shrine at Mecca. The deity fits. The meteorite worship fits. Even the southern focus of Nabonidus’s imperialism fits.

Considering how Nabonidus attempted to replace the worship of Ishtar and Marduk with his lunar deity, and considering how various aspects of Meccan worship of the pre-Mohammedan era seem to carry the stamp of late Babylonian custom, perhaps the triumph of Islam one millennium later should be seen as the revenge of Nabonidus.