Hajj season is underway – typically it’s a very crowded, lively time with people from all over the world traveling through Jeddah on their way to Mecca to complete the pilgrimage, which is one of the five pillars of Islam. Over 5 or 6 days, the pilgrims perform a series of rituals in Mecca, including circling the black cube “Kaaba.” Most of the rituals are tied to Abraham, whom they believe built the Kaaba.
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Since nearly 2 million people flock here annually to partake in the rituals, hajj is a major economic push for the country. Saudi usually gives countries a quota of pilgrims they will accept each year (people might save up and be waitlisted for years before they’re permitted to participate), but this year they have severely limited it to only include people who are already in Saudi (supposedly 1,000-ish people).
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Non-muslims are not allowed in the city of Mecca at any time so we have to rely on info from our Muslim friends, and the trusty interweb, to learn what happens during hajj. When we travel to Taif, our favorite place in the mountains, we have to take the “non-muslim route” which bypasses Mecca (and tacks an extra half hour onto our drive). The road is surprisingly easy to miss if you aren’t paying attention, but if we were to drive through Mecca and get stopped, most likely it would just result in a fine.
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To us, hajj season just means we should stay away from the airport, do as minimal driving as possible, and anticipate catching some weird colds/flus from the influx of people passing through Jeddah.
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|| Photo taken in Al Balad, Jeddah bc I don’t have any pics of Mecca 😉||
Our Journey through the Land of Midian in Saudi
When I was a child, learning about Moses in Sunday school and watching VeggieTales and The Prince of Egypt, I thought of places like the
