Jeddah

By Sohail Rahman in Middle East on November 14th, 2010
So Rahman with his mother, Zubeeda Naheed Rahman, and father Habib Ul Rahman in 1973 Photo copyright: Rahman Family Archive

Arriving in the late evening into Mecca was not plain sailing. Though I am part of a large media outfit, even being with Al Jazeera holds little sway with the police when they see you wearing the two-piece white sheets – ihram.

It’s a complicated catch-22 situation. To arrive in Mecca, in fact in Saudi during the Hajj month you have to state your intention religiously, so you wear your ihram as you fly into Jeddah.

However, we were not performing the Hajj as we’re guests of the Ministry of Information covering Hajj for the channel, so theoretically one might say you shouldn’t wear the ihram.

The problem arises when the police who patrol the toll plaza as you enter the city see who you are and what you’re wearing.

Tags: Aziz, God, Jeddah, Mecca
By Imran Garda in Middle East on November 5th, 2010
Image from GALLO/GETTY

I had fifteen minutes unfettered viewing of the US Capitol building as my taxi tried negotiating rush hour gridlock towards Washington DC's Dulles Airport. The Greco-Roman architecture, pillars on a carousel holding a majestic dome, this imposing building, which had just had a seat-shuffle after the recent midterms, is a symbol of US power.

Its pearly whiteness was a stark contrast to that other symbol I was about to visit - the Kaaba in Mecca, draped in black.

My transit stop was in Frankfurt, Germany. Pilgrims waited at the boarding gate, men dressed in white unstitched sheets, some wearing the upper piece like a poncho, others imperious, exposing a shoulder, like Greco-Roman warriors who might look quite interesting if they stood outside the aforementioned Capitol in those threads; women were clad mostly in black hijab (veils).

By Omar Chatriwala in Middle East on November 26th, 2009

The day of Arafat is one of the most important dates of the Muslim calendar, and a crucial part of Hajj. For us, the day began at 12:13am.

We set out from Mina just after midnight, hoping to avoid traffic congestion - most pilgrims only head for Arafat after dawn prayers. All the same, it took us three hours to travel 15km by bus, and many pilgrims had already arrived.

Where heavy rains had drenched so many pilgrims at Mina and led to the deaths of around 50 people in Jeddah, the weather in Arafat was sweltering by midday.

Lines of buses crowded the streets, whilst throngs of people flooded in between the cracks.

In an effort to ease the difficulties many pilgrims face, Saudi authorities have installed drinking fountains offering sterilised water, and sprinklers releasing mist into the air around the area of Mount Arafat.

By Omar Chatriwala in Middle East on November 24th, 2009

Mina, we have arrived! Hitting the road out of Mecca just before dawn was the plan, but organising a group big enough to fill a bus is not always the most efficient process, and we left several hours later than anticipated.

Despite an estimated 2.5 million people performing Hajj, we encountered rather light road traffic on the way.

Saudi Arabia has recently banned travelling to Mina by car, in an effort to prevent excessive road congestion. So for the Hujjaj (pilgrims), they must either get here by foot, or fill a group bus.

Eight kilometres, and less than an hour later, we were greeted by the sight of the sprawling tent city of Mina. Row upon row of white tents, punctuated by pockets of white-clad pilgrims.

Most Hajj pilgrims will have arrived in the country via Jeddah, and at least visited Mecca, but Mina (number 2 on the below map) is when and where it all kicks off. Its a steep, uphill climb from here, figuratively speaking.

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