PhlyingRPh
Dec 7, 09, 12:14 pm
I had the unexpected opportunity to perform the Hajj this year, just returning a few days ago. I was wondering if any other FT'ers were there and what sort of experiences they had?
For me, it was a very last minute affair, as I was planning to be elsewhere during the Thanksgiving break. Hajj is something you literally have to plan months in advance, not least because of the ordeal of visa processing (which can take for ever).
Four days before the start of Hajj, I happened to hear about a couple we know who could not make it due to a recent illness, and the fear of catching H1N1. The next morning, we decided to see if there was any way we could take their place. Their agent told us to get our affairs in order and be in Washington by sunset if we wanted to go, and that he would assist us as much as possible. Thanks to him, the Saudi Arabian Airlines protocol department and the Saudi Embassy in Washington, DC, we were met that same evening at IAD and taken to the Saudi embassy where we received a Hajj visa 20 minutes later (people sometimes wait a year for these!). That evening, we left Washington for Medina, SA, arriving there late the following afternoon. You may have seen the epic pictures of dozens of Jumbo Jets emptying their passengers from all exits onto the apron of Jeddah Airport during Hajj season, a sea of humanity clothed in white. Well, the advantage of flying non-stop to Medina is that there are very few flights to the city and the entire arrival and processing experience takes less than an hour (vs. 4 - 8 hours at Jeddah during the days prior to Hajj). Additionally, if one arrives in Jeddah and travels straight to Makkah, it is obligatory, under most Islamic interpretations to immediately perform a mini-pilgrimage, or Umra on arrival - hence the need to arrive in Jeddah wearing the Ihram (for men - two white unsewn pieces of cotton, for women it is normal loose fitting attire). By arriving in Medina, one can relax for a day (in our case) before leaving the city and putting on the Ihram at Anyway, after arrival at Medina we went straight to our hotel for one night. We were very excited to be in Medina, so after checking in and splashing water on our faces, we walked to the Prophet's Masjid across the road and joined the queue to file past the tomb in reverence. In the morning, the group we were attached to arrived and we drove to the permanent tent city of Mina to prepare for the actual Hajj. More on this later, when I get a moment to write.
I did not take any photographs this year as I wanted to be in complete compliance with all rules and regulations (for once in my life!) and photography of the holy sites is technically banned, but here's a link to last years Hajj thread, which in turn contains links to pictures I took during the Hajj a couple of years ago (1427).
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/religious-travelers/888604-hajj-1428-a.html
For me, it was a very last minute affair, as I was planning to be elsewhere during the Thanksgiving break. Hajj is something you literally have to plan months in advance, not least because of the ordeal of visa processing (which can take for ever).
Four days before the start of Hajj, I happened to hear about a couple we know who could not make it due to a recent illness, and the fear of catching H1N1. The next morning, we decided to see if there was any way we could take their place. Their agent told us to get our affairs in order and be in Washington by sunset if we wanted to go, and that he would assist us as much as possible. Thanks to him, the Saudi Arabian Airlines protocol department and the Saudi Embassy in Washington, DC, we were met that same evening at IAD and taken to the Saudi embassy where we received a Hajj visa 20 minutes later (people sometimes wait a year for these!). That evening, we left Washington for Medina, SA, arriving there late the following afternoon. You may have seen the epic pictures of dozens of Jumbo Jets emptying their passengers from all exits onto the apron of Jeddah Airport during Hajj season, a sea of humanity clothed in white. Well, the advantage of flying non-stop to Medina is that there are very few flights to the city and the entire arrival and processing experience takes less than an hour (vs. 4 - 8 hours at Jeddah during the days prior to Hajj). Additionally, if one arrives in Jeddah and travels straight to Makkah, it is obligatory, under most Islamic interpretations to immediately perform a mini-pilgrimage, or Umra on arrival - hence the need to arrive in Jeddah wearing the Ihram (for men - two white unsewn pieces of cotton, for women it is normal loose fitting attire). By arriving in Medina, one can relax for a day (in our case) before leaving the city and putting on the Ihram at Anyway, after arrival at Medina we went straight to our hotel for one night. We were very excited to be in Medina, so after checking in and splashing water on our faces, we walked to the Prophet's Masjid across the road and joined the queue to file past the tomb in reverence. In the morning, the group we were attached to arrived and we drove to the permanent tent city of Mina to prepare for the actual Hajj. More on this later, when I get a moment to write.
I did not take any photographs this year as I wanted to be in complete compliance with all rules and regulations (for once in my life!) and photography of the holy sites is technically banned, but here's a link to last years Hajj thread, which in turn contains links to pictures I took during the Hajj a couple of years ago (1427).
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/religious-travelers/888604-hajj-1428-a.html