Thursday 16 August 2018

Travel Diaries: Madinah, Saudi Arabia; Makkah, Saudi Arabia

Travel Diaries Part 3: We took a flight from Istanbul to Madinah and arrived at their new airport. The Madinah airport is designed to give you the feel of Masjid-e-Nabwi. The ceiling architecture mimicks the umbrellas that are strategically placed through out the mosque. Until one has visited this blessed mosque themselves, it's difficult to describe it's beauty in words. We stayed in Madinah for eight days, which gave us plenty of time to meditate, as well as go out and do a bit of sight seeing. All the staff at our hotel were really kind and welcoming.

Finally, our last stop was Makkah, where we also stayed for eight days. The drive from Madinah to Makkah was about six hours. We saw countless camels along the way! Makkah, Saudia Arabia is where the religious pilgrimages take place (Umrah and Hajj.) After we had completed our tawaf (walking around the Holy Ka'bah seven times) and sahee (walking between Safah and Marwah seven times), we spent the rest of the seven days praying in the mosque, doing a bit more sight seeing and our last bit of shopping during our trip. One day we took a trip out to Ta'if, which is a mountainous region about an hour and a half out of Makkah. At the top of the mountains, we were greeted by some very frisky babboons!

Saudi Arabia is a desert so there were days when it was 40 degrees out there! Other than the dry heat, the trip was overall amazing and unforgettable.


Madinah Umbrellas

Madinah Museum

Madinah Museum

Masjid-e-Nabwi

Camels

Me petting a baby camel!

Madinah Airport

Masjid-e-Nabwi door

Mosque Entrance

A hungry and smelly cat my mom and I used to visit daily after every prayer =)

Ka'abah in Makkah

Baboons in Ta'if

Inside Haram (mosque)

Meeting more cats in Makkah!

Kaba'ah