Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
to finance the next leg of the journey. Camel and donkey caravans provided transportation
for wealthier pilgrims: those with less funds had to walk, taking up to two years to arrive
in Mecca from the fringes of the Islamic world.
Hajj remains a costly commitment that many can only afford to finance once, and there
remains no obligation on the impoverished to fulfil this pillar of Islam. Most families,
however, see it as a point of honour to ensure elders reach the holy cities, pooling their re-
sources to make the trip possible. Novel methods of raising funds are still in evidence and
something of the spirit of enterprise shown by the merchants of old can still be seen in
Jeddah, for example, where pilgrims bring unwrapped home-grown products - coffee
from Yemen, saffron and pistachios from Iran, spices from India - fresh from their suit-
cases.
Richard Burton's
Personal Narrative of a Pilgrimage to Al-Madinah and Meccah
(1874) offers a rare Western insight
into the holy cities which he entered as an imposter under disguise.
A Journey Beset with Hardship
Hajj over the centuries earned a reputation as a dangerous and difficult enterprise from
which there was no guarantee of safe return. Indeed, hardship was considered part and
parcel of the journey. Before setting off, pilgrims would draw up wills and appoint execut-
ors in the expectation of failing to make it back home. Bandits, highwaymen, robbers,
warring tribes, kidnappers and disease were just some of the hazards pilgrims could ex-
pect during their attempt to reach the holy cities.
Despite the improved transportation, the provision of healthcare and security on arrival,
and the promise of safe passage on return, there is a continuing expectation of hardship.
Once in 30 years or so, hajj falls in the hottest summer months on earth. Ask pilgrims how
they will cope as hajj once again approaches that testing time of soaring daytime temper-
atures and most will say they welcome the added challenge - they welcome the chance to
demonstrate their faith in extremis.
The 12th-century hajji from Arab Spain, Ibn Jubayr, stayed in Mecca for eight months.
Travel of Ibn Jubayr
recounts that experience and is considered the first traveller's diary in Arabic.
