Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Defenders of the Faithful
Security of hajj pilgrims as they travelled between countries of the crescent, en route to
Mecca, was a traditional benchmark of a monarch's fitness to rule. The safety of the annu-
al caravans that gathered in Cairo, Damascus and Baghdad perplexed caliphs and sultans
alike, each eager to illustrate their strength, benevolence and religious rectitude in ensur-
ing safe passage.
Leaders across the Muslim world still take their responsibility to their pilgrims seri-
ously, spending large sums of money to ensure that infrastructure is in place to facilitate
the pilgrims' journeys. As protectors of Mecca and Medina, each successive monarch
since King Abdul Aziz, the founder of modern-day Saudi Arabia, has similarly sought to
leave his mark on the holy cities, hoping to achieve favour in heaven, some would say,
and to demonstrate strong leadership of the global community of Muslims. The King of
Saudi Arabia takes personal responsibility for the pilgrimage, and every year the king,
along with his entire government, uproots lock, stock and barrel from the capital in Riy-
adh to Jeddah, the 'hajj gateway' on the Red Sea.
