Foreign Muslims return to Mecca for Umrah pilgrimage

[KingKhanWC]

Foreign Muslim pilgrims have been allowed into the Grand Mosque in Mecca for the first time since coronavirus restrictions were imposed seven months ago.

From Sunday, some 10,000 pilgrims from abroad were allowed to perform the Umrah pilgrimage, which Muslims can traditionally take at any time.

They had to self-isolate for three days after arriving in Saudi Arabia before being allowed to circle around the Kaaba - the holiest site in Islam - in the centre of the Grand Mosque.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-mi...Bu4hq3pfB5jgde614JiAErZXsmmCQsB0MNzcz17_Ry1GY






https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-mi...Bu4hq3pfB5jgde614JiAErZXsmmCQsB0MNzcz17_Ry1GY

Nice to see. Would be a lovely place to be atm.

 

[Lurker_Ind]

That place looks gorgeous. The people living in the tall buildings will have birds eye view of the whole structure.

 

[Varun]

That place looks gorgeous. The people living in the tall buildings will have birds eye view of the whole structure.

The tall buildings are all hotels I believe.

 

[Lurker_Ind]

The tall buildings are all hotels I believe.

If they are hotels, I bet the top floor is always in high demand.

 

[KingKhanWC]

If they are hotels, I bet the top floor is always in high demand.

You cant see in the photos but the Clock Tower run by Fairmont is the tallest hotel in the world with the largest clock also. I stayed there a few years ago. Some rooms have a view of the Kaaba. Its not cheap esp in Hajj but its perfect, you walk out and you are inside the great mosque.

 

[Lurker_Ind]

You cant see in the photos but the Clock Tower run by Fairmont is the tallest hotel in the world with the largest clock also. I stayed there a few years ago. Some rooms have a view of the Kaaba. Its not cheap esp in Hajj but its perfect, you walk out and you are inside the great mosque.

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Perfect place. Not religious, but that view is breathtaking.

 

[Nadeemp]

Nice view

 

[sweep_shot]

Great sight.

Beautiful Mecca.

 

[Tubs]

I'm a real sucker for historical sites, and you can't get much more historical than this.

Probably one of the oldest religious sites which has been continuously prayed at on the planet? As it was originally revered by pagan Arabs, it has perhaps been the centre of worship for close to 2000 years. Its longevity is probably only beaten by a few Christian and Jewish sites, maybe Hindu too. Crazy to think about.

 

[Gabbar Singh]

I bet that social distancing makes the experience for these pilgrims even better - more relaxed and peaceful.

Recently read a piece about the Sistine Chapel and other religious attractions in the Vatican - the lack of overcrowding makes it a joy for the tourists who visited throughout the covid crisis.

 

[Nadeemp]

I w te to Alhambra in granada in June. It was empty. Been there two times before. Was a totally different experience . Took my soon to egypt and Jordan in same trip right after the terrorist attacks. Was not empty but very few people especially petra. Had perra to ourselves. Also we got there at 530am at the gate. They open at 6. And the guard let us in.

 

[Yossarian]

I'm a real sucker for historical sites, and you can't get much more historical than this.

Probably one of the oldest religious sites which has been continuously prayed at on the planet? As it was originally revered by pagan Arabs, it has perhaps been the centre of worship for close to 2000 years. Its longevity is probably only beaten by a few Christian and Jewish sites, maybe Hindu too. Crazy to think about.

The Wahhabis have deliberately demolished over 90% of the historical buildings in Makkah as a deliberate policy.

“The authorities are trying to destroy anything in Mecca that is associated with the prophet's life,” says Irfan al-Alawi, director of the UK-based Islamic Heritage Research Foundation, who recently returned from a trip to the city. “They have already bulldozed the house of his wife, his grandson and his companion – and now they are coming for his birthplace. And for what? Yet more seven-star hotels.”

https://www.theguardian.com/artandd...-the-destruction-of-meccas-heritage-continues

The Destruction of Mecca

The dominant architectural site in the city is not the Sacred Mosque, where the Kaaba, the symbolic focus of Muslims everywhere, is. It is the obnoxious Makkah Royal Clock Tower hotel, which, at 1,972 feet, is among the world’s tallest buildings. It is part of a mammoth development of skyscrapers that includes luxury shopping malls and hotels catering to the superrich. The skyline is no longer dominated by the rugged outline of encircling peaks. Ancient mountains have been flattened. The city is now surrounded by the brutalism of rectangular steel and concrete structures — an amalgam of Disneyland and Las Vegas.

The “guardians” of the Holy City, the rulers of Saudi Arabia and the clerics, have a deep hatred of history. They want everything to look brand-new.

https://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/01/opinion/the-destruction-of-mecca.html

As for the clock tower, an ancient Turkish fort and the hill on which it was built, were destroyed to build it

Saudi Arabia's uneasy relationship with its cultural heritage of Mecca and Medina

Built in 1780 and leveled in 2002 for the construction of the Makkah Royal Clock Tower hotel complex, the Ottoman Ajyad Fortress is just one of many historic sites that are being destroyed and replaced by hotel towers, condo skyscrapers and parking lots.

https://archinect.com/news/article/...ith-its-cultural-heritage-of-mecca-and-medina

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[Uzi]

The Wahhabis have deliberately demolished over 90% of the historical buildings in Makkah as a deliberate policy.




As for the clock tower, an ancient Turkish fort and the hill on which it was built, were destroyed to build it



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It's a monstrosity. I was there for Umrah last year and they have gone way over the top.