Holy Cities
Makkah
The destination every pilgrimage is built around, and the city our Hajj and Umrah groups know street by street.
Overview
Makkah sits in a bowl of dry hills in western Saudi Arabia, and the Masjid al-Haram at its centre never closes. Around the mosque the city has changed beyond recognition in twenty years, with hotel towers, a covered mall and a ring of tunnels that move millions of people during Hajj season.
Most of our groups stay within the Ajyad and Jabal Omar districts so that the walk to the Haram is short enough to make every prayer without rushing. Outside the peak weeks the city is calmer than first-time visitors expect, and an Umrah trip in October or November leaves plenty of time for the ziyarah sites in the surrounding hills.
Things to see and do
Masjid al-Haram
The central mosque and the Kaaba. Enter through King Abdulaziz Gate if you are staying on the Ajyad side, and use the first floor during the busiest hours after Maghrib.
Jabal al-Nour
The hill holding the Cave of Hira. The climb takes about an hour and a half at a steady pace, so go early in the morning and carry more water than you think you need.
Mina and Arafat
The Hajj sites sit east of the city and are quiet outside the season. Our guides include a drive-through of Mina, Muzdalifah and Arafat on every Umrah itinerary.
Makkah Museum
A small collection in the Umm al-Joud district covering the history of the Haram and the old city. Worth an hour for anyone travelling with older children.
Good to know
- Carry your hotel card in Arabic. Taxi drivers know hotels by name rather than by street address, and the towers around the Haram look identical at night.
- Buy an ihram set before you travel. Prices near the Haram climb sharply in the last week of Ramadan and through the Hajj season.
- Zamzam is free inside the mosque but you cannot carry a large container through security. Fill up on the way out instead.
- Set your prayer alarms to the Haram timetable rather than a generic app. The iqamah is called shortly after the adhan and the doors get crowded.
