abtravels

Last night in Makkah

That night I decided to do a last Tawaf around the Ka’bah. I wore my thobe rather than the ihram clothes but I made the mistake of trying to enter through King Abdul Aziz gate. This gate is only for the ground floor of the mosque where the Ka’bah is and you must be wearing the ihram towels. So as I was walking I felt a hand grip my arm and as I turned round there was a soldier who said “ihram”. 

I stood there for a few seconds as I was really hoping to go in and then he lightly pulled another brother’s ihram clothes to indicate you must be wearing this. I walked back after this as that was my mistake.

As I walked back out initially I had thought to go back to my hotel. This was more due to disappointment than anything. But as I was walking I briefly found a housekeeper – the ones who constantly wipe the floor of the mosque. I explained as best as I could, pointing at my thobe and pointing back towards the mosque as if to say how can I get in. He seemed to understand and pointed me to another gate on the right side of the abdul aziz gate. This takes you to the second floor of the grand mosque where you circle anti-clockwise with the Ka’bah to your left just below.

It was less busy than my experience doing umrah but still very busy. The key difference was that a lot of people were sitting on foldable chairs facing the Ka’bah whilst reading the Quran. So this area was more an area to sit peacefully as you would do in any mosque. There was also sufficient space to walk and do a Tawaf if you so wished. I really enjoyed this area and wish I had spent more time there or even gone to the higher floors. 

Peace and Love

It was a very loving place as people were just looking out towards the Ka’bah in reflection and prayer. One thing which kind of melted my heart in a sense was when I saw two couples – not just one – two who were facing the Ka’bah in an embrace. The man had his arms around the waist of his partner whilst resting his head on her left shoulder and they were both in loving reflection whilst standing and looking at the Ka’bah. 

Acts of intimacy are forbidden anywhere in Makkah but this wasn’t a form of intimacy in the sense of the law. It was more just an affectionate embrace between a couple which I found really endearing to be honest. I think it just goes to show that despite what some people may think as Islam and marriage being hard for the woman in a relationship, there is real and immeasurable love which is visible if you just open your eyes.

As I left the grand mosque for the final time, I decided to get a small snack and drink at KFC besides the Makkah Towers which is next to the clock towers. I got a light snack and a cold Pepsi zero which I took with me on the way back to my hotel. As I left I was walking on the ground where the shopping complexes join the courtyard of the grand mosque. There is a slight step and I think I was just taking everything in at that point that I think I half stepped on the step. This unfortunately caused me to trip and fall onto the ground. As I fell to the ground I saw my glasses sliding on the floor and for a brief second I could’ve sworn I had the Terminator theme tune playing in my head!

Grand Mosque Help

There were four housekeepers who immediately ran over to give me some assistance. 2 picked me up by my arms and half carried me over towards an elevated arch where I could sit. The other two cleaned up my split drink on the marble floor. They didn’t stay too long but just asked if I was ok. My left ankle was a bit swollen and a little painful but still walkable. I said I was and they left.

After remaining seated for a few minutes I got up to leave. I could walk but my left ankle had a bit of pain. It would swell a little until I made it back to the UK. But I was still able to walk easily. I looked around the Haram area for the final time. It was really busy but I was just taking it all in. Quite a grand magnificent area. A huge architectural complex which is unlike anything I’ve seen before in Europe. The closest destination is Rome but the thing to keep in mind however is that the Haram area is still in use. They’re not ancient sites that are for display.

The next morning I was scheduled to check out of the hotel and take the high speed bullet train from Al Haramain station to Madinah. I had already booked my ticket prior to arriving at the KSA and printed out the documents. It was an economy class ticket at £78 at the time of booking which compared to some UK train tickets might be a bit expensive for short trips. The departure time was at 1PM.