well why not start our journey at spiritual centre :
Mecca, in a desert valley in western Saudi Arabia, is Islam’s holiest city, as it’s the birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad and the faith itself. Only Muslims are allowed in the city, with millions arriving for the annual Hajj (pilgrimage). But i’ll try to show most to it.
To arrive at the destination We took connecting flight from Goa to Sharjah and from then to jeddah based in KSA (kingdom of Saudi Arabia). jeddah, a Saudi Arabian port city on the Red Sea, is a modern commercial hub and gateway for pilgrimages to the Islamic holy cities Mecca and Medina.
we landed at King Abdulaziz International Airport (JED) most nearest airport to Mecca based in Jeddah. The airport is the third-largest and the busiest airport of Saudi Arabia, Because of Jeddah’s proximity to the city of Mecca, the airport has a dedicated Hajj Terminal, built to handle pilgrims taking part in the rituals associated with the annual Hajj.
To reach makkah theirs lot of bus service available around the vicinity,get on in one which you like.
On arriving at mecca we did umrah but it was scorching heat out there. I would suggest doing umrah at nights it has it’s perks
- You’ll get to go close to Kabba,
- It’s calm, cold & not that crowded, and FYI that’s when native peoples do it.
Place is overly filled with spirituality, washing away all stresses and worries. It was life-altering experiences for us.
Find out whats just Around the corner ?
All healthcare, telecom and transit services are just yards away, that wont be trouble but healthcare items are quite expensive viz-a-viz from my place ‘india’. ‘I bought cough syrups for whooping 45 riyal which was around 900rs INR that time”. so better be prepared with necessary travel kit if you wanna save some.
You’ll get whatever you need just around Mecca. It’s a picturesque place with life-alter experience gotta capture everything in a short time as the clock is ticking….!!
The Makkah Royal Clock Tower
The Makkah Royal Clock Tower Hotel is a 120-storey structure. It is both the tallest hotel and the tallest clock tower in the world at 601 meters (1,972 feet) and a total surface area of 32,000 square meters, believe me this image won’t do much of justice.
Turkey Restaurants:-
As short on time couldn’t find more of that, but food here was great. Restaurant had their own speciality dish and plenty of them look really delicious as well. in here you won’t be able to empty your bag as prices were way reasonable.
Extreme sports : quad biking was a boast for excitement
Saudi Arabia it’s is place of riches, gold, diamond….even beyond it’s about luxury cars, that big won’t fit just everywhere.
Better not miss Friday night, that’s when it’s more than lively, more crowded. It’s amazing to see such liveliness. We enjoyed a lot. That places has really helpful people’s, who would go extent to help you if needed.
ONE OF BEST MALL AROUND THE AREA
Oh don’t forget shopping, I am not talking about mall shop, which you’ll find on every corner of streets, I am talking about streets markets on the backside of the Al haram area at Reasonable prices.
If you need to buy dates then you’ll find the best dates in mecca, so get your bags filled there itself. One we bought in medina were too bad.
WHAT TO CONSIDER IN STAY ?
mecca is a much bigger city than most people realised before arriving, which means there is an array of accommodation options for all budgets and group sizes. On my recent visit, as I was travelling with family, I found the accommodation options to be pretty affordable in late November.
Get a hotel just around the Al haram to get best sheer view of clock tower & for it’s ease to commute from hotel to Al-haram, or else you’ll incur huge travelling charges as you’ll need to commute frequently.
I would suggest to get in within 500m but no where around where you’ll need to climb steep slope at Mecca, unfortunately which we had to, it was exhausting.
Medina does has flat area so there you won’t face the problem of steep climbs.