Umrah refers to a holy pilgrimage which is performed by Muslims at any time of the year in the Grand mosque of Makkah (one of the most reviewed place on Google maps). This act of worship is mainly composed of four things, namely:
- Wearing Ihraam (White garments for men)
- Purpose/Reason: Get completely humbled before the Lord while doing this worship.1. Circumambulation of the sacred house “Kaaba” (Called as Tawaaf)
- Saa’i between Al-Safa and Al-Marwah mountains (Walking in between the two mountains for 7 circuits)
- Purpose/Reason: This is to commemorate Bibi Hajra (Wife of Prophet Ibrahim (Prophet Abraham in Christianity)) search for water for her son, Prophet Ismail, and God’s mercy in answering her prayers.
- At present site here there are two walkways which will guide the pilgrims from Safa mountain to Marwa mountain. There is a narrower walkway present in the middle to assist elderly and disabled pilgrims to perform with Wheelchair/Electric Vehicles.1. Shaving/cutting the hair for men and for women cutting fingertip hair.
Note: Only Muslims can enter Makkah
Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic situation, many preventative protocols are placed by the Ministry of Health in the Grand Mosque for Umrah pilgrims. Currently only the locals/expats living in Saudi Arabia can perform Umrah provided they follow these guidelines:
- All interested people should register on Eatmarna Application to get a permit to perform the Umrah. The permit will provide a timeslot (My time slot was in between 9 AM-12:00) within which the pilgrimage will have the permission to enter the mosque to perform Umrah.
- The pilgrims will have to purchase a transportation ticket from the selected assembly points in Makkah (Kudai point, Alshisha center and Ajyad point). The staff from the Health ministry department will check the health status of the pilgrims and will later arrange a bus transportation from that assembly point to the Grand Mosque of Makkah.
- The police officers stationed at the mosque will check the permit and then only will allow the pilgrims to enter the mosque to perform Umrah.
Guidelines to be followed inside the Makkah Mosque:
- The pilgrims are required to always put on the masks during the Umrah, and the age limit have been set on pilgrims (Less than 18 years and more than 50 years old are not allowed for Umrah).
- Social distancing is maintained at all the time (Markers are placed for reference) and several police officers are enforced to prevent the crowding during the circumambulation of Kaaba. Pilgrims performing Tawaaf with wheelchair can perform the circumambulation of Kaaba in the first three tracks which are closest to Kaaba.
- The cleaning staff of the grand mosque is very active when it comes to sanitizing the courtyards and the other parts of the mosque repeatedly throughout the day by using the environmentally friendly sterilizers.
- Medical teams have also been stationed in several areas around the courtyards, and an isolation and medical check-up room has been designated in case of a suspected coronavirus cases.
At present there is no international/local airport available in the Makkah city, the closest airport to Makkah is available in the Jeddah city. I reached the Jeddah airport by taking the flight from Dammam city (located in the Eastern region of Saudi Arabia). The flight duration is of two hours and Makkah can be reached from Jeddah airport either by Taxis, Train or Bus.