Mecca Local Customs

Because Makkah is a valley,houses are built all over the mountains surrounding it.
Double click the picture to enlarge it.I`m sorry if the picture is a little blur,,but we were rushing to get to the Holy Mosque to be able to pray the Asr prayers(afternoon prayers).

By all means this is one of the best construction work have been ever made on a mosque,everything is set to make the visit of the holy mosque more comfort for the pilgrimages and visitors.
Many minarets have been added,many gates have been opend.
I still remember,,when I was a child,,we couldn`t walk around the Ka`ba because of the hot ground,,now,,,it`s very comfortable walking bare footed as the grounds are set with marble that reflect the sun beams!

These grounds are not only inside the holy mosque,,but also covers most of the area surrounding the holy mosque to occupy more than 2.000.000 visitors at Hajj and Ramadan.

God bless my country!God bless Islam!

If only I could have snaped more shots of the inside of the Holy Mosque you would have been amazed.but anyways,,this door (located outside the holy mosque)leads to the escalators to the second floor of the mosque.
One of many other escalators.
I took this picture before going inside the Haram.

1 more image

Pilgrims have to stone the devil [ 3 stone pillars] after they return from Arafat to Mina. this is done three times on the day of the Eid and the following days. Stones are thrown individually , though some ignorant people throw handfuls of stones.
This is the most dangerous part of the hajj, as people can be injured by the stones, or as when we were there by stampedes when confusion over the entrance and exit occurred, when over 300 people died.

Here is a picture of what a typical Makkawi house looked like in the old days,the architecture is also simliar to the one in Jeddah city,the wooden windows is called rawasheen,where it allows air into the house but also keeps it`s privaciy.
All houses are painted with white colour to keep sun rays away,another way to keep houses cool.

This should be pretty obvious, but I'll just reiterate it. Mecca is the holiest place on Earth for Muslims, so as such conservative dress is the norm. I did not see anything short of headcoverings for women, and men who's bodies were completely covered. Most of them wore something on their heads as well (except for those performing tawaf).

Moiya ZamZam or ZamZam water is readity available in Makkah. It is sold on street corners and of course, it is available for free inside Masjid al Haram. Pick up the cup and drink with the right hand. One should try to finish the cup in three drinks. discard the used cup on the left hand side of the container.

This is a picture of the boundry gate located at the higway,just few meters after the check point,Non Muslims should not be driving after this point.