Haj and Fortress of Solidity in the Past
Well organized trips were not the norm during ancient times. Pilgrims had to go through a long struggle, especially for those who had to use a sailboat to reach the port in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The Grand Mosque, photographed from the top of one of the rock hills not far away. In the middle is the Kaaba. The part of the mosque that extends in front is the mas\'a (place of performing sa\'i), which stretches over 400 meters, connecting Safa and Marwa. This photo was taken in December 1974.
“... I feel like I\'m going back to my mother’s womb. The storm from left was thrown to the right, and from right hit the left side. Then, all the belongings and crates, mats, pillows were thrown off. Then all came into the water trap, spraying out, soaking wet. "
That was the expression of tension described by Abdullah bin Abdulkadir Munsyi, a pioneer of modern Malay literature during the haj trip in 1854. The cargo ship he was traveling in at that time was hit by big storms while passing through the waters of Gamri, southern India. It was said that at that time, many ships disappeared while passing through these waters (Chambert-Loir, 2013).