By Roadjunky, Posted Dec 10, 2006
Sections: Intro El Camino de Santiago Cape to Cairo Raft the Amazon? New York to LA Road to Kathmandu The India Rickshaw Race Trans-Siberian Train Pilgrimage to Kailash Hajj to Mecca Improvise More Travel Ideas
OK, we put this in as a joke as unless you’re a Muslim (though judging from our stats we get a large number of young Arabic guys arriving at our site, presumably in search of hot pics – salaam, fellas!) then you’re not allowed to go anywhere near Mecca or Medina, the focal points of the Hajj.
Within the Muslim world, anyone who makes the pilgrimage to Mecca (and it’s supposed to be an obligation for able-boded Muslim men) is regarded with great respect thereafter and will often dye his beard a little red to make it known that he’s a hajji.
There is hope for infidels though desperate to make their way to the holiest place in Saudi Arabia in the shape of Richard Burton who made the pilgrimage disguised as a doctor from Afghanistan. Sadly, unless you possess the genius linguistic and anthropological talents of the 19th century traveler, you’re liable to be lynched for making fun of the Islamic faith.
