Cairo: An Omani traveller has trekked for 2,500 kilometres from his homeland to the Saudi city of Mecca to perform Umrah or minor pilgrimage.
Abdullah Al Kathiri said he set off from Salalah in Oman starting his Mecca-bound journey travelling through Hadramaut in eastern Yemen, the Wadiah border crossing between Yemen and Saudi Arabia where he passed through Sharourah, part of the Najran Province in south-western Saudi Arabia, Abha and Khamis Musheit in the south-western region of Asir before arriving in the holy city, home to Islam’s most sacred site – the Grand Mosque.
He cited two motives for setting on foot for the challenging journey.
“This is the ancestors’ tradition,” he told Saudi TV Al Ekhbariya. “The second motive is to make the youth enthusiastic for practising sports, of course not by covering such long distances,” he added.
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Al Kathiri said he experienced exhaustion due to unstable weather while trekking in the Empty Quarter, the sand desert that is part of Saudi Arabia, Oman, Yemen and the UAE.
He added that he faced no perils except weather fluctuations. Yemeni tribes provided security and food for him during his journey in the country. On arrival in Sharourah in Saudi Arabia, he was escorted by road security personnel.
During the gruelling journey, Al Khathiri carried essentials, some medicines and a mobile phone.
“On reaching the Sacred Mosque, you forget everything,” he said.
Ramadan traditionally marks the peak season of Umrah in Saudi Arabia.
