22 September 2016
RIYADH: With the end of the Haj season, Umrah operators in the capital have come out with attractive weekend package for fares as low as SR130 per pilgrim, beginning Thursday.

The peak season for the Haj pilgrimage ended with the Eid Al-Adha festival on Sept. 12.

This year, the peak season coincided with the summer holidays and there were a large number of vacationers seen with their families in the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah during the season.

Beginning Thursday, return fare from Riyadh to Makkah by luxury coach, including accommodations in the holy city will cost SR130 per pilgrim, and there will be no additional charges even if the pilgrim opts to visit Prophet's Mosque in Madinah enroute to Makkah.

With an additional payment of SR50 per pilgrim, accommodations can be extended to four-star hotels in the holy city.

The weekend package to Makkah and Madinah starts at 4 p.m. from Riyadh on Thursday and finishes on Saturday midnight.

Each family is given a large room while, bachelors are accommodated on a sharing basis with three pilgrims in one room. Children under 12 have to pay half fare. Accommodations will be provided in three-star hotels for customers' accommodations.

There are nearly 350 Umrah travel operators spread out in the capital, but they are largely concentrated within the city center of Batha.

During the journey, coaches stop over at three points for Maghrib prayers, Isha prayers and dinner, and Meeqat in Taif to allow the pilgrims to don their Ihram. Those who are going through Madinah have to wear their Ihram at Dhu'l-Hulayfah 9 km from the holy city on the way to Makkah.

Pilgrims are given half an hour to don their Ihrams at the Meeqat point so that pilgrims could offer their Fajr prayers in Makkah.

The local hotels in Madinah, in liaison with the local tour operators, have arranged city tours to historical sites for the benefit of those pilgrims who come to Madinah to visit the Prophet's Mosque.

The places of interest include the Quba Mosque  the first mosque built by the Holy Prophet in Madinah -- the Qiblatain Mosque where the Qibla was shifted from Baitul Muqadis (Al-Aqsa Mosque) to the Holy Kaaba when the Holy Prophet was conducting prayers, and the graveyard in the foothills of Mount Uhud, where soldiers belonging to the Prophetic period who were martyred in the area, are buried.

The Meeqat points include Dhu'l-Hulayfah, 9 kilometers from Madinah; Juhfah, 190 kilometers to the northwest of Makkah; Qarn Al-Manazil, 90 kilometers to the east of Makkah; Dhat Irq, 85 kilometers toward the northeast side of Makkah; and Yalamlam, 50 kilometers to the southeast of Makkah.

The Ministry of Health advised the intended Umrah pilgrims to take a flu shot before their departure for the holy cities. He noted that the vaccination service is available free of charge to citizens as well as residents at hospitals and public health care centers located throughout the Kingdom.

© Arab News 2016