Special treatment for pilgrims to Islam's holiest city

They were just a small portion of the millions of pilgrims and visitors from all over the world eager to discover the rich heritage of the Kingdom and learn the story of Makkah, Islam’s holiest city, and its most sacred shrine, the Kaaba.

Visitors to Makkah are specially treated under the umbrella of the government, which has exerted all possible efforts to serve the city of Madinah and all its visitors, especially pilgrims.

They can learn how it was built under directions from the late establishing King Abdul Aziz to serve as a palace for the king’s guests; how it was later turned into a museum that preserved Makkah’s heritage; how the message of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) came into life in Makkah to unite the word of Allah; and how the Islamic states (in the past) and Saudi state (until the present) have devoted themselves to serve the Two Holy Mosques and their visitors.

Faisal Al-Sharif, director general of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH) in Makkah, stressed that under instructions from the president of the SCTH, Prince Sultan bin Salman, public and private touristic museums will open their doors to the capital’s visitors in coordination with the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, through Umrah companies and organizers of tourist trips.

He added: “The Makkah museum opens its doors to visitors and pilgrims in the morning and at night. Specialists from the SCTH and tourist guides licensed by the SCTH handle the explanations about everything in the museum.”