October 1326

 

The hajj was my goal of this journey, and I shall reach it so soon. In Damascus, many pilgrims joined my small caravan of travelers as the Mamluk Army protected our journey there. We decided to stop at al-Madina which lasted for four days. Every night was spent in the holy mosque - some people prayed while others cared for the ill on our caravan. The mosque was unbelievable to see as we spent every night just outside the city walls. A place where the Great Prophet Mohammed fled to from the holy site of Mecca. With this new perspective, many in the caravan were rejuvenated and ready to complete the hajj.

 

The sight of Mecca was uncomparable to anything that I had seen on my journey thus far. Thousands of people were gathered all at once to see the holy site as well as the Ka’ba. “Like a bride who is displayed upon the bridal-chair of majesty, and walks with proud steps in the mantles of beauty... We made around it the seven-fold circuit of arrival and kissed the holy Stone; we performed a prayer of two bowings at the Maqam Ibrahim, a shrine which houses the footprints of Abraham, and clung to the curtains of the Ka'ba” (Battuta). The holiness of this sacred site can simply not be captured in mere words. Instead, a rough illustration will be provided at the end of this entry even though it is still unable to capture the sheer glory of the Holy Stone where our Prophet has stood before.

 

I have reached my goal for this journey, yet there have still been wondrous exchanges that I’ve made and still plan on making. After we spent the night outside the city of Mecca as one large caravan, many strangers came to greet us and treat us with great care for our pilgrimage. Many people brought food as offerings to aid the weak and unable in our caravan as they tried to “send none away disappointed” (Indiana). Whenever they make a feast, they feel the cultural and religious need to share it without hesitation, another instance of Zakat. This type of generosity could not be appreciated more than by the year long travel it took me to reach here. Now that I am here, how will I venture on into the full realm of Dar al-Islam? This simple trip can not begin to encompass the entirety of the Muslim empire, most notably, the East hub of Delhi in India. My writing will not cease here, and my adventures into the full Islamic world of China, the Arabian Sea, Anatolia, Mali, and finally returning to my home of Tangier, Morocco shall continue. The cross-cultural exchanges and the massive architecture will never stop leaving me speechless, yet there is plenty more to see in the world. In this, we have an end of one journey, and the continuation of many more.