RIYADH, 5 December 2006 — Narrowly escaping death six times and negotiating ferocious wolves and highway robbers, a modern-day Ibn Batuta has so far trekked 4,000 km on foot from his native Azerbaijan across Iran, Kuwait and then Saudi Arabia on the way to Makkah in time for the annual Haj, which is set to take place in a few weeks.
The Azeri man, Shahid Qurbanov, 39, gave a vivid description of his two-month-and-counting journey that has been marked with perils, adventures, road accidents and other hardships including terrible weather, wild animals and bandits. Qurbanov began his trek from Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, and is currently in Riyadh awaiting permission from Saudi authorities to perform Haj.
“In my case, surviving the long journey became a larger test of endurance than the pilgrimage itself,” said Qurbanov in an interview yesterday with Arab News at the Azeri Embassy. Qurbanov will proceed to the holy city of Makkah once he receives permission for Haj.
A journey such as Qurbanov’s to the holy land on foot while enduring the most difficult of hardships to partake in the annual Haj is something indicated in the Qur’an: “And proclaim unto all people the duty of the Haj pilgrimage. They will come to you on foot and on every kind of fast mount. They will come from the farthest locations (on Earth).”
When asked about the most memorable and fearsome moments of his journey, the fearless pilgrim described how he was stalked by wolves in Iran. “Wolves stalked me for nearly three hours, then suddenly they walked away... once the tire of a huge lorry burst on the Ahwaj Highway in Iran and it stopped just short of where I was resting on the side of the road,” he said, adding, “I also survived for three days and three nights without food and water.”
Despite the dangers, Qurbanov said he has received considerable help from generous strangers in Iran, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. He says that once he obtains his Haj visa, he will continue on foot to Makkah.
“With a target of walking 50 km every day, it will be easy for me to soon set foot on the soil of the holy city,” said the pilgrim, who says he is inspired by ancient Arab travelers such as Ibn Batuta. Qurbanov added that his journey highlights the importance of peace and love between the people of the Kingdom and Azerbaijan, as well as his love for the Islamic world. He also plans to write a book about his trip.
Qurbanov left Baku on Sept. 1. He carries a 16-kilogram bag full of daily necessities and an Azeri flag. He said he did not have a clear route planned and had set out for Iran and then Kuwait before entering the Kingdom on Nov. 25.
A war veteran with a mission to repeal Armenian aggression, Qurbanov, who retired from Azeri military service in 2000, is an ardent supporter of Muslim causes worldwide. He comes from the small Azeri town of Sumquait near Baku.
About 4,000 Azeri Muslims are likely to perform Haj this year. Islam spread to Azerbaijan as early as the first century AH, making it one of the first countries in the region to embrace the faith. Azerbaijan was the first of the Central Asian republics, which seceded from the Soviet Union, to join the Makkah-based Muslim World League (MWL) and Islamic Development Bank (IDB). The Kingdom and Azerbaijan have forged close relations in all fields.
