MAKKAH, 23 December 2007 — For millions of pilgrims the Haj represents shedding all earthly concerns and an embracement of simplicity with a detachment from worldly trappings. The ihram — the two-piece outfit of the pilgrim — is a simple cloth, free from zippers and buttons. Pilgrims take this detachment with varying degrees of orthodoxy: those that follow the rites to the letter and those who might, say, carry along a laptop or items for barter to help pay the way.
Around the wealthier pilgrims who have a less orthodox view of the rites of Haj are numerous companies that offer luxury services. The ritziest of these is the so-called “Haj Express” tours, which include chartered flights and five-star accommodations at one of the fancy hotels overlooking the Grand Mosque in Makkah. One can even pay somebody else to throw the stones at Jamrat, the most harrowing ritual of the Haj.
These express trips deliver their customers the night before the peak of Haj at Arafat and whisk them away the moment the religious obligations end. These pilgrims stay in comfortable rooms with TV and Internet services. Prices can be as high as SR120,000 for the five-day trip.
Roh Sharaf, an Egyptian businesswoman, came up with the idea five years ago. She is the owner and manager of a travel agency that organizes Haj and Umrah for Egyptian pilgrims.
There are now four companies in Egypt that provides these express trips. Many businessmen, doctors and engineers, who do not have much time to spend or do not want to suffer under the hands of local Haj agencies, tend to register with these companies. Express Haj packages are available in other Arab countries, too.
A manager at Dar Al-Tawhid InterContinental, who did not want to give his name, said that they welcome different groups of pilgrims who come with Haj express missions. “We have welcomed over 250 pilgrims from Egypt. Some of them are officials and important people,” he said.
Muhammad Al-Fayoumi, an Egyptian pilgrim, said that he came with an express tour because it suits his requirements: “I am a businessman and I tackle many responsibilities which I cannot put off.”
According to him, he selected an express tour because it is free of problems and it is well organized. “They have GMC cars that pick us up from one holy site to the next,” he said. “They also offer individuals who throw stones on behalf of those who cannot throw their stones at Mina because of health problems.”
Al-Fayoumi said that they go in groups to Mina and that they are the ones to decide the time that suits them.
“I am not here to stay or buy anything; I have many responsibilities to fulfill and other deadlines to meet,” said Al-Fayoumi. He added that there are many well-off people who register at these missions because they do not want to stay for long times and need to go back to their jobs.
“Many of them want to stay in Makkah and Madinah or even in Jeddah, but they want to stay away from the crowded places,” said Al-Fayoumi, adding that many actors and other well known people join these Haj express missions.
