MAKKAH: An eight-page booklet tracing the history of Makkah’s famous Zamzam water has been published in Makkah.
The book, titled Mehnat Zamazima Min Al-‘Amid ila Al-Hafid, is in Arabic and by Hussein Al-Baitar, a member of one of Makkah’s famous zamazima families (the traditional distributors of Zamzam water).
The booklet includes several Prophetic traditions and quotes from scholars underlying the religious significance of Zamzam and its healing powers.
It further describes how distributing Zamzam water to pilgrims became the privileged service of certain families and how they bottled and incensed the water.
He also said the Kingdom’s founder, the late King Abdul Aziz, allowed people who distributed Zamzam to participate in the bi-annual Kaaba washing ritual.
The booklet also lists the names of significant people who have distributed Zamzam over the past 50 years. It further describes the ceremonial dress worn by traditional zamazimas, and the bottles and utensils they used.
The booklet’s front cover is illustrated with a photograph of Hussein Al-Baitar’s father, Suleiman Al-Baitar, a leading Zamzam distributor. The author, who has submitted copies of the booklet to Culture and Information Minister Abdul Aziz Khoja, plans to distribute the booklet at Saudi cultural events abroad.
