Ziyarat
Group ziyarat
One thing worth saying plainly
Ziyarat is visiting places of history and taking a lesson from them. It is not part of the rites of Umrah, and none of these sites is a place to seek anything from other than Allah. Our guides keep to the history and the etiquette, and where opinions differ we tell you that they differ rather than deciding for you.
Makkah
Ziyarat around Makkah
Mostly a half day by coach, and best done before your Umrah rather than after, while you still have energy.
Jabal al-Noor & Cave of Hira
جبل النور
Allow 3–4 hrs
Where the first revelation came. The climb is 640 metres of uneven steps.
Genuinely strenuous. Go before Fajr in summer or do not go at all.
Photo: Abdul Razzaq Phulpot… · CC BY-SA 3.0Jabal Thawr
جبل ثور
Allow 3 hrs
The cave where the Prophet and Abu Bakr sheltered during the hijrah.
Harder than Jabal al-Noor. Most groups view it from the road.
Photo: Fahad Faisal · CC BY-SA 4.0Mina, Arafat & Muzdalifah
Allow 4 hrs
The Hajj plains. Quiet and strange to walk outside the season.
Photo: King Eliot · CC BY-SA 4.0Masjid Aisha, Taneem
Allow 1 hr
The nearest miqat for entering ihram for a repeat Umrah.
Madinah
Ziyarat around Madinah
Flatter, calmer and closer together than Makkah. A morning covers most of it.
Photo: Kaliper1 · CC BY-SA 4.0Masjid Quba
مسجد قباء
Allow 1–2 hrs
The first mosque built in Islam. Two rak'ahs here carry the reward of an Umrah.
Go on a Saturday morning to follow the Prophetic practice.
Masjid al-Qiblatain
Allow 45 min
Where the qibla changed mid-prayer from Jerusalem to Makkah.
Mount Uhud & the martyrs' cemetery
Allow 1–2 hrs
The battlefield, and the graves of seventy companions including Hamza.
Jannat al-Baqi
Allow 30 min
The cemetery beside Masjid an-Nabawi. Viewable from outside; men may enter at set times.
On request
Jeddah and Taif
You land in Jeddah anyway, so an afternoon there costs you nothing but the transfer. Taif is a day trip from Makkah, and worth it in the cooler months.
Photo: Tahir mq · CC BY-SA 4.0Al-Balad (Historic Jeddah)
البلد
Allow 3–4 hrs
UNESCO-listed coral-stone houses with carved rawasheen balconies, and the old souqs behind them.
Go after 5pm. Before that the heat is punishing and half the doors are shut.
Photo: Joseph Azrak · CC BY-SA 4.0Jeddah Corniche & King Fahd Fountain
Allow 2 hrs
Thirty kilometres of waterfront. The fountain throws seawater 260 metres up and runs after dark.
Photo: Wusel007 · CC BY-SA 3.0Red Sea reefs
Allow Half or full day
Some of the healthiest coral in the world, thirty minutes offshore. Diving and snorkelling year-round.
Book a licensed operator. Water is 24–31°C depending on the month.
Photo: Tahir mq · CC BY-SA 4.0Al-Rahma (Floating) Mosque
Allow 45 min
Built out over the water on the Corniche. Best at sunset.
Photo: User:Cyb3r · Public domainNassif House Museum
Allow 1 hr
A merchant family's 19th-century home in Al-Balad, with a ramp wide enough for camels.
Fish market & Bayt Nassif souqs
Allow 1–2 hrs
Pick your fish, walk it to a grill next door, eat it twenty minutes later.
Ziyarat for your own group
Travelling with a jamaat or a family group? We arrange a separate coach and guide, and set the pace around the oldest person in the party rather than the youngest.