Non-Muslims in Mecca
Have you ever felt like you are not wanted? You are a curious traveller, you want to see what the country has to offer but they just aren’t helping you. Well, in Saudi Arabia they do just that. There are very few places that welcome you less. It is a strict Muslim country and it’s their country so they can do what they want but surely if you have got permission to be there then you should be able to see what you want within reason? There are several examples but the holy city of Mecca (Makkah) is just the king of this theme of which I’ll explain below.
In Jeddah there are ancient coral houses, as in houses made out of sea coral but they are not looked after and are hard to find. They should be amazing but they aren’t. You are not supposed to take pictures of basically anything. The mosques are the most ornate and impressive structures in Saudi Arabia but you are not supposed to take any pictures although you can sneak a few from far away with the risk of being thrown in jail for a month or two. Not a pleasant thought. The very impressive Mada’in Saleh in North West Saudi is almost as impressive as the world famous Petra in Jordan but nobody sees it. Mada’in Saleh was cut into the rock by the same people, the Nabateans, but it is forgotten. Why, because the Saudi’s make it nigh on impossible to get there without a lot of patience and phone calls. To cut a long story short there is no tourist industry in Saudi. No tourist in the sightseeing tourist sense. They have huge religious tourism for Mecca and Medina but that is where it ends.
When working Jeddah I planned a trip to Taif which is a few hours away on the other side of the city of Mecca. Taif is in the mountains and the king has a big palace there and used to stay there during the summer to escape the heat of the plains below. With the advent of air conditioning it is not used as much. It also has baboons, wild baboons! I sh!t you not. In Saudi Arabia there are wild baboons, hamadryas baboons living on the switchback road up the mountains to Taif and outside the city itself. They are a big attraction for drivers and cause a few traffic jams. Although every other foreigner I talked to at the time had never been there even though they had been in Saudi months, even years despite it only being a 3hr drive. Despite this I wasn’t spending another weekend in my hotel room so I said feck it and headed off. I was very used to the Saudi way of driving (Extremely crazy. Waay crazier than other Gulf countries or South America) and I was just as bad as them at this stage so that wouldn’t be an issue. So setting out into the unknown I had hoped to visit Mecca. Now I had heard the rumours and read a small bit that if you weren’t a Muslim then you wouldn’t be allowed in the mosque which would be normal procedure in Saudi. Pictures of the Masjid Al-Haram Mosque in Mecca are everywhere in Saudi and it. Is. Massive. Super massive. This is the holiest mosque in Islam and currently occupies 88 acres and construction is underway to increase the capacity to 2.5million people. Yes 2,500,000 people for the Hajj pilgrimage. Considering a big football stadium holds 100,000 this is quite the mosque!
Approaching Mecca
So I knew I wouldn’t make it into the mosque but had hopes of seeing it from the outside. I had also heard less founded rumours of non-Muslims not being allowed in Mecca as the city is holy in Islam but as nobody had bothered leaving Jeddah, nobody could verify this. Even many of my Muslim friends who had been there didn’t know because they didn’t pay any attention. So off on my merry journey I went wondering how would anybody verify that you were Muslim or not. Now being white would be a sign but there are plenty of white Muslims in the world so if I tried to keep a low profile and with my darkening tan maybe I could pass for a Moroccan or something! Surely they couldn’t check everybody as that would be a major operation, they must just have security or something close to the mosque so you can’t get close. Yeah, that must be it.
Oh no, that wasn’t it. They do check everybody. How do they do it? By putting huge checkpoints across the motorways exactly like tolls. And they also put a huge sign over the road to say if you are non-Muslim then get off. It seems crazy but in Saudi anything is possible. You feel very unloved and rejected. Up the ramp I went and onto the ‘Christian bypass’ which brings you 50km out of your way into the desert to bypass the city. The city is the holiest in Islam and hence Mecca is forbidden for non-Muslims, Medina further north also has this restriction. So how do they know that a white dude from Ireland isn’t a closet Muslim? Well firstly if you convert to Islam you need to take a Muslim name, Mohammed, Hamed, Abdullah etc. They are surprisingly few different names in Saudi as they are all named after the prophet or his followers so you end up knowing tens of people with the same name. But I’m sure if I managed to get around that part they would ask a prayer or two which is always in Arabic to trip me up. So with high hopes of seeing the mosque I drove out into the sunset in the desert and onto Taif and its baboons fully rejected from Mecca and once again Saudi’s making life hard.
So, I knew that Non-Muslims weren’t allowed to visit Mecca, but I didn’t know just how hardcore they were about it! You had to veer off to a separate motorway for Christians?! What if you’re not Christian
Thanks for sharing this, Happy Travels!
Thanks Dariece. Doesn’t matter what religion you are, if you aren’t Muslim then you don’t get in. Not sure exactly but I would say it’s just named the Christian Highway because most who people aren’t Muslim are Christians.
It’s not a road which says Christian road. It says non-Muslims.
Can you imagine if Christians had such a city? The entire WORLD would be screaming about it until it was changed.
Why do Muslims get a pass?
Der is not much of a difference between the two religions, Jesus Christ is one of the prophets of the muslims. Christians call him the son of god, but the muslims call him their last prophet. All of the other prophets of the muslims and the Christians, are the same..
The history of these two religions is somewhat the same, but you just hav to figure it out ! The rules of these two religions are different.
Thanx for sharing !
No no no. While you say Jesus is the son of god; whom Christians worship instead of God himself, in Islam, Jesus is one of the prophets. Not the last prophet. The last prophet is Muhammad. & the history of Islam and Christianity are different although they were introduced one after the other by the same God.
Addin, not sure what you are saying to be honest. I didn’t mention Jesus at all in the post. I agree that of course they have different histories as they started hundreds of years apart. All I was saying in the post was that it is very strange not to be allowed into a ‘city’ whatever about a mosque.
Addin, these two faiths are NOT from the same God. Read the history! It’s madness to say that Jesus was a good man, one of the prophets. Either He was God incarnate or He was a liar and a madman. Jesus Himself called God His Father, said that He was sent by God, that He and the Father are One, and that He came to give His life as a ransom. Mohammed came centuries later and preached another gospel…
Agree with you Phil. Jesus of the Bible isn’t the Eisa/Essa of the Koran. Both religions have no relationships whatsover. Allah is an household idol Mohammed’s father Abd’allah who was a pagan idol worshipper. Abd’allah translates to servant of Allah. Which means, before Koran was “revealed”, Allah, the idol was already in existence. When Mohammed brought his religion into existence, he destroyed the other 300+ idols and let only Allah, the idol remains which is now in the Ka’abah in Mecca.
Allah is the arabic term for God. Muslims dont do idol worship. They believe in The God of Abraham but reject the trinity. They also believe in the second coming of Jesus to save the world from the Anti Christ.They even follow the laws in the Old testament like the Jews do, no pork, no alcohol.
I’m a Muslim and islamic history tells us that ka’abah was built by hazrat Ibrahim(as) by the orders from Allah. It was a specific location given by Allah because right above it, in the 7th sky there is a throne of Allah on which Allah is sitting and which the angels are worshipping. The ka’abah is only a direction given to humans to worship the 5 times obligatory prayers. I’ve been there and it’s beautiful. We believe that hazrat Essa(as) was also one of the prophets of Allah and that he was raised to the heavens alive and will come back to clear this world from sins and will be a follower of Hazrat Muhammad(saw) instead of coming back as a prophet because of the seal of the prophethood. He will kill the anti-christ (dajal).
Jesus christ in christianity is the same jesus christ in islam
. his name was “yashoa’a, Eisus and Eissu in Hebrew and Eissa son of Mariam. He never claimed to be god in ur bible he is not the s begotten son of god but a mighty messenger peace be upon him.
God did not kill Eissa for your sin! you are responsible for your own sins.everybody are. Go read the bible again and see if he ever ever mentioned he was god saying ” I’m god worship me” Never.
Phil I don’t know how I can say this without being rude but you need to get your head out of your backside and re-educate yourself. Judaism Christianity and Islam and every other prophet that came before them including Adam noah Abraham lot Ishmael Jacob Joseph and all the ones you’ve ever heard of in the Bible torah or the quran. They all came with the same message, worship one God. Makkah and medina is NOT a museum or a tourist site it’s a holy place for pilgrims who are believers following the teachings of Abraham and mohammed (peace be upon them), in today’s case it’s the Muslims. And please don’t make statements that are not true. Some other people have also made untrue statements. You can take pics of anything you want. I was there yesterday just returned back to the uk today. My first ever visit and it was the best. And yes there are Christians and Jews and they are allowed to live in the country just not practise they’re religion openly. Every country has rules and they’re rules are just that. If they were performing the pilgrimage then theyou would be in makkah and medina like the rest. Also if they were practising and performing such pilgrimage then they wouldn’t be a jewellery or a Christian, would they?? Do you now understand or you still don’t cos your just another ashol who watches the news and follow the media from the west too much. Educate yourself and find out the truth. YouTube is a good start.
No, Muslims only existed 600 years after Christ and claiming Jewish and Christian’s prophet to be muslim! It is called stealing! and at the same time they hate the Jews so much…. Before Muhammad, there was no Islam and Muhammad is the only prophet of Islam
That’s what christian belief. Islam exist since even before Adam & Eve Era. Islam in arabic actually means Submit to God, Muslim is the submitter to god. Each era god send prophet and then when human forgot about Islam, god sent another prophet, again and again til the last one
Thank you very much. In such short words you actually said the truth. Islam has been around since mankind was first created. What we now know as these religions and refer to with such names are simply just names given by people not God. Islam means submit to God which in other words means worship one God. Different prophets were sent to different era so mankind could be guided and as mankind were forgetting God and practising idols. As muslims our duty is to obey and submit to the will of Allah, so when Allah tells us to circumbalate the kabah in makkah anticlockwise, we obey him without asking why. Little did we know that everything in the universe is following the exact same course without asking. “It’s called cosmic revolution”. Everything in the universe submits to the will and rules of Allah.
Do you know that the birthplace of christ has a lock on it and the key to that lock is in hands of a muslim. Do you know there are foot steps still visible of the prophet Ibrahim in makkah of when he was building the ka’abah.
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are you absolutely out of your mind? how long have you actually studied Islam? have you read the Xhoran? do you now the five pillars? the ninety-nine names?
though they share the same roots, Islam is nothing more than a male-centric power controlling cult…….
really not much difference?
how many christians would consider beheading or stoning to death anyone that wouldn’t accept Jesus as their savior, vs. how many muslims, etc, etc etc.
goodness, can you read? please get an education or, one of your abdullah buddies is gonna separate your head from your body, unless you’re one of them!!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on mecca. Regards
Hi Ross,
Isnt that the same with the Vatican? You can visit the museums and the Basilica, but you cannot even enter the wall of Vatican.
I guess every religion has its restrictions! Dont you think?
Thanks for the comment Alladin. It is not the same in the Vatican. You can enter the city (you can’t in Mecca although I do realise that Mecca is much bigger) and you can enter inside the basilica like any church whereas you can’t in Mecca! Mecca/Medinah must be one of the only cities, not buildings, in the world that you cannot enter based on religion.
I’ve been to the Vatican, but the only thing they are strict about is clothing. Men are not allowed to wear something on their head, for women it is better if you do so. Clothing should cover the shoulder and the ankles. They don’t care about religion. I visited with many atheist and they could enter as well.
Anybody can enter a church, anybody can enter Vatican museum when it is open to public.
Inside Vatican is reserved to citizen of Vatican, even catholic can’t enter there without being invited.
Visiting Jeddah!
Hello Ross, I am on my way to visit Jeddah and I was thinking/hoping to visit Mecca as well – I am noticing (and confirming) though that I will not be welcomed there since I am a Christian! Anything else worth doing while in Jeddah? Is there a way to get “close enough” to Mecca during my trip there? I will be there early June. Let me know if you have any good ideas or tips. Thanks for the great web site!
Thanks. Firstly you cannot legitimately visit Mecca. They have a checkpoint (like a toll booth) on the motorway where they check passports. I didn’t try it but if you are willing to risk it then you may get in. In Jeddah there is not a whole load to see really but the King Fahd fountain (highest in the world) is right off the coast in the centre. It may only come on after dusk. This is by the cornice, a promenade by the sea. Definitely nothing beautiful compared to other cities but worth a look. In the ‘Balad’ city centre there are old decrepit houses made of coral but they are not looked after very well and on Fridays there is a market nearby after prayer. Another nice place to hang out is Obhur to the north end of the city. It is a long inlet where you can pay to enter a hotel and go to the beach. It’s very westernized. Also around Obhur are dive/boat companies that you can go diving/snorkelling with. You will either need a car or a taxi to go to all these places. Driving is crazy in Saudi so watch out for that.
Well i lived in Saudi Arabia for 15 years and i been to Makkah hundred times
It’s only during Hajj / Umrah time they normally check whoever they want ( 80/100 ) but if you go there different times the percentage goes to 50/50. You still have to pass the checkpoint but they won’t check everyone or ask for an ID
But there other routes available where you pay someone who will take you there illegal routes via Taif ( another city )
Fair enough, I didn’t know that. I wasn’t brave enough to try it. And as I am from Ireland I am white so I’m sure I would be one of the 50% they would check. I did read on the internet of others that got in illegally but as I was working there I didn’t want any trouble and I am sure the others would be the same.
Hey there .. better to not try than get caught i’d imagine.
I’ve only been to mecca once and they didnt stop us they just waived us in. But we are Jordanian and had the Saudi garb on. So we looked the part so no checking
The only thing i would say if you ARE going for work quite honestly your best chance is when you fill out the Visa paper work it asks religion. Put muslim. Learn the shahadah (its not too hard) and maybe the Fatah (Thats a bit harder) But just say you are a recent convert and could work. Worst case is they would say no i guess.
my 2 cents. i will say it is pretty cool looking though i wish they’d open it up to limited tourism would actually help the image of islam if they did.
That was my philosophy, better not to risk it. It really would have been cool to see up close though even if just from the outside. I can understand during Ramadan or other holidays why it would be closed but for the rest of the year I think the city should be open if not necessarily the mosque. As you say it would help the image.
Keep this going please, great job!
sir, One of my frnd said that non-muslim cannot go for mecca n if we changed our religion v can how it is possiable
I feel offended that I am not allowed to enter white house or CIA headquarters or area 51. Whta kind of country does that. If I am allowed to enter america then why not these places. Racist.
The above few lines were just to show you that the logic you used is flawed. Thank you.
Those are buildings, not cities! If you were not allowed in Washington then your argument would be the correct. As I said in the post, I presumed I would not be allowed in the mosque (like a building) but the city is a bit extreme.
i am so happy that you want to visit the holy cities. An amazing experience it is. What’s would be the purpose of your proposed trip? Learn about islam? Curiosity? Admire architecture?
Jonah asked an important question, do you want to visit because of: learning about Islam; curiosity; the architecture?
Curiosity… i can tell you that it is just like any other metropolis; it is busy (more so during hajj and lesser-hajj seasons), and has suburbs and malls, just like any other bustling place. Many of the international hotels, food and store franchises (Hilton, Intercontinental, KFC, Burger King, Macdonalds, Pizza Hut, Bhs, H&M, Starbucks, Debenhams, Mothercare etc…) that you find around the world, and in other developed countries, you will also find here. Nothing new, they’re ALL in Jeddah, too. The prescence of the Grand Mosque is really what makes Makkah stand out from their other cities.
Even the remaining historical sites that are still standing are very few and far between, and you’d need to have some Islamic knowledge to understand why they are places of interest.
Architecture…with the ongoing mosque expansion project, and unless, it’s the clock tower building (Abraj al-bait) that interests you… you’d expect to find many old buildings because of its historical significance, especially near the Mosque, which is the nucleus and older part of the town, but not so. Over time, older quarters in Makkah have been brought down to make room for bigger and modern ones. You can find more older houses in Jeddah.
Infact, I imagine wherever you have free-access to in Saudi Arabia, you’re not missing out on much that is in Makkah, except the Grand Mosque, which,though a non-muslim, you can pretty much view 24hrs on their local tv channel.
how in the world could you acutally conceive of putting the terms ‘Saudi Arabia’ and ‘free-access’ in the same sentence?
not all amercains are totally illiterate when it comes to the Middle East and Islam, I have lived in SA and there is absolutley no such thing as free access – unless you’re muslim or, you have ‘al-Saud’ as a part of your given name – you’re part of that tribe. if you’re american, free-access? f**k off mate!
Different game but the same ballpark.
Not only that but entry to those is not based on religion. In fact, I’m sure the CIA has more than a few Muslims working for them. I mean seriously, if you want intelligence in Muslim countries it might help to have some on your payroll.
And you can get into the White House. I have been there. There are tours. Sure, you can’t just walk in and knock on the door to the Oval Office but that’s not based on religion either.
http://www.nps.gov/whho/planyourvisit/white-house-tours.htm
As for Area 51 I understand the need for security and often secrecy on military bases. You probably can’t just walk into one in Saudi Arabia either even if you are a Muslim.
If I had time and money to visit all the other places ahead of Mecca on my list I would learn enough to pass for Muslim and go just because it’s a very historic place and I think it would be very interesting.
Greetings just wNted to explain that what u experienced is Saudi law the laws of the Kings of Saydi and Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him and the Holy Quran did not order the Saudi kings to disallow non-Muslims from entering Mecca and malinah. You are allowed to enter for any human purpose, interfaith dialogue, business, construction, visiting relatives and friends etc You can also enter Masjid AlHaram the sacred holy mosque in Makkah to have interfaith dialogue of course dressed accordingly etc But idolaters or Pwho wish to commit pagan acts or call people to worshipping men or created things or beings are disallowed at the sacred mosque located in Mecca because God told Prophet Ibrahim that the sacred mosque will be purified only for Worshippers who pray only to the Creator of the universe and they associate no partners with the Creator.
dears hi all
i just want to tell the people that angry with this thing, believe me it’s easy to be understood. if you want to visit Rome, London, morocco, Spain or any country in the universe you should have a visa and the visa is like a permission says ” you are welcome to come ….” and you pay much money for this visa some time you got it or don’t some times be more expensive, so for makkah also you should got visa but it’s free and easy and this visa is believe in the Allah (Muslim god) and his prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him)
You are missing the point. I had a Saudi visa and worked there but there is no visa for me to visit Mecca. Based purely on my religion I am not allowed into the city.
Summer, please tell me who to believe here. You say that I can enter Mecca or Medina “for any human purpose,” but the picture clearly shows the “Muslims only” sign. ??
And dear Mostafa, really? You think it’s free and easy to believe in Allah and Mohammed. Not for this follower of Jesus Christ!! It’s not easy, because I’m convinced of my faith in God through Christ, and it’s not free, because I’d be giving up my salvation, which only comes through Christ. Now THAT’s a free gift!=)
Like you think yours is true, everyone else think there’s is true. Why not try finding out who’s is true. He who seeks finds. I found mine. I was not given by any other like my parents.
Who said we can’t take photos in mosques ? You are giving us wrong info.
I don’t know who said that because I didn’t. I have taken photos in plenty of mosques but the article is not being allowed in the city.
You don’t even remember what you wrote yourself then ? : “The mosques are the most ornate and impressive structures in Saudi Arabia but you are not supposed to take any pictures although you can sneak a few from far away with the risk of being thrown in jail for a month or two. ”
(And yes, it is complete bullcrap what you wrote).
There are billions of Muslims around the world who long to go and visit and perform the pilgrimage in the holy cities. Unfortunately, there is not enough space, capacity, resources so the government limit the number of Muslims to go each year. the government has to decide, do they want the non-Muslims to go, or the devoted Muslims who would pay anything to go and worship and perform pilgrimage. Muslims believe they do not decide to go, they are called upon to the holy city. our local mosque in the uk holds open days every week and welcomes non-Muslims. The largest mosque in the UAE also welcomes thousands of non-Muslim visitors everyday.
I can understand during Ramadan and other religious holidays why access to the city or mosque might be restricted because of the crowds but this was not the case. The city is closed to non-Muslims 365 days a year.
There have a story that non muslim try to enter mecca city will dissapear and cant to find them.. Mecca is full of unlogical happen, but its true.. Really true. Its not a magic but its Allah almighty.. Sorry for my bad english.
Makkah really is a city which never sleeps. You’ve seen many different cities but you’ve never seen this city. “Umrah” which is also an obligatory pilgrim for Muslims can be done any time of the year. The number of umrah done every year is increasing every year. I’ve recently done an umrah at the least crowded time of the year and believe me I’ve never seen so many Muslims in my life. And the structure of the city is being developed each year to handle such crowd. I think Jonah’s theory is valid.
I love it when individuals come together and share opinions.
Great website, keep it up!
Summer is absolutely correct. There is no Surah in the Quran or Hadith that prohibits non-Muslims from entering even the holy mosques, let alone the cities of Mecca or Medina. On the contrary, you will see that the Quran has several references inviting non-Muslims to enter the holy mosques in Mecca and Medina to specific purposes, including but not limited to interfaith discourses and learning.
The current law prohibiting non-Muslims into Mecca and parts of Medina is from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia — which to be honest contradicts the teachings in Quran.
It surely is a shame to humanity that someone can be denied entry to any place purely based on religious beliefs.
. The ban on non-Muslim visitors is mentioned in the Quran as follows: “Oh you who believe! Truly the idolaters are unclean; so let them not, after this year, approach the Sacred Mosque….” (9:28).
Whilst i respect the interpretation of the text, reading that I feel that idolaters would be pagans who worship false gods made of gold and other effigies, something that Christians and Jews do not do. All 3 religions that are tied together by the same God should not be divided and meetings of interfaith in all of the Holy cities for each religion should be important.
alex,
REAAAALLLY?>
and, just as a slight afterthought
could you publish, mention or, cite ANY examples of Islamic respect for other religions in the past 10 years? any? that do NOT include a sword at the neck of someone that refuses to convert?
Geesh – idiocy is really contagious these days!!
Very well said. I was wondering about this and will do more researching. It certainly is a shame to deny someone else based on their religious beliefs, totally goes against what we all learn in religion.
why everybody so angry not been allowed to enter the Mecca ? My advise, never ever to cheat The Great Creator…
I think the more important question is why would anyone ever want to visit Saudi Arabia if you’re not a Muslim. It’s the armpit of the Earth, sandy and dusty, and the personal hygiene isn’t quite so good among its citizens.
Why do people always want to metaphorically eat the forbidden fruit? If mecca doesnt want me, then I dont want to be there. I disagree with the ban, and consider it very prejudiced and un god like., but it’s not a fight worth having. There are many other wonderful cities that will open arms and accept me for who I am. I am not muslim because i disagree with the islamic understanding of who God is. Having said that — Most muslims are good wonderful people though, and I always try to be the same to them.
Salam to all broders,sisters….. Just wanna give a few sudgest to anyone nonmuslim who are trying enter that two forbiden city.. Why not you all faking up identity by saying that you are muslim?, use fake visa,fake name or whatever as long as you can past the check point….. And than, after entering it you will know for sure why it is forbidden.
That two city forbid for nonmuslim not a command by saudi arabia but the allah it self….. Even we are muslim, have a lot of bad exspereance if entering this two city with wrong mean…
Then I guess Allah is not an accepting god , is he?
“if you are non-Muslim then get off.”
the sign says “obligatory for non-muslims” it is a sign to respectfully ask u that this your limit. which you ignored and put ur self in a very embarrassing situation.
“You feel very unloved and rejected.”
if u did not try to challenge if they’ll let u or not. Or your ignorance allowed you to disrespect what you know about the Holy lands you wouldn’t be so ignorant about saudi arabia.
Why do you have to play the poor victim here? When u took the choice to go to a land where 100% are muslims with two holy lands and decide to challenge them instead of just doing your researches quietly without disrespecting the laws?
sorry that was not meant for you.
If you would want to know the “idea of god” in a muslim mind, all u have to do is search for the word “god” in the Quraan index. if you’ll read it with unprejudiced mind then you’ll definitely know the answer my brother. You are being unjust to the holy book
Mecca is a pure and holy land as many of you know. It is very dear to Muslim’s hearts all around the world and religious or not, we all wish that one day by Allah’s willing He takes us there.
Now the whole ‘not letting non-Muslims in Mecca or Madinah’ really isn’t up to the government of Saudi. It was a command by Allah in the Quran. —>Trust me I know being a student of Islam learning the Quran, and if you want to contradict me all you have to do is read, and study Surah At-Tawbah (Chapter 9) in depth not just the translation.
We do not intend to make non-Muslims feel unwanted so I’m sorry if you do, but this is a religious thing and it is not in our hands as I said, but in the hands of The Creator.
I don’t see why non-Muslims are so intrested in Mecca. It has everything in Jeddah the only difference being Masjid Al-Haram.
For the people saying non-Muslims are allowed to enter the city and the mosque (?!?!) saying it’s in the Quran, please give me the proof for I know for a fact that they are not. –Please educate yourselves first, instead of deviating people.
No disrespect for non-Muslims, it just a command from Our Creator and what we strongly believe in.
If you so badly want to know the reason why they are not allowed to enter the holy city, please I invite you to study the Quran and get the answer for yourself for you will find the truth, if Allah wills.
Then your Creator is less tolerant than that of the other religions, since as far as I know they don’t ban ‘non-believers’ from their holy places.
Makkah is a part of human history and therefore is interesting to see for people who are interested in Islam, Muslims, humanity and history. I actually find it odd that you don’t see the point that it’s interesting for others as well. Maybe you should look a bit more past religious motives in life. No offense meant by the way.
I am planning to visit S-Arabia soon as solo traveller (I’m male). Will I be accepted , will people be friendly ? I would like to see some of the cultural places and buildings. And I’m not a muslim….
The people in Saudi are very friendly. There is no issue with being non-Muslim other than you cannot enter the cities of Mecca and Medina.
Hello sir, Im a non muslim and will travel from riyadh to jeddah with my car. Pls. Help i don’t know the route for non muslims like me.
There are buses and this is a popular route but a long one. There are lots of foreigners (mainly Indians, Pakistanis and Filipino) that travel on this route.
I was in Jeddah last week and wanted to visit Mecca. And guess what, no taxi driver would bring me there because, as you said, it’s not allowed. Unlike you though, I could pass for a Saudi-looking guy.
Great post.
First of all Great Website Ross!!
Actually its not only the city, during the era of prophet (pbuh), an area was defined as “Haram” , it roughly means “To be respected”. There are very clear rules that we have to follow when in Haram that non Muslims are not aware of/can’t follow. Just to keep the place respected by the known rules, No non Muslims are allowed inside Haram. Of course one of the rules is that you accept Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h) as the Last prophet of Allah. I have heard that many intelligence agencies have their guys working their but I wonder what they are looking for. Rest, if you want to know about Islam and its heritage, you don’t need to visit Haram (Makkah/Medina), there are plenty of sources to learn about it. Yea, the art of both mosques is exquisite and some designs on the walls are catchy.
You know most of the Muslims around the world cannot visit Makkah/Medina because travel is expensive, still they have knowledge of Islam and a very broad understanding. I just came back from Makkah and the routes/roads were crowded with people, and right now there are 90% white (Mostly Turkish) people there. If it was allowed I would have hosted you and showed you all the places that are part of Islamic history. People need to understand that Laws in other countries/religions are meant to be respected and followed. I respect you willing to visit these cities but Alas! you can’t. That’s the law. Otherwise, I have non Muslims friends and I LOVE them. never have I ever came across any teaching of Islam that would say HATE THEM or KILL THEM. People who believe this are either loaded with the anti-Islamic propaganda (via media/literature), or they have unfortunate experience of facing SO CALLED MUSLIMS but in real terrorists like ISIS. I have Christian neighbors back in Pakistan and they are so nice and loving. We just need to learn and follow the art of understanding each other with tolerance. Rest, I am a dedicated follower of your blogs now onwards. I wish I had that much of time to travel!! Peace!