As Muslims we believe that performing Haj is by invitation only, an invitation from the Almighty Allah, and this year we couldn't believe our luck when we were “invited” to join the two million or so fortunate Muslims to perform the joyous rites of Haj. And of course by “we” I mean me, my mother and brother, alas to the regret of the rest of my family who couldn't make it or weren't invited to join us. When we first contacted the Haj operators, most were full and refused our application as we had applied too late. However, without any effort from our side, everything got sorted out at the last minute through a good Samaritan (based in a certain newspaper in Jeddah) and we were able to make it. As soon as it was decided that we were going to Haj, we all went into full gear, running around sorting out visas, tickets, hotels, injections, clothes, and all the other things that would be needed on this auspicious journey. On the first of Dhul Hijja, we took a flight from Dubai to Makkah, and the plane was full of bright-eyed happy people all going for Haj. Because of this happiness everyone on the plane was extra helpful and kind, smiling and greeting each other. I was sure many were going to burst out in duaas. The trip went well and we arrived at Jeddah Airport where they took us to the Pilgrim's Terminal. As a sea of people spread across the terminals, we got concerned about how long the queues would be and how long we would stand. I had heard a lot of negative stories about the hours of waiting and confusion; however, I was surprised how organized and well ordered the airport was, with airport staff on hand with bottles of water and welcome smiles on their faces. When we arrived they took us to this big glass hall, one of several where pilgrims coming from different parts of the world were kept. There we stayed for around an hour while the nurses gave vaccine drops to the groups coming from some Asian countries. After that we went through the passport control queue and our group cleared it in 30 minutes. I didn't find it a bad experience and in fact I preferred it over most international airports I have been in around the world. After claiming our baggage we went outside to this huge open-air area which had lots of fiberglass umbrellas that looked like tents and could accommodate up to 80,000 people at a time. This terminal has won awards for its unique design as the fiber-glass tents create a “chimney effect” that can cool the hot desert air without expensive air conditioning. This terminal is only used during the Haj season and is very basic with different kinds of restaurants, shops, and kiosks selling phone cards. It was a far cry from the glitzy duty-frees in other airports but had a quaint Bedouin charm of its own. After all, how many airports function as a gateway to heaven for millions of pilgrims? It was in this area that pilgrims had to undergo the third process of leaving the airport to their accommodations in Makkah through a body called the United Agents Office. Here the scene was a bit chaotic because the agents had to organize the luggage to be taken to the buses stationed on another side of the terminal. The sea of people slowly began to filter the tented area when the agents driving baggage carts began to call out the names of the group's countries as they exited the main building. As always, our brothers and sisters from the subcontinent are more practical and resilient than most of us as they had come prepared on the journey with sacks of rice, flour, lentils and all other kinds of dried food. This had baffled some of us until one of the agents informed us that they still kept the old practice of bringing their own provisions with them because they stayed in Waqf buildings that provided kitchens for cooking. As we waited for our bus to be readied we were seated in zones by the agents, who were very enthusiastic to serve the pilgrims. All around us were pilgrims from every corner of the earth and there was a palpable sense of joy in arriving at the Holy Land. While we waited I spied a group of enthusiastic boy scouts who were distributing water to the pilgrims and smiling and chatting. All this activity kept most of us occupied and we didn't notice the two hours of waiting for our bus to be ready so we could drive off to the holy city of Makkah, to all the historic wonders that awaited us in a land where once our beloved holy Prophet (peace be upon him) walked on.
