Pilgrims from the capital city and surrounding areas have urged the authorities to strictly monitor the privately-owned istrahas (rest houses) which are alleged to be violating the basic rules of sanitation and food safety. A large number of istrahas located along the more than 1,000-km-long Riyadh-Makkah-Madina Expressway that thrive on Umrah and Haj traffic round the year have poorly maintained facilities, such as, restaurants, mosques and, most importantly, toilets. Restaurants, cafeterias, grocery stores, mosques, toilets, gas stations and service centers at these istrahas have increased their business activities since the Haj and Umrah tour operators introduced package tour services to pilgrims from Riyadh to Makkah and Madina. Moreover, a large number of pilgrims traveling in their cars to Makkah and Madina like to stop at these istrahas to break the long and tiring 10- to 12-hour journey. The most common complaints of pilgrims are the exorbitantly high price of food, poorly maintained mosques and toilets and sub-standard service provided at these istrahas. Khalid Al-Amro, a Saudi engineer who frequently travels with his family to Makkah and Madina, says that each time he stops at any of the istrahas, he is disappointed at the poorly maintained facilities, such as the mosques, which have no proper prayer mats “and, most importantly, the stinking toilets.” In most places, the toilets do not have tap water and the bathrooms have poor sanitation system due to which they smell, he said. Furthermore, during the peak pilgrimage season such as school holidays when people frequently travel to the Holy Cities, the istrahas fail to cater to the increased traffic, he pointed out. He said the concerned authorities from the Ministry of Municipality and Rural Affairs should assign inspectors to strictly implement and monitor these rest houses to see that they follow the basic rules of sanitation and that the price of food is fair, as these privately-owned istrahas have now become hubs of hectic business activity. Rabah Al-Suhaimy, a Saudi businessman, said he failed to understand why such poor quality food is served in the restaurants of the istrahas. The food has no value for money, is tasteless and of dubious nutritional value, he claimed. He said he would like to avoid eating at these restaurants, but that, unfortunately, homemade food cannot be preserved for long because of the hot weather. “I ask my wife to prepare enough food for the journey, but we are forced to rely on these restaurants from time to time,” he said. Amjad Hussain, a Pakistani pilgrim who travels with package tour operators, said he has often thought of complaining to the authorities about the sub-standard services offered at these istrahas, particularly about the poorly maintained toilets, which not only smell but also lack water for ablution. “I prefer tour operators because a three-day package tour for SR90 with hotel accommodation in Makkah suits my budget. The big problem is when my wife and two children hesitate to use toilets at the istrahas,” he said. He said Haj and Umrah operators have introduced packaged tour services even during the weekdays, which is a very attractive offer, because of less traffic during the working days of the week. Mohammad Lateef, an Indian pilgrim, said during the long journey he asked his family to consume less food and drinks so that they could avoid using the toilets. The poorly maintained toilets along the roads have always been a cause of concern for the family, who were afraid of getting dirty due to the inadequate sanitation and sometimes wet floor, he explained. “However, the public toilets at the Taif-Makkah Meeqat can be used while donning the ihram,” he said. Most of the istrahas are managed by expatriate workers, who seldom pay any attention to the complaints lodged by the pilgrims, he said, adding that a close monitoring by the authorities would certainly make a difference. The istrahas are meant to offer travelers a chance to rest and refresh themselves, but they provide such poor services that they end up have the opposite effect and make the journey more difficult, he added. Sometimes, the drivers of the tour buses have a hand-in-glove agreement with the owners of the istrahas and stop the bus only at certain rest houses, even if they have no basic amenities and the restaurants there serve poor quality food, he said. “The price of a cup of milk tea has been recently doubled from SR1 to SR2. Similarly, a plate of rice with chicken has gone up from SR20 to SR30 at the restaurants of some of these istrahas,” he said.
