Ethiopia 2013: Addis Ababa - Land of the Eucalyptus trees

“To go wrong in one's own way is better than to go right in someone else's...” - Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

(15 & 25 April 2013)
Hotel De Leopol International

Ethiopia is one of the oldest African States. It is the land of the world’s earliest civilizations. The current population goes beyond 80 million, making it the 2nd most populous country in Africa. Ethiopia is a multilingual and multiethnic society of around 80 ethnic groups. Bilal ibn Rabah or Bilal al-Habashi (AD 580-640) was an Ethiopian of Habesha origin companion of prophet Muhammad. He was the first muezzin chosen by the prophet himself was known for his beautiful voice with which he called people to their prayers.
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The modern capital Addis Ababa is situated on the foothills of Mount Entoto at an elevation of around 2,400 m, and experiences a healthy and pleasant climate year round. Addis Ababa has the status of both a city and a state. It is where the African Union and its predecessor the OAU are based. It also hosts the headquarters of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and numerous other continental and international organizations. The attractions of Addis Ababa are from the small shops to the large outdoor market, and small cafes to posh hotels.

The National Museum of Ethiopia is located in Addis Ababa. It was established in 1944 and exhibits a few archeological collections as well as some ceremonial costumes and ethnographic objects. Lucy, 3.2 million years old is the oldest hominid remains found along the Awash river valley and is being exhibited in this museum.

The Ethiopian Heritage Trust, a non-profit, non-governmental organization is working actively to change part of the mountain to its old state, a natural park. Entoto Natural Park is the northeastern rim of Addis Ababa on the southeastern slopes of Mt. Entoto covering an area of 1,300 hectors. It is situated at an altitude of 2,600 and 3,100 meters.

Mount Entoto is the highest peak overlooking the city of Addis Ababa. Mount Entoto is part of the Entoto mountain chain, reaching 3,200 meters above sea level. It is considered a sacred mountain and holds many monasteries. It is also notable as the location of a number of celebrated churches, including Saint Raguel and Saint Mary.

The mountain is densely covered by eucalyptus trees which were imported from Australia thus it is sometimes referred to as the "lung of Addis Ababa". The forest on the mountain is an important source of firewood to the city. It was also a source of building material in earlier times.

Ethiopia is also a land of natural contrasts, from the tops of the rugged Simien mountains to the depths of the Danakil Depression, one of the lowest dry land points on earth. Ethiopia offers an astonishing variety of landscapes. Its many national parks enable the visitor to enjoy the country's scenery and its wildlife conserved in natural habitats, and offer opportunities for travel adventure.

👈👈 2013: China Ancient Silk Road

2013: Makkah, Saudi Arabia 👉👉

2013 11th Umrah: Makkah Al-Mukarramah

"Our journey on earth to Heaven, will be measured by our deeds, by how we have treated others and cared for others needs..."

Makkah Al-Mukarramah
Hotel Elaf Al-Muttaqa, Makkah

(18 -24 Apr 2013)
Poto Travel

At 1430 we checked-out of Ishraq Al-Madina Hotel in Madinah and boarded the bus to Makkah. All of us were already in our ihram and with wudhu'. We stopped at Masjid Bir Ali at Dzul Khulaifah for miqat and placed the niat for our first umrah. All the way to Makkah we recited the talbiya, zikir and doa.

(Elaf Al-Multaqa Hotel)

The bus journey took almost 6 hours. We arrived in Makkah around 2030 and checked-in Elaf Al-Multaqa Hotel, a new 74-storey 5-star hotel, a 10 minutes walk to Masjid Al-Haram. There was a large crowd checking-in at the same time and we were only allocated rooms much later.

(A posh 5-star hotel)

After a late dinner, we left our luggage to be sorted out and headed to Masjid Al-Haram to perform the tawaf and sa’ei. We completed our first umrah with a tahlul around 0300. Alhamdulillah...

(Spacious comfortable bedroom)

Makkah, is a city in the Hejaz and the capital of Makkah Province. The city is located 70 km inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley 277 m above sea level. Its resident population is around 2 million, although visitors more than triple this number every year during Hajj period.

(The Clock Tower of Makkah)

Expansion of the city is ongoing and includes the construction of 601 m tall Abraj Al-Bait Tower across the street from the Masjid Al-Haram. The tower was completed in 2012 and became the 2nd tallest building in the world.

(The Clock Tower at night)

Overlooking the holy Haram Mosque and the ka'aba, the tower, also known as the Mecca Royal Hotel Clock Tower set in the heart of Makkah and can be visible from as far as 25 km away. In addition, the Abraj Al-Bait Tower has a 20 storey shopping mall and a parking garage capable of holding over a thousand vehicles. Residential towers house permanent residents while two heliports and a conference center are to accommodate business travelers.

(Masjidil Haram)

Masjid Al-Haram is the largest mosque in the world. The mosque surrounds the Ka'aba, which is our qiblat while offering daily prayers. The place is never empty as Pilgrims will be circumambulating the ka'aba for tawaf sunat or tawaf umrah any time of the day.

(A photo before performing the tawaf)

Throughout our stay in Makkah, we performed the umrah every day. After subuh prayer, we had breakfast, bathed and donned our ihram. We usually had our miqat at Masjid Tanaeem. Other days, we will join the group for ziarah and had our miqat at Jaaranah or Hudaibiah. Most days, we completed our umrah by 1000 and had ample time to rest before Zuhur prayer. 

(The path to the Saie area)

Major renovations could be seen around Masjid Al-Haram. The extension consisted of a new wing and an outdoor prayer area on the southeast side of the mosque. In the two-storey wing, air conditioning circulates below the tiled floors and is supplied through ventilation grids located at the base of each column. The facade of the extension blends in with the previous constructions. A temporary tunnel is constructed to ease the path of pilgrims from the tawaf area to the massa area.

(Beautiful shadows at the Sa'ei area)

This is the upper floor of massa area where the sa’ei rituals performed by pilgrims of umrah or hajj are symbolic of historical incidents i.e. the reenactment of Hajar's search for water is emulated by Muslims as they run between the two hills of Safa and Marwah.

(Reciting the quran in-between prayers)

The free time between Maghrib prayer to Isya' prayer was filled with Quran reciting. Other time we would stand on the upper floor of Masjid Al-Haram and watched the jemaah performing the tawaf around the Ka'aba.

(Children reciting the al-Quran)

On the upper floor of Masjid Al-Haram, an area is specially allocated for the young tahfiz reading and reciting the Quran in small groups under the supervision and watchful eyes of their seniors.

(A tazkirah after dinner)

One of the nights, after Isya' prayer and after dinner, there was a tazkirah and a simple tahlil and doa selamat led by Uztaz Ahmad Bokhari.

(In the bus to Tannaim Mosque)

To perform the umrah, the easiest mode of transport is to either take a bus, a taxi or a van direct to Tanaeem. The air-conditioned Saptco bus service is good and reliable and it only cost us Rial2 per trip. The bus station is situated next to the Hilton Tower and Darul-Tawhid, quite a walking distance from our hotel but very near to Masjid Al-Haram. Other days, we chartered a taxi for Rial50 or shared a van with other pilgrims for Rial10 round trip per person.

(Masjid at-Tannaim)

Masjid Al-Taneem is a mosque in the Al-Hil area about 7 km away from the Holy Ka'aba. The mosque in Taneem, acts as miqat for people living in Makkah. This mosque is also known as Masjid Al-Ayesha. This is quite a big mosque with facilities for baths, ablution and changing, available for pilgrims and those who come to offer regular prayers.

(A scoop of ice-cream after meal)

The expansion works around Masjid Al-Haram has also demolished old buildings and hotels, as well as our frequently visited 'Dodo Rials' shops, kebab restaurants and ice-cream vendors. We missed our indulgence of ice-cream jagung after each umrah. Instead, this year we went to Baskin Robbins in the Hilton Tower to have a scoop of our favorite flavor of ice-cream which cost us Rial14 per scoop compared to Rial2 from the previous ice-cream vendors.

(Visiting Jabal al-Thur)

On the way to Jaaranah for our miqat, the group had the opportunity to visit historical places along the way. Our first stop was at Jabal Al-Thur where the cave in which Prophet Muhammad hid in as he made Hijrah from Makkah to Madinah while being pursued by Meccans who were going to kill him. According to legend, the cave entrance was blocked by a spider which had cast a web to cover it. We also stopped to watch from far pilgrims climbing Jabal Al-Nur to visit the Hira cave. The cave is notable for being the location where Prophet Muhammad received his first revelations from Allah through Jibrail.

(Jabal Rahmah in the background)

Mount Arafat transliterated as Jabal ‘Arafāt is a granite hill east of Makkah. It is also known as Jabal Al-Rahmah. The hill is the place where Prophet Muhammad stood and delivered the Farewell Sermon to the Muslims who had accompanied him for the Hajj towards the end of his life. On the way to Jaaranah we passed by Mina, Mudzalifah and the three jamarats.

(Masjid Jaaranah for miqat)

Masjid Al-Rasul is one of the other miqat places for pilgrimage of umrah. On his way back from Hunain, Prophet Muhammad stayed 15 days in Jaaranah where he distributed the spoils of the war against Hawazen among the Muslims. The mosque is situated on the left side of Jaaranah valley with an area of about 1600 square meters and recently renovated for bigger prayer halls and ablution areas.

(Camel farm in Hudaibiah)

On another day, the group went to miqat at Masjid Hudaibiyah and stopped at one camel farm on the way. Some of us purchased fresh camel milk and dried camel meat. Some even purchased camel urine which is said to have medicinal properties.

(The border stones at Hudaibiah)

Hudaibiyah is situated on the old road connecting old Jeddah to Makkah. It is currently known as Al-Syumaisi. This is the place where the famous 'Hudaibiyah Treaty' took place between the Muslims from Madinah led by Prophet Muhammad and the Quraish from Makkah.

(Masjid Hudaibiah for miqat)

We miqat at the new Masjid Hudaibiyah built next to the ruins of the old masjid. We performed 2 rakaat tahayatul-masjid prayer and recite the niat for our next umrah.

(Museum of the two Holy Mosques)

On the way back to Makkah we stopped to visit the Museum of the Two Holy Mosques. The museum exhibits items that were parts of Masjid Al-Nabawi and Masjid Al-Haram with some items dating far back as the 10th Hijrah.

(The floating mosque in Jeddah)

On the last day, on the way to Jeddah International Airport, we visited the Fatimah Al-Zahra mosque, also known as the floating mosque of Jeddah. It is situated along the red sea through the Corniche Road. The mosque is white in colour and foundation pillars of the Mosque are the reason that this Mosque appears to be floating.

(Bottles of zam-zam water)

Each of us was allowed free carriage of maximum 10 litres of Zam Zam water. The bottles need to be sealed and packed in a strong box before they can be checked-in with the rest of our luggage.

Our flight to Addis Ababa took only 2 hours. We had time to rest in the hotel room before our onward flight to KL at midnight. We arrived KLIA at 1800, safe and sound.

Alhamdulillah...

👈👈 2013: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

2013: Madinah, Saudi Arabia 👉👉

2013 11th Umrah: Madinah Al-Munawwarah

."The journey is different for many, but the destination is the same, for eternity will await us all, when God calls out our name..."

Madinah Al-Munawwarah
Isyraq al-Madina Hotel
(16 - 18 Apr 2013)
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Our POTO group of 18 lead by Fariz Arami took the Ethiopian Airline flight from KLIA stopped over Bangkok for an hour before en route to Addis Ababa. We transited for almost 12 hours in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and had a half day city tour before we took another flight to Jeddah. The immigration and custom clearance at Jeddah Airport was unexpectedly smooth and efficient.

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(Ishraq Al-Madina Hotel)

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At the arrival hall, we were met by our mutawwif and guide, Ustaz Ahmad Bokhari and took a 5-hour bus trip to Madina. We had breakfast and performed subuh prayer in one of the R&R on the way to Madinah. We checked in Ishraq Al-Madina Hotel and rested well before we went to Masjid Al-Nabawi to perform solat Zohor.
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(A very empty courtyard of Masjid Nabi)

Masjid Al-Nabawi, often called the Prophet's Mosque, is a mosque built by Prophet Muhammad situated in the city of Madinah. It is the second holiest site in Islam next to Masjid Al-Haram in Makkah. It was the second mosque built in history and is now one of the largest mosques in the world.

(A tazkirah at the courtyard)

After Asar prayers, some of us followed Ustaz for orientation and to visit historical places around the mosque. We visited Kubur Baqi’, Maqam Nabi, from the outside and Masjid Abu Bakar.

(A beautiful sunset at Masjid Nabawi)

We stayed around the mosque till it was time for Maghrib prayer. The Masjid Al-Nabawi is most serene and tranquil at sunset. We could see the picturesque silhouette of the 10 minarets and beautiful folded, umbrella-like canopies used to provide shade to the open courtyard of the mosque.

(The jemaah during Magrib prayer)

The mosque was full during maghrib and Isya' prayers, the jemaah very often overflowing to the surrounding courtyard. After Isya’ prayer, led by one Ustazah, the ladies joined the crowd to visit and recite the salam to Rasulullah, Saidina Abu Bakr and Saidina Umar. We had the opportunity to have our prayers and doa at the Raudhah before the area was closed after midnight.

(Blue sky at Masjid al-Quba)

On the second day our group went to visit historical places aroud Madinah. Our first stop was at Masjid Al-Quba, located in the outskirt of Madinah. It is the oldest mosque in the world. Its first stones were positioned by Prophet Muhammad as soon as he arrived on his hijrah from the city of Makkah to Madinah. Those visiting this mosque will perform 2 rakaat of Sunatul-masjid prayers.

"Whoever makes ablutions at home and then goes and prays in the Mosque of Quba, he will have a reward like that of an 'Umrah."

(Masjid al-Qiblatain)

Masjid Al-Qiblatain also known as the Mosque of the two Qiblats is a mosque in Madinah that is historically important for Muslims as the place where the Prophet Muhammad, leading the prayer, is said to have been commanded to change the direction of prayer (qiblat) from Jerusalem to Mecca. Thus it uniquely contained two prayer mihrabs.

(A visit to Jabal Uhud)

We visited Jabal Uhud, where the famous battle of Uhud was fought between the Meccans and the muslims of Medinah. It is located north of Madinah and 4 kilometers from the Masjid Al-Nabawi. The small hill is where Muslim archers were positioned during the Battle of Uhud. Nearby, there is a maqam for all the shuhada who died during the battle.

(Shopping at Kurma Souk)

In Kurma Market the counters were filled with varieties of dates from about more than 200 species, other Arabian fruits and varieties of nuts. Here you can taste the dates for free before you buy them! Of all the dates, the most expensive would be kurma ajwa and we bought a few kilograms to bring back.

"The Prophet said: If somebody eat seven Ajwa dates in the morning, neither magic nor poison will hurt him that day." -Sahih Bukhari

(A long queue to purchase the al-Quran)

King Fahd Complex for the Printing of the Holy Qur'an is a printing plant located in Madinah that publishes the Qur'an in Arabic and other languages. The company produces about 10 million copies a year. It has 1,700 employees. It has published 55 different translations of the Qur'an in 39 languages. Millions of Qur’an distributed freely throughout the world came from this factory. Only men are allowed to visit the factory and will be presented a copy of the Qur’an each.

(Miqat at Bir Ali Mosque)

On the last day in Medinah, we boarded the bus and stopped at Bir Ali Mosque, less than a 15 minute drive from Madinah. It is situated at Dzul Hulayfa and a miqat mosque for pilgrimage heading to Makkah who wish to perform the umrah.

👈👈 2013: Makkah, Saudi Arabia

2013: Hatyai, Thailand 👉👉