Umrah Day 02: Taif – Makkah

“The unexamined life is not worth living...” - Socrates

(Masjid Abdullah Ibnu Abbas, Ta'if)

Day 02: 20/08/24 (Tuesday)
Route: Taif – Makkah
Hotel: Makkah Pullman Zamzam Hotel

We had a heavy Arabian buffet breakfast at the hotel.

 

(Arabian buffet breakfast)

(Heavy breakfast to last till lunch)

By 7.00 am all luggage were ready at the lobby. We checked out at 10.00 am and started our tour of Taif. Taif is a city in the Makkah Province of southwest Saudi Arabia. It is known for 20th-century Shubra Palace, a grand, white-walled building with latticework windows. The Taif Regional Museum exhibits artifacts from Islamic and pre-Islamic periods. In the west, King Fahad Garden has grassy lawns, restaurants and a lagoon. Just east is Taif National Park, with trees and a large dam.

(Scenes around Taif city)

Our first visit was Masjid Abdullah Ibnu al-Abbas where we performed Dhuha prayers and recited our doa. The mosque is named after Ibn Abbas, the youngest cousin of the prophet Muhammad. He was buried within the grounds of the mosque.

(The Abdullah bin Abbas Gate)

(Masjid Abdullah bin Abbas)

(Pillars in the main prayer hall)

(A row of the Quran in the prayer hall)

(A cup of vanilla ice-cream for the hot weather)

Next visit was at the Rose Factory in Ta'if. This is the same Rose Factory we visited during our Umrah trip in 2022.

(A visit to the Rose perfume distillers)

(Buying natural Rose oil products for souvenirs)

For this trip, the bus just passed Masjid Kuk, Masjid Al-Addas and Masjid Qantarah. We were lucky to have visited these historical mosques during our last two visits in Taif.

(Driving around historical sites of Taif)

(Masjid Qantarah along the route)

At noon we had lunch at one of the famous restaurants. Lunch was Nasi Arab Mandy Ayam and Kambing in a dulang shared by four people. We had refreshing pomegranate and lemon juice to complete the meal.

(One of the many Nasi Arab Mandy restaurants)

(Our lunch set for today)

By 2.30 pm we stopped at Masjid Qarnul Manazil for miqat for our first umrah where we performed solat ihram and niat for the umrah. Qarnul Manazil serves as a Miqat for the people of Najd and for those from cities such as Ta’if and Riyadh. It is also a Miqat for individuals travelling from Gulf Countries. Masjid al-Sayl al-Kabeer was constructed in 1982 and is situated just north of the al-Sayl al-Kabeer settlement. The mosque can accommodate approximately 3,000 worshippers.

(Our miqat from Taif)

(The main prayer area)

(The men in their ihram)

The journey from Taif to Makkah took us about 2 hours. By 5.15 pm we reached Makkah and checked in Makkah Pullman Zamzam Hotel. We performed solat Maghrib/Isya in the hotel room before we gathered at the lobby. Ustaz Iliyas led us to perform our tawaf and Saie for our fist umrah.

(First glimpse of the Clock Tower)

(The crowd at Mattaf area)

We had a late-night early morning dinner of roti canai and a very spicy beef curry at the Safwah Tower food court after a tiring and hungry umrah rites. We were back at our hotel by midnight for a good night sleep.

(Two friendly camels at Pullman Zamzam Hotel)