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 cafe.

 

(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)

(Rows of pillars in the main prayer hall)

(A row of the Quran in the prayer hall)

(Sharing a cup of vanilla ice-cream on a hot weather)

Next visit was at the Rashed Hussein Al Qurashi Rose Factory, one of the oldest and largest flower factories in Taif. It is dedicated to preserving traditional methods used to manufacture the finest rose products. 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)

(Passing by Masjid Qantarah along the route)

At noon we had lunch at one of the famous restaurants, Kabsat Al Hada restaurants specialize in traditional Saudi and Gulf food, including Kabsa, Mandy, Madhbi, Muqalal, Saliq and many other delicious dishes. Our lunch set was Nasi Mandy Chicken and lamb in a tray to be shared by four people. We had refreshing pomegranate and lemon ice blended juice and a plate of Taif's famous Khunafa to complete the meal.

(One of the many Nasi Arab Mandy restaurants in Taif)

(Our Nasi Mandy set lunch 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)

(Qarnul Manazil history and background)

The journey from Taif to Makkah took 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)

(Completed the tawaf for our first umrah in the wee hours)

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 way after midnight for a good night sleep.

(Greeted by two friendly camels at the Pullman Zamzam Hotel)

👈Umrah Day 01: KL – Jeddah – Taif    

     Umrah Day 03: Makkah – Tannaim👉