The rituals associated with the Hajj remains unchanged from one thousand years ago but the method is unrecognisable.
Jets have replaced caravans of camels, the centuries old trade routes are non-existent beneath busy highways and the simple tents have given way to five-star hotels.
As much as the Hajj is a spiritual venture, package deals and five-star luxury await those who can afford it including tents fully equipped with televisions, internet, computers, refrigerators, electric lighting and mobile phones.
Pilgrims of old slept in basic tents with minimal provisions, now they have the choice of luxury tent on the Hajj and a meal provided by a five-star hotel. Hajj travel packages for foreign pilgrims cost thousands.
American Michael Wolfe completed the Hajj in 1990...
This is what he had to say:
"We zoomed around Mecca in Japanese taxis. We placed long-distance telephone calls. We watched NBA games beamed in via satellite and road out to the Plain of Arafat in German buses, through traffic controlled by computers and closed circuit TV. At the same time the essential rites remained unchanged. We turned the tawaf in precisely the same way (they did) in 1050. At such times we resembled modern vessels into which timeless emotions were being poured. "
Saudi Arabia today :
Aspects of the Hajj remain resolutely the same. The ihram, the requirement to wear two white robes, results in all pilgrims being brought down to the same level, affording them protection in large crowds.
Pilgrims still pray from noon to dusk on the plains of Arafat except now they travel there by bus instead of on foot.
The act of Sa'ee, running back and forth between the hillocks of Safa and Marwa takes place inside on a concourse, which even includes a special circuit for those in wheelchairs.
Instead of selecting a sacrificial animal at the markets pilgrims may pay for a coupon from a vending machine inside a gift shop.
Due to the complexity of the Hajj's rituals and the sheer size of the event, most pilgrims require the assistance of a guide or mutawwif. In the past these would have been locals who had competed the Hajj before. Now mutawwifs are regulated by the Ministry of Hajj and are usually professors or experts in Islam with PhD's and day jobs.
The modern pilgrim's Hajj differs in practice but not form. The rituals are the same though some of the settings have been altered and improved. The Hajj has evolved and expanded to cope with the vast numbers of pilgrims while maintaining the rituals' integrity.
So, in modern parlance, to 'go to Hajj' would mean to have to complete an important and mandatory duty.
~Courtesy Channel 4
** For a virtual tour of The Hajj, go here
