Exploring the Wonders of the Hajj: A Journey to Makkah - Essay Sample

Introduction

The world holds several wonders that grow to become fantastic tourist attractions each day. Tourist attractions could include beautiful human-made sites, wonderful natural places or marvellous cultures practiced in different parts of the world. The word Hajj gets used to mean" to set out for a place" (IslamiCity, 2017). However, in Islam, the Hajj describes the yearly journey taken by the Muslims to Makkah. This pilgrimage intends to perform some certain holy rites that align with the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (IslamiCity, 2017). It involves an excursion of five days. All financially and physically able Muslims get required to take up this journey to Mecca and the holy sites like Mina, Arafat, and Muzdalifah (Fetini, 2009). Over time, the popularity of Hajj has grown significantly. This essay describes a brief history of the Hajj and shows how it has grown to be over touristed over time.

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Allah ordained the Hajj and the rights it involves during the era of Prophet Ibrahim. He entrusted the Prophet and his son Ishmail to build His house (the Kaba) at Makkah (IslamiCity, 2017). Worshippers from many faiths journeyed to see and witness this site. At that time, the first Hajj took place whereby the Muslims got led by Prophet Muhammed. They destroyed the idols and re-dedicated this site as a worshipping place for Allah (Fetini, 2009). This path that the Prophet and the followers followed gets retraced and makes up the most significant Haji ritual. The Kaaba represents the world's centre, according to the Muslims. The Haji rituals include circling this Kaaba as a passage rite. These worshippers circle the Kaaba seeking forgiveness in a counter-clockwise manner for seven times (Fetni, 2009). The pilgrim gets guaranteed a title of hajji (someone who has completed the Hajj) and saved space in heaven.

One of the primary reasons why the Hajj has gotten over touristed revolves around the fact that it is the most significant religious occurrence for the Muslims (GlobalData, 2016). Both international and domestic stakeholders get presented with significant tourism opportunities as the demand to participate in the yearly Hajj Pilgrimage grows. Tour operators and hotel groups take this opportunity to hold the millions of the pilgrims who are travelling to Mecca, Saudi Arabia every month of September with the desire to visit the holiest Islam site. The government plays an essential role every year in renovating the ancient religious spots, that take up the significant historical reckoning. Around these sites, flourishing accommodation places such as hotels are built, with well-furnished rooms to accommodate the overwhelming number of tourists coming to participate in the Hajj.

Also, Islam is a fast-growing religion taking up a significant per cent of the world's population. According to simple demographics, Muslim women bear more children compared to women in other faith groups (FactTank, 2016). Therefore, these growing numbers of Muslim followers create an increased number of pilgrims travelling to perform the Hajj. This creates a swelling up of the masses within the holy site during the pilgrimage season. The occurrence of so many people within the same grounds undertaking a historical event creates interest for other tourist wishing to share or witness the experience. Many tourists get drawn to a place or site or activity to enjoy the sight or the feeling that the particular event brings. Therefore, the rapidly increasing number of Muslim worshippers see the excessive flocking of tourists when the Hajj takes place. Researchers predict a continually growing number of tourists visiting the holy site in Mecca over the coming years.

References

Tagliacozzo, E., & Toorawa, S. M. (Eds.). (2016). The Hajj: Pilgrimage in Islam. Cambridge University Press. Retrieved from https://books.google.co.ke/books?hl=en&lr=&id=Am3OCgAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PR7&dq=The+Hajj-+pilgrimage&ots=YkBx0-bPs4&sig=60z5xPE8RF9OfndTCLSix7Oup4I&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=The%20Hajj-%20pilgrimage&f=false

Fetini, A. (2009, November 25). A Brief History Of the Hajj - TIME. Retrieved from http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1864624,00.html

FactTank. (2016, April 6). Why Muslims are the world's fastest-growing religious group | Pew Research Center. Retrieved from https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/04/06/why-muslims-are-the-worlds-fastest-growing-religious-group/

GlobalData. (2016, October 19). Saudi Arabia to see over 20 million visitors by 2020 as Hajj pilgrimage boosts tourism sector - GlobalData. Retrieved from https://www.globaldata.com/saudi-arabia-see-20-million-visitors-2020-hajj-pilgrimage-boosts-tourism-sector-says-globaldata/

IslamiCity. (2017, August 21). Short History of Hajj - IslamiCity. Retrieved from https://www.islamicity.org/6280/short-history-of-hajj/