Your Personal Guide to Hajj Umrah Ziyarat

Other Useful Information

Insurance

Hujjaj are recommended to take out Medical and Accidental Insurance coverage by Blue Cross or similar kind in other Provinces and USA for the entire trip as per their own personal needs.

Travelers Cheques

Hujjaj are advised to carry American Express Traveler cheques in US Dollars; they are accepted in stores in Saudi Arabia.

Currencies

Hujjaj are recommended to carry a minimum of US $500 in large bills (US $100 bill, which will fetch a better, rate than smaller bills and is easy to cash). The bills should not be dated prior to 1990. Please take more if you intend to do some shopping. Utmost care should be taken in hotels, whilst travelling and particularly in the Haram.

One person in a family should not keep all the money. It is advisable to make special zipped pockets on the inside of garments for safe keeping of money and valuables.

All five star hotels in Medina and Makkah offer safe deposit boxes and are available to you at no charge unless you lose your key, then it will cost you US $1000.

Credit Cards

All major credit cards are accepted in most of the stores.

Video Filming

Video filming and photographing in Saudi Arabia is prohibited, especially near the Holy Harams both in Medina and Makkah. It is better not to take with you Video or camera equipment with you.

Weather

In Saudi Arabia the temperature will vary between 20 to 248 degrees Celsius during December and January. It is particularly hot during Dhohar time. Nights in Medina are a little cooler.

Electric Current

The electric current is 220 Volts so please make sure you carry a travel adapter if you are planning to take any electrical equipment (kettle, iron, electric razor) with you an electric kettle to use on the trip.

Baggage

You must try to travel as light as possible. All baggage must be tagged with your name, full address both inside and outside and should also be locked for security purposes. The size of the suitcase should be limited to 28 inches maximum.

Laundry Facility

All hotels offer laundry facilities, which are reasonably priced. There are also many dry cleaning stores at every corner of the city and much cheaper than the hotels.

ID Card

Each person must carry an ID card showing his/her name, photograph, passport number and nationality plus some medical information and telephone numbers of the hotels they will be staying.

Respect of Holy Places

Respect and dignity of the holy places should be maintained especially while performing various rites of Ziyarat. Care should be taken to see that other Hujjaj are not inconvenienced. You are also advised not to occupy a certain place for a long time where others would like to pray. Calmness should be maintained in the Holy Haram and worldly talks and arguments should be avoided. While in Haram, Holy Quran, Salawat, Tasbih,Dhikar, Duas and Istighfar should be recited as much as possible.

Religious Books

Hujjaj wishing to carry duas and A’amaal books i.e. Mafatihul-Jinan and Tohfatul Zaireen etc. may do so by making photo copies to avoid to take the originals. Those who cannot read Arabic, you will find many Ziyarat in English in this booklet, which have been compiled with the assistance of other compilers.

Hijab

Women must wear Hijab at all times and avoid make-up during the Umra trip especially in Medina and Makkah.

A’adab

It is recommended for one to perform Ghusl (Mustahab) and be in Wudhu all the time when going to the Holy Haram.