Reverse Culture Shock

My Scholarship entry - A 'place' I have visited

SAUDI ARABIA | Monday, 8 July 2013 | Views [592] | View Larger Image

Travelers of less means often spend the whole day in and around the Grand Mosque, with their hotels a far distance from the Mosque. Affordable and nearby hotels are less available with the construction phase, as older accommodations have been demolished.

Tags: saudi arabia, makkah

Inside the Masjid-al Haram or Grand Mosque in the city of Makkah, the holiest site for Muslims. Pilgrims on the ground floor circle the Kaabah as part of the Umrah pilgrimage. While performing the pilgrimage, the men must cover themselves with two pieces of white cloth so as to eliminate any distinction of differences in wealth or status, while the women wear simple abayas. With the large influx of pilgrims, the Saudi Kingdom initiated a new development project which will knock down many of these pillars and archways built by Turkish craftsmen, so as to expand the walking area around the Kaabah.

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Old Makkah, as seen here, has been grazed over for new hotels. Unfortunately, this has erased much of the architectural and cultural history of the city.

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Reverse Culture Shock

My Scholarship entry - A 'place' I have visited

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