Tripping over ancient obstacles
Sweltering in black nylon, Caroline Hendrie endures the religiously enforced restrictions on women to visit the heartland of IslamNever has 'my trip' been a more apt description of a holiday. Half of...
View ArticleLuxury timeshares on offer at Islam's holiest pilgrimage site
Opponents say ZamZam moneyspinner makes mockery of spirit of hajjIt is the holiest site in Islam, the birthplace of the prophet Muhammad and the place the world's Muslim population turns and prays to...
View ArticleA short break in Oman's Empty Quarter desert
Want to live out your Lawrence of Arabia fantasies but can only spare a couple of days off work? Tom Robbins travels to Oman for a weekend in the Empty Quarter - 250,000 square miles of nothing but...
View ArticleA new underwater kingdom
Saudi Arabia is a controversial holiday choice but for divers it offers some of the world's last virgin coral reefs, says James MontagueIf you were a travel agent, you'd probably find that Saudi Arabia...
View ArticleWarning over Hajj pilgrimage rip-offs
The government has warned British Muslims embarking on the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia this year to be on their guard against scams and rip-offs. Up to 50,000 Britons make the pilgrimage...
View ArticleTravel news in brief
Unique, atmospheric and oh-so-luxurious: we love the look of the new Sassi di Matera hotel in Matera, Basilicata, southern Italy. Housed within a warren of 2,000-year-old caves - which are a Unesco...
View ArticleTravel news in brief
The dramatic landscapes of the Middle East are a great playground for families. Camping out with the Bedouin, exploring ancient castles or riding across the desert on camels will keep even the...
View ArticleOnce upon a life: Hilary Mantel
For four years, the Booker prize-winner lived in the repressive, claustrophobic kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Until one day in 1986 when she and her husband left Jeddah and rediscovered freedomAt five...
View ArticleBackpacking adventures: real stories
Whether you're thinking of a year out, need a career break or just an adventurous holiday, find inspiration with these extraordinary gap-year talesWhen I was 11, during a junior school leavers'...
View ArticleMecca makeover: how the hajj has become big business for Saudi Arabia
• Country's religious tourism industry booming• New luxury hotels prove huge draw for pilgrimsThe arid landscape hugging the Jeddah-Mecca highway used to hold little appeal. But now travellers can...
View ArticleBritish Muslims join the pilgrims at a record-breaking hajj
Some 25,000 visitors from the UK join the millions pouring into Arafat to spend the day in prayerTucked away from the intensity of the crowds and traffic today, some of the 25,000 Britons who are...
View ArticleRiazat Butt | Divine dispatches: hajj special
Gold rush in Mecca; voice the Grand Mufti; environmental impacts; hajj fashionGreetings from Saudi Arabia, where this week's Divine Dispatches comes from. I'm sitting in a Ministry of Culture and...
View ArticleIs Saudi Arabia finally taking an interest in its own heritage? | Jason Burke
For years, the country has been erasing any evidence of its polytheistic, desert-dwelling past. But now, slowly, the tide may be starting to turnTell people in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, that you are...
View ArticleMecca's mega architecture casts shadow over hajj
Towering over Mecca, this is the world's second-tallest building – and it is just a tiny part of a voracious development that has seen historic sites bulldozed and locals forced into shantytowns. As...
View ArticleOnly way is up for towers that touch the sky - in pictures
Skyscrapers have captured our imagination for decades with their beauty and apparently gravity-defying structures. Here are some of the most breathtakingEMPIRE STATE BUILDINGCompleted: 1931Continue...
View ArticleCity in the sky: world's biggest hotel to open in Mecca
The holy city is fast becoming a Las Vegas for pilgrims, thanks to the new £2.3bn megahotel that has four helipads, five floors for Saudi royalty – and 10,000 bedroomsFour helipads will cluster around...
View ArticleJeddah's Kingdom Tower: how much higher can skyscrapers go? A history of...
We end our History of Cities series with a monumental tower in Saudi Arabia that, when finished in 2018, will become the world’s first kilometre-high skyscraper. So what does it say about the future of...
View ArticleMecca worshippers stream their stories live on Snapchat
#Mecca Live trends on Twitter with snaps providing insight into Saudi city closed to non-Muslims Worshippers in Mecca are streaming their stories live on Snapchat, opening up the Saudi city to...
View ArticleThe hajj pilgrimage begins - in pictures
More than 2 million people have gone to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, for annual pilgrimageContinue reading...
View ArticleMecca to accept only ‘immunised’ pilgrims from Ramadan
Worshippers must be vaccinated against Covid or have recovered from the virus, say SaudisCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageFrom the start of Ramadan, only Muslims immunised...
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