Before a first Umrah, most people have the same worry. They’ve read about the rituals and watched the videos, but they still can’t picture the trip itself. What happens when you land? How long does the Umrah take? What do you do for the other nine days? Friends who have been will tell you it was wonderful, which is true, but it doesn’t help much when you’re trying to pack.
So here is a typical ten-night trip, set out one stage at a time. It’s based on the sort of plan you get with All-Inclusive Umrah Packages from UK travel agents, where the flights, visa, hotels and transfers are booked for you. Yours may differ by a day here or there, and some groups go to Madinah first, but the general shape will be much the same.
The week before
Get the dull jobs out of the way early. Check that your visa has come through and print it. Download the Nusuk app and register, as you’ll need it for your Umrah permit and for booking the Rawdah in Madinah. Have your meningitis jab at least ten days before you fly.
Pack light. You’ll want comfortable sandals you’ve already worn in, loose cotton clothes, a small bag you can wear across your body, and any medicines in their original boxes. Men should put their Ihram in their hand luggage and not in the suitcase.
Day 1: The flight and the Miqat
If you’re flying to Jeddah, you’ll pass over the Miqat while you’re still in the air. This is the boundary where you must be in Ihram. The crew normally announce it about half an hour before, but don’t depend on that. Most men change at the airport before boarding or at a stopover, because getting into two sheets of cloth in an aeroplane toilet is no fun at all.
Once you’re in Ihram, you make your intention and begin saying the Talbiyah. From then on certain things aren’t allowed, such as using perfume or cutting your hair and nails.
Jeddah airport can be slow. Give it a couple of hours for passport control and bags, and after that it’s about an hour by road to Makkah. By the time you get to the hotel you’ll have been travelling for most of a day.
Day 1 or 2: The Umrah itself
Some people go straight to the Haram as soon as they arrive. Others have a meal and a few hours’ sleep first. Both are fine. If you’ve got elderly parents or young children with you, rest first. You’ll get far more from it when you aren’t worn out.
The Umrah has four parts:
• Tawaf. You walk round the Kaaba seven times, anticlockwise. On the ground floor it takes from forty minutes to well over an hour, depending on the crowd.
• Two rak’ahs of prayer. These are prayed after Tawaf, and then you drink some Zamzam water.
• Sa’i. You walk seven times between the hills of Safa and Marwa. It’s indoors, flat and air-conditioned, but it comes to more than three kilometres, so don’t rush.
• Cutting the hair. Men shave the head or trim the hair, and there are barbers just outside. Women cut a small lock. With that, your Umrah is complete.
From start to finish it usually takes three to four hours. Nearly everybody says the same about the first sight of the Kaaba. Whatever you thought you’d feel, it’s stronger than that.
Days 2 to 5: Life in Makkah
After the Umrah, the days fall into a pattern built round the five prayers. You go to the Haram, pray, and stay a while or come back to rest. Many people do extra Tawaf, which you can do as often as you like. The best times are late at night and in the hour or so after Fajr, when it’s cooler and there’s more room.
Keep one morning for the historic places. A half-day tour usually takes in Mina, Arafat and Muzdalifah, and goes past Jabal al-Nour, the mountain with the Cave of Hira. You can climb it if you’re fit, but start before dawn.
Try not to fill every hour. A lot of first-timers wear themselves out in the first two days and then catch the cough that goes round every hotel.
Makkah first or Madinah first?
Most trips begin in Makkah, but not all of them, and it often depends on your flights. Manchester Umrah Packages are a good example. Travellers from the North West can usually fly from Manchester Airport without going down to London, either direct to Jeddah when those flights are running or with one stop on the way. Some of these routes land in Madinah, and in that case the plan is turned round. You spend your first days in Madinah, then travel to Makkah and put on your Ihram at the Miqat just outside the city.
There’s something to be said for doing it that way. You start gently in the quieter city, get over the flight, and do your Umrah once you’ve had some rest. Ask your agent which order your package follows, as it changes what goes in your hand luggage.
Day 6: Travelling between the cities
The journey between Makkah and Madinah takes a little over two hours on the Haramain high-speed train, or five to six hours by coach with a stop on the way. If your package uses the coach, bring snacks and something warm to wear, as the air conditioning is often turned up very high.
Days 7 to 9: Madinah
Madinah is calmer, and after Makkah you’ll feel the difference straight away. The ground is flat, the hotels are close to the mosque and nothing feels rushed.
Your first visit will be to the Prophet’s Mosque, to pray and to give your salaam at the Prophet’s grave. A visit to the Rawdah needs a slot booked on Nusuk, so try to arrange that before you get here.
One morning will go on Ziyarat, which is a tour of the main sites. These are Masjid Quba, the first mosque in Islam, then Mount Uhud and Masjid al-Qiblatain. The remaining time is your own. Buy your dates from the market near the mosque. The Ajwa ones are the best known, and they make the best presents.
Day 10: Going home
Most groups fly back from Madinah or return to Jeddah for the flight. Weigh your suitcase before you leave the hotel, because dates and Zamzam are heavy. Zamzam is sold in sealed five-litre bottles at the airport, and airlines have their own rules on carrying it, so find out what yours allows.
A few things people wish they’d known
• You’ll walk much further than you think. Look after your feet.
• Write down the name of your hotel and the number of the gate you use at the Haram. It’s very easy to get lost.
• Agree a meeting place with your group on the first day.
• Drink water all the time, even when you don’t feel thirsty.
• Leave your phone in your pocket now and again.
Ten nights go very quickly. Most people have started planning the next visit before the plane has landed back in Britain.