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Memories of the Hajj

The author only once experienced the Hajj at "first hand" so to speak, although as a non-Muslim he was not allowed to enter Mecca.

The occasion was the early 1990s when doing some work for a Saudia Airlines related to the catering requirements for, on that occasion, some 1.75 million hajji, as the pilgrims are called.

My journey to Saudi Arabia was circuitous for business purposes – UK to Turkey - Istanbul, then to Ankara, then back to Istanbul before finally taking a flight to Jeddah on Saudia.""I was the only non-Hajji on board (I think) and my recollection is that it could at best be described as "organised chaos".

Most of the hajji were Turkish and could not speak Arabic, while most of the cabin crew could not speak Turkish. Conversations were conducted between them in German, French, English and a form of sign language which was created instantly.

Many of the male hajji decided to change into the Ihram whilst on board the plane, which meant they had to divest themselves of their "ordinary" clothing. They found this impossible to do in the toilets. This resulted in many of them undressing in the aisles and trying to wrap their Ihram around their body. Anyone familiar with 747s will know that taking off a jacket or pullover is difficult, even when no-one else is beside you in the aisle – so changing completely in a crowded aisle takes incredible skill. As half the flight was comprised of female pilgrims (wives, daughters etc) and most of the flight crew were female, the gyrations of the men whilst trying to maintain their modesty would have graced the best of slapstick comedy movies.

Prior to getting into Ihram these rudimentary garments have to be extracted from bags and cases which started off in overhead lockers and then finished up on laps, seat backs and even balanced on people's heads.

Now, I have said that the flight was from Istanbul to Jeddah. The distance between Jeddah and Mecca is a matter of a few miles, and when flying from Istanbul in a direct line you are, in effect, flying straight at Mecca.

Whilst we were parked on the apron at Istanbul some of the hajji had decided to pray, which involves prostrating the body on the ground, or the floor of the aeroplane - and you must do so in the direction of Mecca. It was at that point that arguments between the hajji themselves became heated. Which direction was Mecca? It took the skills of at least four flight attendants to cool that encounter – although the flight take off was delayed from by the queue of hajji wishing to prostrate themselves near the fire exits and pray through the side of the plane.

Once in the air, despite the whole fuselage becoming a male changing room, there were also those wishing to pray. On the ground they had prayed to the side of the plane, which, as I have pointed out, was now flying straight towards Mecca. Some insisted on praying out of the side of the plane again, and this angered those who had even the most rudimentary directional skills – if you are flying towards Mecca then it is to the front of the plane.

In stepped the cabin crew again, and another potential problem was at least partially solved but chaos still reigned, as the steward and stewardesses had decided to serve a meal.

Airline catering is a wonderful thing (I think not) but the engineering of airline catering is a masterpiece of design. The trolleys which are full of food just fit into the holes in the galley area where they are stored. And they only just fit in between the rows of seats, with hardly any room to spare.

So we have a plane full of people, many standing in the aisles away from their seats doing all manner of things, whilst some very patient crew try and manoeuvre a trolley laden with food and drinks to serve their customers.

The chaos was almost complete when we hit turbulence over the Mediterranean Sea. It was close enough to the coastline of Israel to have some people thinking it was another Arab-Israeli conflict, and someone was shooting at us – while the remainder were blaming the Greeks, as the Island of Cyprus lay to the other side of the plane.

Cabin crew who had been struggling to get the trolley partially down an aisle now had to try and get it back to its station. People had to try and get back to their seats, after repacking bags and manoeuvring them back into lockers…

But at last, the arrival at Jeddah actually came, surprisingly quickly in the end, and some 400 or so very happy people alighted, about to take part in what must be the largest annual gathering and exodus of people anywhere in the world.

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