Adventurer walks 7.250km on way to Makkah

Manama: A Spanish man has walked more than 7,250 kilometres as he is making his way from France to Makkah in western Saudi Arabia.

Isaac Bannour, whose country of origin is Algeria, left France six months ago on a Walk of Peace and to perform Umrah in Makkah, but instead of taking the plane, he opted to walk, pushing a wheel-cart in which he kept a small tent, clothes and some food.

Isaac who was filmed walking near the Saudi capital Riyadh said that he had crossed 17 countries, including Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Montenegro, Serbia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Kuwait during his adventure.

“It will take me around 20 days to reach Makkah where I will perform Umrah,” he said, quoted by Saudi news site Sabq. “However, to go home, I will not walk the distance again and will take the plane.”

Isaac said that he had been to several countries, but has never been to Saudi Arabia.

“I said that it was not acceptable for me to visit so many countries, but not to Makkah to perform Umrah,” he said. “I thought long and hard about undergoing the trip on foot, but after four years of thinking, I decided to go ahead with the plan.”

He added that his life in Europe showed him that people were not aware of the genuine concepts and values of Islam and decided to promote Islam as a religion of peace.

Isaac thought about having his brother with him, but eventually put aside the idea “because Zakaria has an Algerian passport and might have some visa issues in some countries”.

The traveller said that in Saudi Arabia, he did not feel the impact of the cold wave sweeping across the region.

“In fact, I often feel hot because I am constantly walking. What was difficult in terms of weather conditions was the snow in France and Austria. However, I kept walking and pushing my cart.”

The adventurer said that he regularly walked from sunrise until sunset, usually making 50 kilometres per day.

“In Saudi Arabia, I often slept in houses because people invited me over and I stayed with them. The officials have been highly helpful and the interior ministry has given me a contact number to call whenever I needed assistance. They offered me an ambulance, but I told them I was fine.”