Pilgrims from UAE leave Saudi Arabia
UAE pilgrims, with many bringing back souvenirs, start making their way home
Riyadh: UAE pilgrims, who attended the completion of the recitation of the Quran in the two Holy Mosques in Makkah and Madinah on Tuesday night, started making their way home on Wednesday.
Some flew with Emirates or Saudi airline companies, others left by land travelling in cars or buses organised by the Umrah companies.
Many are bringing back souvenirs, like beads, small replicas of Makkah and Madinah and praying rugs, for their family and friends.
The traffic police, highway patrol and civil defence forces are continuing to monitor the routes between Jeddah, Madinah, Qasim, Riyadh, the eastern region and the UAE, in order to prevent accidents. .
The roads used by the UAE pilgrims have in recent years witnessed a high number of accidents often leading to deaths. Pilgrims also complain that there are few restaurants en route and those that do exist are over-priced. Rest room facilities are also lacking.
Sources at the UAE consulate in Jeddah told Gulf News that so far there have been no reports of serious illness amongst the pilgrims.
The Saudi health minister Dr Abdullah Al Rabeeah confirmed that no epidemics had been registered.
The director of health affairs in Makkah D. Khalid Zafar said that 63,525 pilgrims of various nationalities had been treated at government hospitals in Makkah since the beginning of Ramadan.
