After 40 years, Indonesian couple fulfills Hajj dream

Cairo: After saving for nearly 40 years to pay the cost of the journey, an Indonesian man and his wife have attained their long-cherished dream to perform the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.

The couple recently arrived in Saudi Arabia under a Hajj-related scheme, known as the "Mecca Route" Initiative offering facilities to pilgrims coming from specific countries including Indonesia.

Hajji Legiman, a cleaning worker, is overjoyed that his lifetime dream has at last come true.

"I am overjoyed. I couldn't believe I would finally see the Holy Kaaba with my own eyes," he said, referring to the cube-shaped structure housed in the Grand Mosque, Islam's most sacred site, in the Saudi city of Mecca.

"I thank Allah first, then everyone who helped us. I especially thank those in charge of the Mecca Route Initiative, which made it easier than I could have imagined," he told the Saudi news agency SPA.

He recalled having started saving for the holy journey in 1986 with the help of his wife amid difficult living conditions and hard work.

"Despite the challenges, we did not lose hope. My wife and I continued to save steadily until we were finally able to register our names on the list of pilgrims this year," he said.

Muslims, who are physically and financially able to take the journey, must perform the Hajj at least once in their lifetime.

A total of 221,000 pilgrims from Indonesia, the world’s biggest Muslim-majority nation, are anticipated to perform the Hajj rites this year due early next month.

The "Mecca Route" Initiative aims to provide fast-track services to the pilgrims from certain countries by finalizing their procedures in the homeland smoothly, starting with taking their biometrics and issuing Hajj visas electronically, through completing passport measures, after verifying all health requirements are met. 

Other facilities include tagging and sorting out luggage at the departure airports.

On arrival in Saudi Arabia, those pilgrims head directly to their residences in Mecca and the holy city of Medina on buses moving on designated routes while their luggage are delivered right to their accommodation places.