Dubai: A 64-year-old Egyptian man travelled on a motorcycle from Cairo to Mecca in Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah, local media reported.
Ismail Abdel Latif Ibrahim Gawish travelled on his motorcycle by land to Mecca and Medina where he spent six days performing Umrah and visiting holy sites in Mecca to Medina where he prayed at the Prophet’s Mosque.
The pilgrim’s age did not prevent him from taking on a new experience, driven by passion for driving motorcycles and participating in various rallies in the Arab world.
As a member of the Egyptian motorcycle rally team, Gawish was invited to participate in the Arab Solidarity March rally in Saudi Arabia, which includes teams from several Arab countries.
He travelled from Cairo on his motorbike and then used the ferry crossing to Jeddah and then travelled again on his motorcycle to Mecca.
“I was really excited to travel thousands of kilometres from Cairo to Mecca to perform Umrah. It was an exciting spiritual journey,” he said.
The trip started on October 31 and took him days to arrive in the kingdom after obtaining the necessary permits for travel and visas to enter the kingdom.
Gawish said he was very happy with the unique experience of visiting the holy lands. “Oh, my friends, congratulate me. I travelled on a motorcycle from Cairo to Mecca and Medina where I performed Umrah and now I am back to Cairo. My greetings and appreciation to you all,” he wrote.
During his pilgrimage trip, Gawish participated in sewing the black cloth covering of the holy Kaaba. He said “I am honoured to have the opportunity of sewing two stitches in the covering of the Kaaba using a silver thread covered with gold.”
