Cairo: As thousands of foreign pilgrims continue to depart Saudi Arabia after undertaking the annual Islamic Hajj pilgrimage, the Zamzam water stands out among the items many of the faithful are keen to take on the home return trips.
The pilgrimage, Islam’s biggest annual gathering, this year marked the return of the pilgrims’ numbers to their pre-pandemic levels.
Authorities at the King Abdulaziz International Airport in the Saudi city of Jeddah, a major destination for pilgrims’ arrival and departure, have this season designated four places in its halls for selling the Zamzam water.
The airport noted that passengers on international flights can buy Zamzam bottles from the outside gate of its Northern Hall, inside Hall A, outside Gate B2 and outside Gate C2.
Departing pilgrims are allowed each to ship a five-litre Zamzam pack, the airport said. The bottle sells for SR8.5.
Specific conveyer belts are allocated at the airport for shipping the Zamzam bottles, different from the ones used for luggage check-in.
For pilgrims departing after performing Umrah or lesser pilgrimage, they can get the Zamzam bottles by booking them via the Nusuk app.
Special tags are placed on the packs, officials at the airport said.
Zamzam is popular particularly with overseas pilgrims who buy packs of the blessed water to present as a gift to relatives and friends after home return.
Saudi Arabia lifted limits on the numbers and ages of pilgrims from around the world for this year’s Hajj after COVID-19 forced the curtailment of the numbers of pilgrims for three consecutive years.
Around 1.8 million pilgrims, including 1.6 million from abroad, attended this year’s Hajj, according to Saudi official figures.
