Dubai: A rare and fascinating video capturing the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca about 100 years ago has gone viral, drawing significant attention across social media platforms in the Arab and Islamic world.
The video, one of the oldest depicting the pilgrimage, shows the faithful journeying to the holy city from Jeddah, where they first arrived by sea, before embarking on a days-long march on camels.
The footage provides a vivid glimpse into the past, showing groups of people cooking food in the open air and distributing it to pilgrims, who engage in the demanding rituals of Hajj.
At that time, the pilgrimage was an arduous journey attended by only a few thousand, possibly tens of thousands of pilgrims, a stark contrast to today’s vastly larger scale, which includes modern conveniences.
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Social media users and bloggers have been particularly moved by the stark differences shown in the video compared to current Hajj conditions.
The archival footage includes scenes of pilgrims arriving at tents for rest and what were considered hotels at the time.
