๐ Where did I come in?
Masjid al-Haram has over a hundred gates across several levels, and they look alike from inside. Write down where you entered before you walk in. People get separated here every single day.
Stored on this device only. Photograph your gate sign too โ it's faster than typing when you're in a hurry.
๐งณ Packing checklist
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๐ Emergency & useful numbers
911 โ unified emergency number Police, ambulance and fire. Operators generally speak English. This is the number to call first in any emergency.
| Service | Number |
|---|---|
| Unified emergency (police / ambulance / fire) | 911 |
| Red Crescent ambulance | 997 |
| Police | 999 |
| Civil defence / fire | 998 |
| Traffic accidents (Najm) | 993 |
| Traffic police | 993 |
Numbers can change โ if one doesn't connect, use 911.
At the Haram
- Lost person: go to the nearest security point or lost-and-found office. There are marked points around the mosque, and staff are used to this.
- Lost child: hand them to any guard immediately. There are dedicated lost-children points and they are very well run.
- Medical: clinics and first-aid stations operate inside and around the mosque around the clock. Ask any guard for "mustashfa" or point to the problem.
- Wheelchairs: available at the Haram, both free services and paid pushers. Agree a price up front with a paid pusher.
Before you need them
Carry a paper card Write your name, hotel, room number and your group leader's phone number on a card and keep it in your ihram belt. Phones run out of battery, and the elderly members of your group are the most likely to get lost.
๐ฌ Arabic phrases that actually get used
| English | Arabic | Say it like |
|---|---|---|
| Peace be upon you | ุงูุณูุงู ุนูููู | as-salaamu alaykum |
| Thank you | ุดูุฑุงู | shukran |
| Please | ู ู ูุถูู | min fadlak |
| Yes / No | ูุนู / ูุง | na'am / laa |
| How much? | ุจูู ุ | bikam? |
| Too expensive | ุบุงูู ูุซูุฑ | ghaali katheer |
| Final price? | ุขุฎุฑ ุณุนุฑุ | aakhir si'r? |
| Where isโฆ? | ูููุ | wayn? |
| Where is the toilet? | ููู ุงูุญู ุงู ุ | wayn al-hammaam? |
| I am lost | ุฃูุง ุถุงูุน | ana daaye' |
| Help me | ุณุงุนุฏูู | saa'idni |
| I need a doctor | ุฃุญุชุงุฌ ุฏูุชูุฑ | ahtaaj doktoor |
| Hospital | ู ุณุชุดูู | mustashfa |
| Water | ู ุงุก / ู ููุฉ | maa' / mooya |
| I don't understand | ู ุง ุฃููู | maa afham |
| Do you speak English? | ุชุชููู ุฅูุฌููุฒูุ | titkallam ingileezi? |
| Do you speak Urdu? | ุชุชููู ุฃุฑุฏูุ | titkallam urdu? |
| Wait a moment | ูุญุธุฉ | lahza |
| Let's go / drive on | ููุง | yalla |
| Enough / stop | ุฎูุงุต | khalaas |
| Is it open? | ู ูุชูุญุ | maftooh? |
| Closed | ู ุบูู / ู ุณูุฑ | mughlaq / msakkar |
| Gate | ุจุงุจ | baab |
| Where is gate 79? | ููู ุจุงุจ ูงูฉุ | wayn baab tis'a wa sab'een? |
A great many people working around the Haram speak Urdu, Bengali, Indonesian or English. Ask โ titkallam urdu? solves a surprising number of problems.
โ๏ธ Dam & fidya โ if you break an Ihram rule
Read this before the table Rulings here differ substantially between schools of fiqh, and they also depend on whether the act was deliberate, forgetful, or forced by necessity. The table below is a general orientation only โ it is not a fatwa and you should not act on it alone. If something has happened, ask a scholar. There are religious guidance offices at the Haram for exactly this.
| What happened | Generally |
|---|---|
| Used perfume, or wore stitched clothing / covered the head (men), deliberately | Fidya โ a choice of fasting three days, feeding six poor people, or sacrificing a sheep |
| Cut hair or clipped nails deliberately | Fidya, as above; small amounts may be treated differently |
| Did any of the above forgetfully, or out of genuine necessity, and stopped on realising | Many scholars hold nothing is due; necessity cases may still require fidya in some schools |
| Missed an obligation, e.g. crossed the Miqat without Ihram and did not return | Dam โ a sacrifice |
| Intimacy before completing the Umrah | Serious โ may invalidate the Umrah and require a sacrifice plus making it up. Ask a scholar immediately. |
| Hunted land game in the Haram | Compensation, assessed according to the animal |
| Unable to complete the Umrah due to illness or being prevented | Specific rulings apply โ ask a scholar rather than deciding yourself |
Any required sacrifice must be performed within the Haram and the meat distributed to the poor there. Licensed outlets and the official Adahi programme handle this โ do not buy from unlicensed sellers.
๐ก๏ธ Staying well
- Heat. Makkah summers regularly exceed 45ยฐC. Move in the early morning and after Maghrib; rest in the middle of the day. The marble around the mataf gets genuinely painfully hot โ the inner areas are cooled, the outer ones are not.
- Hydration. Zamzam is free and everywhere. Drink constantly, not just when thirsty. Dark urine means you are already behind.
- Feet. You will walk far more than you expect โ ten to fifteen kilometres a day is normal. Break your shoes in at home. Bring blister plasters.
- "Hajj flu". Millions of people from everywhere in the world, in close quarters. A cough spreads through the whole group. A mask in crowds genuinely helps.
- Medication. Bring enough for the whole trip plus several days, in original packaging, with a prescription or doctor's letter for anything unusual.
- Pace yourself. The common mistake is doing too much on day one โ multiple Umrahs, all the ziyarat, every prayer in the Haram โ then spending days three and four ill in the hotel. The trip is a marathon.
For elderly travellers Wheelchair services are widely available at the Haram, both free and paid, and the upper floors are far less crowded and fully accessible โ Tawaf and Sa'i on the first floor or roof take longer per circuit but are enormously easier. There is no virtue in struggling at ground level.
General information only. Nothing on this page is medical or religious advice. Emergency numbers and services can change โ verify locally. For any question about dam, fidya or a broken Ihram rule, consult a qualified scholar rather than relying on this page.