Qualla: Hajj https://qualla.com/hajj en-us © 2026 Bendyline Mon, 20 Jul 2026 10:21:29 GMT Qualla serial false Qualla support@bendyline.com yes https://qualla.com/_res/siteimages/rsslogo.png Qualla: Hajj https://qualla.com/hajj Hajj: Introduction https://qualla.com/hajj/ They arrive all at once. Over two million pilgrims from roughly 180 countries, every year, converging on the same small sacred geography in the same short window of the Islamic month Dhu al-Hijjah. The planes stack over Jeddah at the two Hajj terminals, which together cover 260,000 square meters of fabric tents on concrete posts - the largest buildings by roof area in the world, and they exist only for this purpose. Forty days of the year they host dozens of wide-bodies nose-to-tail. The rest of the time they stand silent. This is the Hajj, the fifth pillar of Islam, required of every adult Muslim once in a lifetime who can afford the journey and leave their family provided for.

Read more: Hajj on Qualla

]]> Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/s/g/u/3/hajj-wk/sgu3-hajj-intro.mp3 0:06 1 full Hajj: A Journey Told in Hills and Tents https://qualla.com/hajj/ The five core days trace a loop of sites outside Mecca, each connected to a moment in the tradition. It begins on the 8th of Dhu al-Hijjah, when pilgrims don the ihram - two pieces of unstitched white cloth for men, modest white covering for women - and walk to Mina, a valley abo...

Read more: Hajj on Qualla

]]> Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/s/g/u/3/hajj-wk/sgu3-hajj-a-journey-told-in-hills-and-tents.mp3 0:06 2 full Hajj: The Logistics of Two Million https://qualla.com/hajj/ The Saudi government operates a Ministry of Hajj and Umrah to manage what is, by any measure, the world's largest recurring logistical puzzle. Quotas are allocated to Muslim-majority countries - pilgrims from those nations can wait years for a slot, while citizens of countries wi...

Read more: Hajj on Qualla

]]> Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/s/g/u/3/hajj-wk/sgu3-hajj-the-logistics-of-two-million.mp3 0:06 3 full Hajj: The Practical Visa https://qualla.com/hajj/ Unless you are a Saudi citizen, you need a Hajj visa. The Hajj cannot be performed on a tourist visa. Many countries require you to apply through the local governing body of Islam, which allocates places under national rules. Some countries let you apply directly through the Saud...

Read more: Hajj on Qualla

]]> Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/s/g/u/3/hajj-wk/sgu3-hajj-the-practical-visa.mp3 0:06 4 full Hajj: The Crowds and the Grief https://qualla.com/hajj/ Hajj's greatest danger has always been its scale. Between 1990 and 2015, at least 2,777 pilgrims were killed in crushes and stampedes. A fire in the tent city of Mina killed 340 in 1997. In 1987, security forces broke up an Iranian demonstration against the United States; 402 die...

Read more: Hajj on Qualla

]]> Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/s/g/u/3/hajj-wk/sgu3-hajj-the-crowds-and-the-grief.mp3 0:06 5 full Hajj: Beyond the Holy Cities https://qualla.com/hajj/ Hajj visas restrict travel to Mecca, Medina, Mina, Arafah, and Muzdalifah. Additional travel permits for the rest of Saudi Arabia are difficult to obtain and rarely granted. Most pilgrims add a stop in Medina - the city where Muhammad lived, taught, and is buried - before flying ...

Read more: Hajj on Qualla

]]> Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/s/g/u/3/hajj-wk/sgu3-hajj-beyond-the-holy-cities.mp3 0:06 6 full