Three friends from Spain are reviving a 500-year-old Andalusian Muslim tradition by traveling on horseback to Mecca for Hajj.
Three friends from Spain are traveling to Saudi Arabia on horseback for their Hajj, an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca. Their expedition, which is a sacred journey for Muslims, began with a vow made by one of the pilgrims after embracing Islam.
Traveling on horseback from Spain for the past 3.5 months, Abdallah Hernandez, Abdelkader Harkassi, and Tariq Rodriguez have reached Istanbul and will continue their journey to complete the Hajj pilgrimage, while reviving a 500-year-old Andalusian Muslim tradition.
The group aims to reach Saudi Arabia via Syria after traveling through Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Bulgaria, Greece, and Türkiye on their 8,000-kilometer (4,970 miles) journey.
Hosted by Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University, the pilgrims met with students and supporters at the university as part of an event organized by the institution.
Speaking at the event, Prof. Huseyin Husnu Koyunoglu from the university’s Faculty of Islamic Sciences emphasized that Istanbul has been a significant stop for Hajj pilgrims for centuries.
Hernandez said he first learned about Islam at age 24. While working in geography, he studied the Bible and the Quran, finding the verses particularly striking.
He mentioned that before taking a geography exam, he promised himself that if he passed, he would become a Muslim.
After passing the exam, Hernandez converted to Islam and vowed to do the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca on horseback, just like his ancestors.
Hernandez explained that in fulfilling his dream, Harkassi and Rodriguez are accompanying him on horseback, while Bouchaib Jadil, a construction master living in Spain, is providing logistical support to the team by leading the way in a car.
A Lost Tradition is Being Revived
One of the Hajj pilgrims, Harkassi, said they were happy to revive a lost tradition.
He explained that they have saved money and trained for several years for this journey.
Despite the challenges, Harkassi emphasized that the journey was also full of adventure. "We have had funny moments and adventures. We saw that Allah was with us. We embarked on this journey with pure intentions to realize the Hajj."
He added: "We have now become a part of this. We are currently halfway there, and hopefully, the rest of the journey will be easier."
The team said they wanted to spend the month of Ramadan in Istanbul and expressed a desire to visit important religious and historical sites, such as the Sultanahmet Mosque and the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque.
The 'CIDC 2025 – Critical Infrastructure Defence Challenge' cybersecurity festival is being held on 9–10 October at the Baku Congress Centre, join...
Leaders across the world have welcomed the Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal brokered under U.S. President Donald Trump's peace plan, calling it a criti...
Israel and Hamas said they had agreed to a long-awaited ceasefire and hostage deal, the first phase of U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to end a war...
Russia’s central bank has ruled the state violated minority shareholders’ rights in seized assets, signalling rare pushback against nationalisatio...
A newly elected German mayor survived multiple stab wounds in a family attack....
On the shores of the Red Sea, a bold architectural vision is taking shape. The Jeddah Tower, once called the Kingdom Tower, is set to become the world’s tallest building, with developers saying it's a structure that doesn’t just redefine skylines, but reimagines what cities of the future could be.
Video game giant Electronic Arts (EA), the studio behind titles like Madden NFL, Battlefield and The Sims, is set to be acquired for $52.5 billion in what would be the largest-ever private equity buyout.
Pakistan’s defence minister has said the country’s nuclear capability will be available to Saudi Arabia if required under a newly signed mutual defence pact.
Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have formalised a mutual defence agreement, reinforcing a decades-long security partnership, Pakistani state television reported on Wednesday.
Video from the USGS (United States Geological Survey) showed on Friday (19 September) the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii erupting and spewing lava.
At least eight people have died and more than 90 others were injured following a catastrophic gas tanker explosion on a major highway in Mexico City’s Iztapalapa district on Wednesday, authorities confirmed.
At least 69 people have died and almost 150 injured following a powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Cebu City in the central Visayas region of the Philippines, officials said, making it one of the country’s deadliest disasters this year.
Authorities in California have identified the dismembered body discovered in a Tesla registered to singer D4vd as 15-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, who had been missing from Lake Elsinore since April 2024.
A powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula on 13 September with no tsunami threat, coming just weeks after the region endured a devastating 8.8-magnitude quake — the strongest since 1952.
The 'CIDC 2025 – Critical Infrastructure Defence Challenge' cybersecurity festival is being held on 9–10 October at the Baku Congress Centre, jointly organised by the State Service for Special Communication and Information Security of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
Leaders across the world have welcomed the Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal brokered under U.S. President Donald Trump's peace plan, calling it a critical first step but warning that full implementation is essential.
Israel and Hamas said they had agreed to a long-awaited ceasefire and hostage deal, the first phase of U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to end a war in Gaza that has killed more than 67,000 people and reshaped the Middle East.
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi rejected as “incorrect” the report by a Kuwaiti newspaper on recent contacts between Tehran and Washington and also condemned President Trump's threats of renewed attacks if Iran resumed nuclear enrichment.
Georgia’s Foreign Minister, Maka Bochorishvili sought to reassure the public that there is “no danger” to Georgia’s status as the European Union’s revised visa rules include Georgia.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment