8 years ago

Hajj pilgrims cycle from UK to Saudi Arabia to raise funds for Syria

While Muslims from all over the world are flying to Mecca for the annual pilgrimage, a group of men have biked there to raise funds for Syria.

Staff Reporter

TRT World

In previous years, one pilgrim cycled his way to the Hajj from the Xinjiang region of China and two others pedalled from South Africa, covering 11,000 kilometres.

Muslims from all over the world are travelling via plane and some by car to Mecca in the Saudi kingdom for the Hajj pilgrimage.

But a group of British men are taking a different route, by peddling over mountains, rivers and through several countries on two wheels.

They've had to endure injury and bad weather, but it has made their pilgrimage unforgettable.

The cyclists travelled through eight countries to raise money to buy ambulances for Syria.

"We want to perform our Hajj pilgrimage but in that, we can use the journey to raise awareness. If we're cycling and we're trying to raise awareness for something we might as well raise awareness for people who are suffering in some of the worst situations," said Abdul Wahid, one of the cyclists.

TRT World ’s Yasmin Khatun-Dewan has more.