Mecca
December 12 2008
The annual hajj pilgrimage, which ended on Thursday, is one of the most important spiritual journeys for Muslims but it also offers a great opportunity to reap material rewards.
Before Mecca gained prominence as Islam\'s holiest site, the city was an ancient trading centre on the Arabian peninsula and the tradition persists, with local vendors relying upon the hajj for the bulk of their trade.
At al-Rumaizan gold shop in Mecca, Yasser al-Jahni says that during the 10 days of the hajj season he sells twice as much gold as the rest of the year combined.
\"Anything bought from Mecca has a special feeling. Many pilgrims are asked by their neighbours or relatives to buy them their wedding gold from here,\" he says.
After the oil era began, trade relating to the pilgrimage no longer served as the primary source of income for the Saudi economy. However, for Mecca the influx of pilgrims continues to shore up the economy and generate seasonal jobs.
This year, at least 2.5m pilgrims came to the city, contributing at least SR20bn ($5.3bn, €4bn, £3.5bn) to the private sector economy.
The government hopes to expand the number of pilgrims to 20m a year, with some coming for hajj, others for a lesser pilgrimage called umra , which may be performed at any time, and others just visiting the holy shrine at Mecca, the Kaaba.
The government says it does not make money during the hajj but spends at least $50m on services, including security measures and healthcare.
In the past, Meccans would lend their homes to pilgrims and leave the city during hajj. But in recent years services that were freely offered have become a big source of additional revenue for citizens, who rent rooms or cook to cater to the pilgrims.
Fourteen centuries ago, when hajj became a spiritual duty for Muslims, pilgrims were permitted to conduct business during the three days after Eid al-Adha, marking the end of the hajj rituals.
As Islam spread across Asia and Africa, a stream of visitors from ever more varied destinations continued to arrive, many of whom carried trade goods to earn enough money to support the return leg of their -journey.
Others who could not afford to return stayed behind, resulting in thousands of mixed marriages that have helped turn the city into one of the most cosmopolitan in the Muslim world, certainly the most cosmopolitan in Saudi Arabia. \"Mecca represents the heart of the Muslim body,\'\' says Sami Anqawi, a historian and architect. \"Blood from the rest of the Muslim body reaches the heart, mixes, is purified and circulates throughout the Muslim nations.\'\'
This mixing extended to trade, with nationalities specialising in different products: Egyptian and Syrian pilgrims brought livestock, grain and agricultural products, while Iranians brought carpets and rugs, which they displayed from walls or spread on narrow streets in front of small shops.
Muslims from what is now Pakistan were highly regarded, as they carried rubies and jade, while others from India carried silk and spices. Rich African caravans carried ivory and gold.
Many pilgrims saved throughout their lives to be able to engage in a lucrative sale while on hajj. But the complexity of customs and border rules have, for some, transformed a caravan-based trade into a smuggling -operation.
One Jeddah man says a woman once removed her scarf and showed him a vast collection of precious stones, including rubies and jade, which were beaded in her hair. Another Indian pilgrim carried a set of ruby and ivory prayer beads hidden in his walking cane.
\"It is kind of different today but also the same,\" says the Jeddah resident.
Another resident of the city says: \"Instead of pilgrims bringing a few Iranian rugs or Russian caviar on a camel and displaying them on the sidewalks, they bring deals and open credit lines.\'\'
The Financial Times