Retail Therapy - On A Mission To Find The Perfect Souvenir

Three hours before my next flight, I desperately stalked the stores of Al-Safwah Hotel; on a mission to find the perfect souvenir to remember Saudi Arabia and my umrah. I set a challenging task for myself because I wanted something distinctly Saudi. The challenge comes from what I mentioned in a previous post; nothing comes from the kingdom except oil and dates. I stopped at many stores and left empty handed. I didn't know what I wanted or what to look for.

Then my mind wandered to a T.V special I saw on Saudi Arabia being the trade center of the ancient world. The Saudis bartered with another resource, perfume…frankincense, myrrh, and essential oils. The essential oils were sought after not only for their pleasing smell, but their medicinal benefits. The perfume trade led to bartering for silks in China and spices in India. I made up my mind. I knew what I wanted. Perfume.

Walking in the perfume store, I saw shelves stocked with jars of clear liquid and others with varying hues of yellow and amber. The perfumes were not pre-bottled. I knew I wanted the scent of jasmine flower. The store owner showed me a beautiful bottle in the shape of Abraham's station to put the perfume in.
I found my perfect souvenir.

I love to dot the perfume on the back of my hand. The scent transports me back to Saudi Arabia…to mountains, camels, and bedouins. To morning bazaars, azaan, and masjids. To the land of God and His people.

Part One. Fin.

Not the clearest picture.
Right: My souvenir, amber colored liquid, jasmine scent in Abraham's Station bottle.
Left: Splurge, extra bottle of perfume I bought. I don't remember the name of the scent.
Middle: Given to me for free by the store owner. Beautiful scent, I don't know the name.

The Sheep and The Goats - What I Liked, but Mostly What I Disliked About Saudi Arabia

The sheep and the goats is a reference to the the New Testament parable in which Jesus describes Judgement Day as God separating good people from bad people like the shepard separates obedient sheep (the good) from stubborn goats (the bad). I think my previous posts focused on everything good about the kingdom, the sheep. To present a balanced and fair picture, I'm going to throw in some goats.

One Goat: On our four hour drive from Madinah to Makkah we stopped to use the restroom. I waited to use the toilet when a woman cut in front of me. I didn't think anything of it until it happened a second time and yes, a third time. Annoyed, I left no room between myself and the door. As I stood there barricading the door like a crazy person, I realized that not everyone in the world understands the concept of waiting in line.

Two Goat: Crowds. In almost all the mosques I went to, other worshippers bumped me and stepped on me as I prayed. A big problem, more for hajj than umrah, is trampling. Crowds can get dangerous fast. I tried getting out of a tightly packed elevator when a huge crowd pushed me back onto the elevator. Scary.

Three Goat: Construction work never ends in Makkah especially around the al-Haram. Hotels are being put up left and right to accommodate pilgrims. This gives the area around the al-Haram a modern, albeit cluttered look. In comparing Madinah to Makkah, I liked Madinah a lot more than Makkah and I think it's because Madinah though modern retained some old-world charm like the morning bazaars.

The Skinny - A Review of Dar El Salam, Dallah Taibah Hotel, and Al Safwah Royal Orchid Hotel

We traveled with Dar El Salam (House Of Peace) travel agency. Dar El Salam made my umrah trip so wonderful and memorable that I had to write an exclusive post about their services.

Dar El Salam specializes in umrah and hajj packages. At each location, Jeddah, Makkah, and Madinah, a travel representative from Dar El Salam met with my family and I. The representatives are there to "meet and assist," but they go beyond that. After asking our representative in Madinah where to find rosaries, instead of just giving us directions, he walked us to and from stores. All of the representatives provided us with information and guidance for each step of our umrah journey. Dar El Salam provided drivers and knowledgeable guides for sight seeing in Madinah and Makkah. They offer a breadth of packages. My dad chose the custom package, which allowed him to choose the hotels and number of days. I highly recommend Dar El Salam for your umrah/hajj needs.

http://www.darelsalam.com/

Madinah

Dallah Taibah Hotel (Four Star Hotel)

***** Room

***** Proximity

***** Room Service

***** My Overall Rating

http://www.dallahtaibah.com/

Makkah

Al Safwah Royal Orchid Hotel (Five Star Hotel)

***** Room

***** Proximity

***** Room Service

***** My Overall Rating

Con: The shower leaked water onto the bathroom floor. Not a big deal, but one would not expect leaks from a five star hotel.

Pro: 3 level mall beneath the hotel!!! You don't have to go outside the hotel to find what you want from jewelry, food, clothes, perfumes, rosaries, prayer rugs, etc.

http://www.royaleorchid.com/

Mount Uhud - Battle of Uhud

The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) led the Medinan Muslims against the Meccans at the Battle of Uhud. It seemed like a decisive Muslim victory and the archers abandoned their position on Mount Uhud to loot the Meccans; this fatal error resulted in a surprise attack by the Meccans. It was a major Muslim defeat with many casualties and the Prophet (pbuh) was injured.

Moral of the Story: Don't be greedy, fool.

The Muslims later defeated the Meccans at the Battle of the Trench, close to Mount Uhud, cementing Islam's place in Madinah. The trenches are roads now and cannot be seen.

Battle of Uhud and Battle of the Trench

Souq - Market

The picture does not do this mountain justice. It's huge and formidable!

No shortage of people.

Mount Uhud

Allah seems to have blessed the Saudis with two things and only two things: oil and dates.

Everything and I mean everything in Saudi Arabia is imported. I saw more Fords, Buicks, and GMCs there than in America.

More dates.

Toys

Mountains on every side.

Al-Masjid al-Nabawi

Al-Masjid al - Nabawi is the second largest mosque in the world and holds the tombs of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), the first two caliphs, and Fatima, the Prophet's daughter.

Al-Masjid al-Nabawi - Morning - Umbrellas open (bottom).

In the courtyard the umbrellas open up and provide shade to worshippers.

It's breathtaking when the umbrellas unfold; it looks like a flower opening.

Front view at night.


Night - Umbrellas closed

There is a constant stream of people going to al-Nabawi; morning and night.

Madinah - Call To Me and I Will Answer

From the hotel window I could see Al-Masjid al-Nabawi, which is so beautiful with its blue and white marble and gold accented doors and arches. The exhaustion I felt in Jeddah was gone, exhilaration over took me. Al-Nabawi called to me...literally, it was time for prayer and the melodic azaan (call for prayer) filled the room. I washed up and went for prayer with my parents at al-Nabawi. Ma and I prayed outside. It was dark out and the open star filled sky was above us and the cool marble floor was beneath us. I never felt so at peace.

After prayer the city of Madinah comes alive. The shops lining the streets open and the sidewalks are covered with numerous vendors selling colorful rosaries, prayer mats, and hijabs. From the hotel window, it looked like bright spots of paint on the ground.

Over breakfast, Papa told me he prayed at ar-Rawada, which is a special place in al-Nabawi. All the carpeting is red inside except for ar-Rawada, which is white. Any prayer said on this spot will not go unanswered. It's almost impossible to pray there because of all the people.

After breakfast, my parents and I went site-seeing. We went to Mount Uhud where the Battle of Uhud took place, we went to the Seven Mosques, to the Quba Mosque (first and oldest mosque built in Saudi Arabia), and a date factory.

Before we left for Makkah, we did one final namaz at al-Nabawi. A woman sitting next to us took her prayer mat and placed it sideways in front of my mother and I so we could share it. We didn't speak the same language as her, but this act transcended human communication. It was such a beautiful gesture. Such is the warmth and kindness of the people in Madinah.

I waited in the lobby with a heavy heart because I would miss Madinah, for the car that would take us to Makkah...

Our hotel room in Madinah and the beds we never had a chance to sleep in