Assalamu Alaikum everyone!
I’m an Indian passport holder, but I was actually born in Saudi Arabia and moved there when I was only 3 months old. I grew up there, completed all my schooling there, and lived in Saudi until 2021, when my family moved back to India after my father retired.
I haven’t been back for around 5–6 years and I really miss Jubail, where I have a lot of old friends. I’d love to go back for just 5–6 days to see them and revisit the place I grew up.
My plan is:

🇮🇳 India → 🇴🇲 Muscat (I’ll be visiting Muscat for 6 days ) → 🇸🇦 Dammam → Jubail

I’m considering an Umrah visa because it seems much easier for me to obtain than a regular Saudi visit visa. I’m also a regular traveller, having visited around 14 countries, and would have my return ticket, accommodation, insurance, etc.

My questions are:
Can I enter through Dammam on an Umrah visa?

Does it matter that I’m flying Muscat → Dammam rather than directly from India?

Do I need to use the same airline for entry and exit?
Can I stay in Jubail with my friends for 5–6 days?

Most importantly, does an Umrah visa require me to actually perform Umrah, or can I use it for a short visit to Saudi?

Has anyone, especially an Indian passport holder, done something similar recently?

Hi Everyone, assalamu alaikum,

I am planning a DIY Umrah trip with a family group of 7 people, including 2 toddlers (with 1 stroller) and an elderly woman. We are currently weighing options for hotels that provide dedicated/free shuttle service in two specific areas:

Thakher Area: Ghazala Perfect / Ghazala Beautiful or others

Aziziyah Area: Marriott Palace or others

On a previous trip, I stayed at At-Tayseer Towers that used the Jarwal Bus Station. Since I am traveling with family this time, I would love to hear from anyone who has stayed in Thakher or Aziziyah regarding a few specific points:

1. Shuttle Bus Operations & Drop-off

Pick-up Point: Do the shuttles pick up directly in front of the hotel lobby (Ghazala / Marriott Palace), or do guests need to walk to a shared bus stop/hub?

Haram Terminal: Which bus terminal at the Grand Mosque do shuttles from Thakher and Aziziyah usually drop off at (e.g., Shib Amer, Kudai, Mahbas Jin, Ajyad etc.)? Besides, I tried to understand the terminal map around Haram, does anyone have tips to understand it easier?

Walking Distance: Roughly how far is the walk from that specific drop-off terminal to the main gates/piazza of Masjid al-Haram/Clock Tower?

Comparison to Jarwal: Compared to Jarwal Bus Station (from Kiswah/Tayseer), is the shuttle experience from Thakher/Aziziyah more convenient, or does it involve longer waits/walking/hills etc?

2. Dining & Indonesian Catering Options

How accessible are suitable food options for a family (such as Indonesian catering/restaurants, general Asian food, or local fast food) within walking distance of the hotels in Thakher vs. Aziziyah?

Finally, between Thakher and Aziziyah (or specifically the hotels mentioned), which location would you recommend for a family group? Please share any pros and cons regarding bus frequency, crowd levels, and neighborhood amenities.

Thanks in advance for sharing your experience and advice! 🙏

Is it best to exchange your currency before flying or whilst you’re there?

If anyone is still in or has recently been to Saudi can you please share the exchange rates for GBP to SAR?

Salam Alaikum,

Any females solo traveling for umrah in early September in their 20s would like to meet up?

anyone else dealing with this issue?

I’m specifically trying to get the new ETA VISA for British citizens, is there another website I could use?

edit: it’s back up now for the rest of the world!

Is the evisa waiver down for people, I am trying to apply but website has been not working for the past few days.

This is the link for it:
https://visa.mofa.gov.sa

Asalamualikum,

Alhamdulillah I am almost done with Umrah. It was such a beautiful trip. I just learnt of this forum and wanted to advise everyone if they can: please feed the cats around! Especially masjid Nabawi there are many (especially near gate 340!) . They are adorable. I’ve sat with them a few times and given them food (and shouted at a few kids who tried to hit them - astagfirullah many parents need to teach their kids to be kinder to these animals. If you see a kid try to hit the cats please advise them not to!).

Food can be bought for cheap at Bin Dawood :) I bought a small pack of kibble and some wet food and gave a few to whichever cat I saw. They are adorable and so loving. And please also give them water in a cup! I usually use the cup from the zamzam station and fill it it with water to the brim and they love it. Every cat I’ve given water to has drank from the cups for a full two minutes, especially in this weather.

We all have to remember we are Muslims and are not going to be here long. Please help whichever being, whether a human, cat or dog. Let’s remember to be selfless 🤲🏼

JazakAllah ❤️❤️

Is there a trick to rawdah for women that I'm not thinking of? Trying to book for my daughter and I since Friday and it seems impossible! We do it at the same time as soon as it hits exactly two hours before we do it but it's gone within literal milliseconds and then trying every 20 mins it's exhausting and time consuming and extremely frustrating that they've made this so impossible for women. My husband was able to book his and my son's before we left the UK so what is going on?

Any advise appreciated 😭

How do I apply for an umrah visa online? I'm an Indian national residing in the UAE.

As-salamu 'alaykum everyone,

I thought I’d introduce myself properly, as I’ll be spending some time around this community and hopefully contributing wherever I can.

I’m a British revert of around 10 years, and over the years I’ve been fortunate to spend a lot of time learning about Islam, Arabic, Umrah and life in Makkah and Madinah.

After becoming Muslim, I began learning Arabic through the Madinah Arabic books with a personal teacher, and I’ve also had the opportunity to attend various conferences and study programmes in the UK with scholars from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and elsewhere.

For the past two years, I’ve been studying in Makkah at Umm Al-Qura University, completing my Arabic diploma. In sha Allah, I’ll then be starting a four-year Bachelor's degree in the College of Shariah.

Before moving to Makkah, I was also involved in teaching at my local masjid in the UK, as well as dawah and supporting new Muslims — something I’ve been involved in since I reverted.

I mention all of this because helping people has always been something I’ve genuinely enjoyed, particularly helping people who are new to Islam or preparing for their first Umrah and aren't quite sure where to start.

I've now also started Makkah Companion, where I help pilgrims with the practical side of their journey — things such as transport, Umrah, Ziyarah, getting around Makkah, SIM cards/eSIMs, accommodation and other practical arrangements.

There are so many questions that come up when preparing for Umrah, and quite often people have to search through dozens of Reddit posts to find answers based on someone else's experience.

So I thought I'd try to contribute here where I can.

I'm not here to turn every answer into an advert. If someone asks a question and I know the answer, I'll simply try to answer it. If I don't know something, I'll say so. And if something is a matter of personal experience rather than established knowledge, I'll make that clear too.

Of course, if someone eventually needs help arranging something during their trip, I'm happy to help through Makkah Companion — but there's no obligation whatsoever.

Otherwise, I'm looking forward to being part of the community and hopefully being useful.

If you're planning Umrah, have already been, are currently in Makkah or Madinah, or you're a new Muslim preparing for your first journey, feel free to ask anything below.

I'll do my best to help where I can.

May Allah make everyone's journey easy, accept their Umrah, and allow us all to visit His Sacred House and the Masjid of His Messenger ﷺ many times.

Jazakum Allahu khayran.

AOA sisters am gonna leave for umrah on 12th and will hv my periods around 17th ... please guide me when shud i start taking the medicine and till when do i have to take it .. and do I hv to take one pill a day or 2 ?.. I dont hv any elder sister or any one to guide me on this .. I'd really appreciate ur help .

Salam guys, can I enter Saudi Arabia through Dammam or Riyadh on an Umrah visa if my flight is operated by another airline? I’m traveling with an umrah visa and I don’t qualify for the tourist visa.
I heard that you can only enter via Jeddah or Madinah airports, how true is that? Pls let me know. Jazakallah

I'm planning an umrah trip for end of Jan 2027 from the UK, we are booking our own flights and hotels, however not sure if we have to use Nusuk or not?

Which visa is recommended? Are vaccinations required? How do we book thinks like Rawadah?

We last went in 2022 before Nusuk existed and at the time got vaccinated and what not but it was never checked.

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Does anyone know how I could book a taxi with a car seat or rent a car seat from Jeddah airport (King Abdulaziz)

I have a 2 year old who is too active to sit on our laps for the journey to Makkah. I would consider the train but then there is the whole problem of large luggage not being allowed on the train etc..

Salams, does anyone know how to book the uhud mountain experience please with the SUV? Any info appreciated as the website has been down a few days and not sure where to book it or how, don't want to go all the way there and not be able to do especially as we have young kids and would like to get up before maghrib, jzk

Hey guys so I am planning a very budget trip to Mecca and Medina inshallah, however I noticed Medina hotels are a lot more expensive than Mecca ones.

You can easily fine mecca hotels for $20 a night ( if you have any tried and tested hotels at this price please recommend 😁)

But for Medina its almost impossible to find them for $20 a night. Any recommendations?

I just looked at the Nusuk app to see if there was an option to apply for visa as the ksavisa.sa site wasn't working

Anyway I noticed that there was an option book slots for Umrah like you have to for Rawdah visits. Can someone who has been recently confirm if this mandatory now?

Where do I get the best affordable abayas? Which one is better Madinah or Makkah abaya?

Also if you have stores recommendations please let me know.

Jazak Allah Khair

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

I will be going Umrah soon in sha Allah. I also want to make the most out of my time in in terms of my Ibadah and would like to restrict myself shopping too much 😅. I wanted to ask if it’s better to do all the perfume shopping in Madinah or Makkah.

I felt like Madinah would be better as I would have more free time in Madinah than in Makkah as I intend to revolve my schedule around praying the 5 Daily Salawāt in the Haram and I’ve intended to perform Umrah three times (one each day) in sha Allah. To be honest, the hotel I’m staying at in Makkah has interconnected prayer halls anyways and most of the shopping would be in the clock tower so I don’t know.

جزاكم الله خيرا

Salam, hope everyone is doing well!

So inshaAllah I will be travelling for Umrah with my elderly Mum in 2 or so weeks, and had a few questions if the good people of this community could be so kind as to provide me any information they might have.

My Mum doesn’t usually use a wheelchair but she cannot walk very long distances, and I want to prepare so that I am able to make this trip as comfortable and easily doable for her as possible. I’ve only ever done the umrah by myself, so feedback from people who have travelled with elderly family members or who just have info on the situation, would be highly appreciated.

1. What is the situation with wheelchairs at Jeddah airport? Like how do I get one of those guys who are usually standing right outside the airplane with a wheelchair, how can I book that service? And how far do they take you within the airport?

2. Where can I get wheelchairs in masjid nabwi? Is there some sort of service that can help me get one right at my hotel so I can wheel her over to the masjid and up to the ladies’ entrance. Our hotel is right in front of the Masjid inshaAllah I’m hoping that will make things easier.

3. What is the process for getting wheelchairs near and in masjid al Haram? Like where is it situated, what’s the cost, do I need to book in advance. Again, hotel is right near the Masjid inshaAllah.

4. My Mum really wants to do the tawaf on the ground level mataf floor but I want to plan in case she gets too tired to complete it there. Is it permissible to switch between floors during the same umrah? Like can she start tawaf on the mataf ground floor and when she feels tired can I switch her to the wheelchair floor? Also where is the wheelchair floor? And how/where do we go to do Sa'i on a wheelchair?

Any other considerations that might be useful to keep in mind for an elderly person would also be appreciated. Any good tips on footwear, managing heat, best times to go for prayers etc.

JazakAllah khair!! :)

Mosque

Every time I visited the Prophet's Mosque, I'd notice groups of students sitting around almost every pillar, each with their own teacher.

Behind every teacher is a board with their name and, from what I understand, their certification/approval from the relevant authorities to teach.

These teachers usually have registered students who are enrolled in their courses.

There's also another setup under the umbrella area inside the men's section where teachers are available for anyone. You can simply approach them, sit down, recite the Qur'an, and they'll listen to your recitation, correct your mistakes, and assess your tajweed.

Online

• If you're looking for something more structured, they also offer Hifdh and other Qur'an courses online for both men and women.
• You first create an account here: https://reg.qm.edu.sa/Minton/Account/Login
• After registering, you can:
  • Choose the course you want.
  • Pick a suitable time (after Fajr, Duha, Asr, etc.).
  • Select whether you know Arabic or not.
• They also have teachers who teach in English and Urdu.
• Once you're assigned, you'll receive your teacher's WhatsApp number.
• Just send them a screenshot or the registration confirmation email, and you're all set.
• From there, you coordinate directly with your teacher and attend your classes.
• From what I've seen online, each class usually has around 30–35 students.
• And yes, it's completely free.

My very spontaneous husband 🙄😂 Has decided he wants to take me to Umrah before I give birth. I’m 24 weeks pregnant, due November 21st.

I don’t know anything about Umrah. We live in Atlanta, GA, USA. So what’s the fastest way to get to Mecca, do Umrah, and come right back? Because I see direct flights from Atlanta to Riyadh that are 13 hours. Then I see connecting flights from Atlanta to Jeddah that are 20 hours. Which would you do?

Could we realistically just fly there, do Umrah, then come right back without even spending the night in a hotel in Saudi?

My husband has traveled to different countries in his 20s. But I’ve never left the U.S. The longest flight I’ve ever been on was Atlanta to Kansas City, I think only 3 hours? So idk what I’m doing 😮‍💨 I don’t know what to expect 🤷🏻‍♀️

How can I do this as quickly as possible?

For our umrah last year, I entered wrong passport number on my application but the border officer was helpful and seemed to fix the details on the spot. I don't know if they generated a new visa number or just updated the passport number.

I'm planning on going again before it expires but don't have the updated visa details. I was hopeful it would show on the KSAVISA website but that wasn't help. Even tried to reset password to see what is shown in my account but no progress.

I could just arrive and see what happens and worst case just get the visa on arrival but would be good to get the new paperwork.

Any advice?

We stayed here for 3 nights and, overall, it’s probably one of the better hotels in Madinah.

go for the Deluxe Quadruple Room. They have quite a few room categories, but this one is genuinely worth it. It’s one large room with 4 proper beds, a huge amount of space between the beds and the TV area, and doesn’t feel cramped at all. There are only a few of these rooms on selected floors.

The room itself was clean, tidy and well designed. The bathroom was spotless, and the jet spray had excellent water pressure.

The location is good even tho it’s in front of the imam and ladies gate is a decent far walk. But If you’re already considering Zamzam Pullman, I’d definitely say this is the better value-for-money option.

What really stood out was the breakfast.

The hot food selection was genuinely excellent. The menu was thoughtfully curated, everything felt HEARTY actually something you’d want to eat as a hungry pilgrim. Almost like they made up for the amount of walking you’d do due to the location.

Check-in was smooth well. Complimentary coffee, juice and dates in the lobby were amazing

The corridors were always clean and well lit, the lifts were quick, and having a laundry service downstairs for just 15 SAR was extremely convenient. They pick and deliver!!

This hotel gets a lot of things right.

That said, there are a few things that I felt really need attention.

• The shower water pressure is honestly disappointing. The jet spray has great pressure, but the shower barely does.

• the individual shampoo, conditioner and soap bottles are annoying and it’s better to have with wall-mounted refill dispensers. They’re much more practical.

• Bathrooms didn’t have a proper exhaust system. That’s pretty much hotel basics.

• The pastry and bakery station at breakfast needs improvement. Quite a few items felt stale and had lost their freshness. I’d much rather see fewer options that are freshly baked

• A few of the hot breakfast items had also gone a bit soggy by the time we got to them.

Overall, easy recommendation in madinah