In a year, a Kerala man walked almost 8,600 kilometres from his home state to reach the holy city of Mecca.
Shihab Chottur of Valancherry, Malappuram, traveled through India, Pakistan, Iran, and Kuwait on his way to a pilgrimage destination in Saudi Arabia.
On June 2, 2022, Chottur began his long journey to Saudi Arabia to complete Haj. He landed in Mecca this month after crossing the Saudi border from Kuwait in the second week of May.
When Chottur first arrived in Saudi Arabia, he went to Medina, an important Islamic pilgrimage site, and after 21 days there, he left for Mecca.
Chottur, who completed the 440-kilometer journey from Medina to Mecca in nine days, will undertake the Haj after his mother, Zainaba, arrives in the city from Kerala.
The Kerala guy, who runs his own YouTube channel, has kept his followers up to date on his voyage.
Chottur has one more challenge to overcome before arriving at his destination. His voyage went easily once he began his Haj journey, but he had to wait briefly at the Wagah border, via which he wished to enter Pakistan.
Also read: Saudi Arabia: Mecca to instil robots for recitation and sermon in Masjid Al-Haram
He was detained on the spot by Pakistani immigration officials after the Lahore High Court refused to grant him a visa. He had to stay at a school in Wagah for months in order to secure a transit visa.
The judgment, however, was later challenged at the Supreme Court. Shihab eventually obtained a transit visa and entered Pakistan in February 2023.
Shihab Chottur arrived at his Haj pilgrimage destination four months later.
How a Kerala man walked over 8,600 Km to reach Mecca, watch his complete vlog here:
Mecca, in a desert valley in western Saudi Arabia, is Islam’s holiest city, as it’s the birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad and the faith itself. Only Muslims are allowed in the city, with millions arriving for the annual Hajj (pilgrimage). Dating from the 7th century, the central Masjid al-Haram (Sacred Mosque) surrounds the Kaaba, the cloth-covered cubic structure that’s Islam’s most sacred shrine.
