5/6/2025
The pilgrimage remained from Africa to Makkah Al -Mukarramah Throughout the ages, a symbol of worship and sacrifice, as pilgrims faced grave challenges and risks on their way to the Holy Land.
Since the spread of Islam in the African continent centuries ago, the Hajj formed one of the most important religious rituals, and the caravans were roaming the vast continent, passing through wild and mountainous roads on a dangerous journey.
The legs of the man, and on the backs of animals, took long months in which the pilgrim could lose his life, and there are thousands of death and burial on the way before they prayed or on the way back.
Ancient African Hajj methods
One of the oldest ways that West African pilgrims took was the “Forty Path” that was going through the country of Hausa (north Nigeria And south Niger), Up to Red Sea Then to Mecca.
This road was taking a long time, and large convoys of pilgrims, most of them from West Africa and its center.
Just as this journey was long and arduous, it had an economic dimension, as these convoys were carrying African goods and products, making some points on the same road a popular economic market.
Today, despite the development of modern transportation, these wild roads are still present in the memory of pilgrims and writers, as in Sudanese literature that documented many poems about the African Hajj journey.
Road challenges and risks
The pilgrimage in the past was risky; From bandits, epidemics, and even predators.
The journey was very arduous, and the pilgrims were forced to withstand great physical and psychological difficulties, but some of them were launching his wife for fear that he would not return, so his sons remain without a breadwinner, and some of them may cut the ways, so he had to stay and search for work in some countries who take their ways and then continue the journey after a year or more.
Some of them were good for them, so they settled in many countries, forming a unique state of displacement, which is not motivated by seeking to improve the economic situation as it is customary, but imposed the circumstances of the trip to the Holy Land.
Some countries, such as Sudan, received waves of West African Hajjar such as Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Mali and Niger who settled in the country, whether before they arrived in Mecca or after their return from them, to start a new life and become part of the social fabric, but some of them remained in Saudi Arabia and preferred not to return to his country.
But this phenomenon may have completely disappeared to change the ways to reach the Hajj, the requirements of nationality, visa and other conditions.
Despite these challenges, the pilgrims remained determined to perform the obligatory prayer, which was documented by many scholars and poets, most notably the scholar Al -Shanqeeti, who recorded his journey in his book “The Journey of Hajj to the Sacred House of God”.
Modern African Hajj
In recent years, with the development of modern transportation, the pilgrimage patterns have changed significantly.
The flight has become easier and faster thanks to the planes that transport pilgrims directly to the Holy Land.
In this context, many African countries, such as Guinea, organized a professional and safe Hajj season.
The first Guinean pilgrims left Conakry Airport on May 11, 2025, heading to Mecca Hand.
According to the Director General of the Ministry of Religious Affairs in Guinea, all visas were issued, and preparations were completed for the launch of pilgrims.
The 2025 pilgrimage season distinguishes the support provided by the Guinean state to its citizens, as the government decided to partially support the costs of Hajj, including providing electronic bracelets that help track the health status of pilgrims.
This support reflects the state’s commitment to ensuring the safety and comfort of pilgrims, especially those who suffer from chronic diseases.
The pilgrims also accompany medical and administrative teams to ensure their safety throughout the Hajj period, and pilgrims are subject to training courses and simulations of how to perform the rituals to ensure a correct Hajj.
The ministries of Hajj and its bodies in many African countries are making early preparations in response to the conditions for transporting pilgrims in the Holy Land, in coordination with the authorities responsible for organizing this ritual in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in an effort to comfort the guests of Rahman.
Among the most prominent of these preparations is that the Department of Hajj delegations confirmed that its residence locations are determined, whether in Mecca or the city, as well as the means of transporting them between the rituals.
These arrangements are part of the Hajj requirements at a time when a global rise in the costs of Hajj, which makes the support of African countries an important step that enjoys a wide welcome from African citizens.
A new horizon for African Hajj
With the progress of transportation and the development of modern technologies, it has become a performance Hajj rituals The easiest and faster, but the ancient wild trips that African pilgrims fought remain an important part of Islamic history on the continent.
Although most pilgrims today rely on planes, some still yearn for the old pilgrimage routes that remind them of the history of the ancient Muslims in Africa.
The pilgrimage experience from Guinea for the 2025 season is a vivid example of how this spiritual journey develops, while continuing respect for the historical aspects and ancient traditions that the African continent maintains in its endeavor to perform this great duty.
Al -Hajj sees a lot of respect and appreciation when he returns to his home, and the title of “Haj” remains an integral part of his name throughout his life, and the door of the house is decorated with Quranic verses and religious supplications to be a witness to this social shift.
Thus, the pilgrimage from Africa remains a witness to faith that is not limited by distances, and a history that links generations on a trip to the Sacred House of God.