84-Year-Old Moroccan Woman Fulfills Lifelong Dream of Hajj Pilgrimage to Mecca

"I am 84 years old and I have not had the opportunity before to perform the Hajj. Money was the only obstacle. But Allah has given my son a job, which has allowed him to gather the necessary money for the cost of the Hajj," Zahia told the Saudi media Sabq as she and her husband were about to board the flight to Saudi Arabia from Casablanca’s Mohammed V International Airport.

The octogenarian claims to be still in good health and able to undertake this important journey, which is one of the five pillars of Islam. "I’m only 25 years old!" she says jokingly. "Everything went well. The procedures for our entry into Saudi Arabia were completed in a few minutes," she added.

The Saudi Ministry of Interior relaunched the "Mecca Road" initiative in 2018, which offers pilgrims from several countries facilities, including the issuance of electronic visas at home, the finalization of passport procedures, and the labeling and sorting of luggage at the departure airports.

Once in Saudi Arabia, these pilgrims return to their residences in the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. Their luggage is delivered to their residence. This year, pilgrims from seven countries benefit from the initiative. These are Morocco, Malaysia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Turkey and Côte d’Ivoire.