Iraq - The Hajj Pilgrimage Routes: The Darb Zubaydah (Iraq)

The yearly Islamic pilgrimage (hajj) to the Holy city of Makkah is one of the five pillars of Islam and one of the most important and most ancient religious pilgrimages in the world. Until today, millions of Muslim pilgrims visit Makkah every year to accomplish this religious duty. For centuries, every year, Muslim pilgrims undertook long distance journeys by well-established routes to reach the Holy City of Makkah. Some of the major routes crossed the Arabian Desert and followed traditional routes. Pilgrimage routes were not only religious axes but also commercial routes favouring movement across the ancient world, and the cultural and commercial exchanges with continuity over a long period of time. The hajj land routes leading to Makkah from the neighbouring countries materialize on the land of Arabia this centuries-old and deeply rooted cultural and religious tradition and constitute one of the most important material vestiges of the Islamic civilization in Saudi Arabia.