Bound for Mecca, these pilgrims rode from Spain on horses
More than 1.5 million people travelled to Saudi Arabia this year for the haj. Only three of them rode on horseback all the way from Spain, recreating the pilgrimage of Andalusian Muslims centuries ago and sharing their travels in the most modern way with big followings on social media.
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In Bosnia, they lost days looking for borrowed horses that broke free after a scare and ended up wandering into a minefield. In France, the horses panicked in a tunnel filled with mud, and one nearly drowned before one pilgrim, on foot and chest-deep in the muck, helped pull the animal out. "We were really scared... There were too many horses jumping," said Abdelkader Harkassi Aidi, one rider.
'Hajj on Horseback', as they called the project, took four years of preparation and about seven months of travel over 4,000 miles across about a dozen countries with sometimes treacherous terrain.
The journey was, in a sense, a test of their faith in God, humanity and the internet. The project drew over 345,000 followers on Instagram and over 250,000 on TikTok. Some of their posts - on camping, making meals, hosing down horses, and running into obstacles that added many miles to the trip - have been viewed over 550,000 times.
It was not always clear the group would make it, but their fans helped with supplies and assistance on ground, and with offers of aid, like donations and a logo revamp.
The pilgrims, Harkassi, Abdallah Rafael Hernandez Mancha and Tarek Rodriguez, are Spanish Muslims. The seed of their project began germinating some 35 years ago when Hernandez converted to Islam and pledged to someday make the haj - and to do it on horseback.
About six years ago, Harkassi and Hernandez met on a project when he revealed his dream and the latter immediately agreed to help him. They then made extended practice rides, building endurance and fostering the camaraderie that got them through the journey.
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Rodriguez joined them later.
The trio set out from Spain last Oct with about $1,700 each. They ran out of funds early in the journey, but before they left, they began soliciting donations, including on a crowdfunding site where they raised about $56,000 for supplies, horse feeding, care and logistics.
In a post upon their arrival, the group said they were grateful for the "extraordinary" journey that brought them to Mecca. For the riders, the lowest point came in Italy, when they had very little money, they were cold, and the roads were busy and difficult. From there they travelled through Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Syria and Jordan to Saudi Arabia. They grew tense approaching each border, never sure what the rules would be for their unusual form of transport.
Still, Harkassi said, his favourite parts often came right after clearing those hurdles, once they entered a country and were greeted enthusiastically. They hope to make a documentary about their journey.
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