In Mandala Tours we believe in dialogue and respect between religions, so we organize pilgrimage trips and cultural tours with special attention to the spiritual. Especially with respect to the three main monotheistic religions: Christianity, Judaism and, of course, Islam, which is the majority creed in the destinations of our catalog. So here we show you some of the places sacred to Islam, which you can get to know closely during your travels with us.
Some preliminary considerations
It should be noted that Muslim destinations usually limit visits to Islamic holy sites to believers. Therefore, with few exceptions, you can only access these places if you profess this religion. In any case, approaching them and learning more about their meaning, even from the outside, will be a most enriching experience.
On the other hand, we use the term holy places for Islam, although this is somewhat generic: let us remember that the holy cities are three (Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem) and that, in general, all mosques are considered holy because they serve as purification for their faithful. Therefore, we will use more specifically the term of places of great significance for Muslims, which are abundant in the countries in our catalog.
Mosques of great significance for Muslims
In our tours in Israel and Palestine, the Muslim part of Jerusalem usually has a great weight, as long as security restrictions allow it. Therefore, getting a close look at the Al-Aqsa Mosque will be exciting, considered the third holiest site for Islam because from here Mohammed ascended to heaven.
From the point of view of prestige and symbolism, there are other mosques of reference in the Muslim world. And two of them are in Cairo. The first, Al-Azhar, whose imam holds the title of Grand Imam and whose positions are always respected, largely because it is a center of knowledge, since it houses a great school and university, since the tenth century.
The second important mosque is that of Al-Hussein, in this case a place of pilgrimage for Shiite Muslims, as it is believed that here are the remains of Hussein ibn Ali, grandson of Muhammad and third imam of this minority branch of Islam. For this reason, it has a rich sanctuary inside.
We mention here another important mosque we can take you to: the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca, Morocco. It does not have the history and significance of the previous ones, far from it, as it was inaugurated in 1993. But its interest lies in having one of the highest minarets in the world and in being one of the few that allow entry to non-Muslims, making a visit a most educational experience.
As is well known, Judaism, Christianity and Islam share prophets. And one of the most important is Moses. Therefore, the places related to his life and his pilgrimage are also sacred to the three religions. In the Sinai Peninsula is Mount Sinai, called Jebel Musa by Muslims, was the place where he made contact with Allah and today is also a revered place.
And in Jordan, very close to Petra, there is Wadi Musa, with the spring where it is believed that Moses made the water gush after striking the rock with his staff, to then give a drink to his thirsty followers.
And if you want to know other sacred places…
…you just have to contact us. We offer tailor-made tours, many of them to Muslim countries in the Near and Middle East. For example, United Arab Emirates and Oman, but we also have reliable partners in other key Islamic destinations.
