Sneaking a Camera into Mecca to Film Hajj: The World's Largest Pilgrimage with Suroosh Alvi

Summary

El documental narra la experiencia personal de Suroosh Alvi y su familia durante su primer Hajj, la mayor peregrinación anual musulmana en La Meca. Desde su preparación en Medina hasta los rituales religiosos en La Meca, el relato abarca momentos íntimos, como la oración en el avión y las vueltas alrededor de la Kaaba. Además, describe los desafíos logísticos que enfrenta el gobierno saudí para acomodar a millones de peregrinos, revelando tanto la majestuosidad como las dificultades de esta experiencia espiritual única.

Takeaways

• 🕋 El Hajj es la peregrinación más grande del mundo y es un mandato para todos los musulmanes realizarla al menos una vez en su vida.
• ✈️ La familia del narrador es originaria de Lahore, Pakistán, y fue su primera vez haciendo el Hajj, junto con él.
• 📹 No tenía planeado hacer un documental, pero llevó una pequeña cámara de mano y grabó desde una perspectiva personal.
• 🏙️ Medina, antes un oasis para caravanas del desierto, es ahora una ciudad moderna con mezquitas impresionantes como la Mezquita del Profeta, la segunda más sagrada del Islam.
• 👗 El estado de Irham implica vestirse con una prenda blanca simple para igualar a todos los peregrinos, independientemente de su estatus social.
• 🕋 La Kaaba, el sitio más sagrado del Islam, está en la Gran Mezquita de La Meca, y los peregrinos realizan el Tawaf, dando siete vueltas alrededor de ella.
• ⛰️ Los peregrinos pasan un día en oración y reflexión en el Monte Arafat, donde el Profeta dio su último sermón.
• 🪨 Parte del ritual incluye apedrear simbólicamente a Satanás, lo que se hace arrojando piedras a pilares que lo representan.
• 🎉 El Eid marca el final del Hajj, momento en que se sacrifica un animal y se afeitan la cabeza para concluir la peregrinación.
• 🚶‍♂️ Aunque el Hajj es una experiencia profundamente espiritual, también conlleva desafíos logísticos enormes debido a la cantidad de personas presentes, creando un ambiente caótico y, a veces, apocalíptico.

Q & A

¿Qué es el Hajj y por qué es importante para los musulmanes?

El Hajj es la peregrinación más grande del mundo que se realiza en La Meca, Arabia Saudita, y es un requisito religioso que los musulmanes deben cumplir al menos una vez en la vida.

¿Cuántos peregrinos asistieron al Hajj según estimaciones oficiales?

El gobierno saudí estimó que más de 3 millones de peregrinos asistieron al Hajj, aunque el número no oficial es mucho mayor.

¿De dónde son los padres del narrador y qué motivó su viaje al Hajj?

Los padres del narrador son de Lahore, Pakistán, y decidieron que era momento de realizar el Hajj por primera vez, lo que motivó al narrador a acompañarlos.

¿Qué tipo de preparación mental realizan los peregrinos en Medina antes de dirigirse a La Meca?

En Medina, los peregrinos pasan seis días visitando la mezquita del Profeta y orando cinco veces al día para alcanzar un estado meditativo.

¿Qué significa el estado de 'Irham' y cómo se preparan los peregrinos para él?

El estado de 'Irham' implica purificación y el uso de un manto blanco sin costuras hecho de tela de rizo, simbolizando la igualdad entre todos los peregrinos.

¿Qué es el Tawaf y cómo lo describe el narrador?

El Tawaf es un ritual donde los peregrinos caminan siete veces en sentido contrario a las agujas del reloj alrededor de la Kaaba, y el narrador lo describe como una experiencia intensa, similar a un mosh pit.

¿Qué cambios ha hecho el gobierno saudí en la zona de Mina para mejorar la seguridad?

El gobierno saudí ha construido rampas amplias para evitar estampidas, sustituyendo las antiguas columnas donde los peregrinos apedrean a Satanás.

¿Qué desafíos logísticos enfrenta el gobierno saudí durante el Hajj?

El gobierno saudí enfrenta el desafío de gestionar a millones de personas en un espacio limitado, proporcionando alojamiento, comida y baños para todos los peregrinos.

¿Cómo describe el narrador el contraste entre los ricos y los pobres en La Meca durante el Hajj?

El narrador nota que los musulmanes más ricos se hospedan en lujosos hoteles de cinco estrellas, mientras que los más pobres acampan al costado de las carreteras.

¿Qué sentimientos experimentó el narrador durante su Hajj?

El narrador sintió que, aunque estaba rodeado de millones de personas y su familia, la experiencia fue profundamente personal y lo hizo sentir solo en su propia búsqueda espiritual.

Outlines

00:00

🕋 Hajj: La mayor peregrinación del mundo

Suroosh Alvi introduce el Hajj como la peregrinación más grande del mundo, un evento que millones de musulmanes deben realizar al menos una vez en la vida. Comparte que viajó con sus padres desde Lahore, Pakistán, para ayudarlos en su primer Hajj, y decidió documentar la experiencia con una cámara pequeña. A pesar de las restricciones para filmar en lugares sagrados, logró capturar algunas imágenes clandestinas. Describe su llegada a Medina, una ciudad histórica y lugar de descanso para antiguos viajeros. Visitan la Mezquita del Profeta, el segundo sitio más sagrado en el Islam, donde se preparan espiritualmente antes de volar a La Meca.

05:01

📿 Ritual del Tawaf: Caminando alrededor de la Kaaba

Al llegar a La Meca, Alvi describe la magnitud del Masjid al-Haram, la mezquita más sagrada del Islam, capaz de albergar millones de personas. Detalla el Tawaf, un ritual donde los peregrinos caminan siete veces alrededor de la Kaaba, comparándolo con un mosh pit lleno de personas de todas las edades. Mientras completan el ritual, Alvi se siente abrumado por el contraste entre la atmósfera espiritual y la presencia de lujosos hoteles para los ricos. Los peregrinos deben cumplir con otros rituales, como el Sa'i, un recorrido entre dos colinas, y un día de contemplación en el Monte Arafat.

10:02

👹 Apedrear a Satanás: El ritual simbólico

Al llegar al Valle de Mina, Alvi y los demás peregrinos participan en el ritual de apedrear a Satanás, lanzando piedras a tres pilares que representan al diablo. Explica cómo el gobierno saudí transformó el sitio para evitar estampidas mortales, lo que le da a Satanás un aspecto surrealista. Los peregrinos deben repetir algunos rituales, como las vueltas a la Kaaba, y finalmente celebran el Eid, que marca el fin de la peregrinación. Este día incluye la matanza simbólica de un animal y el rapado de la cabeza, un acto que culmina con miles de peregrinos calvos que han completado su Hajj.

🏙️ Los desafíos logísticos del Hajj

Alvi describe los enormes desafíos logísticos que enfrenta el gobierno saudí para gestionar a millones de peregrinos. A pesar de los esfuerzos por crear una infraestructura adecuada, el Hajj puede resultar caótico. A lo largo del viaje, Alvi nota la desigualdad entre los peregrinos ricos y pobres, algunos de los cuales deben acampar en las calles. Para él, el Hajj es una experiencia transformadora donde, a pesar de estar rodeado de millones de personas, siente que está en una búsqueda personal profunda, completamente desconectado de su vida cotidiana en Nueva York.

Keywords

💡Hajj

El Hajj es la mayor peregrinación anual del mundo que ocurre en La Meca, Arabia Saudita, y es una obligación religiosa para los musulmanes que deben cumplir al menos una vez en la vida. En el video, se destaca que el Hajj es una experiencia espiritual transformadora que une a millones de personas de diferentes clases sociales en un viaje común de fe y humildad.

💡Irham

El estado de Irham es una condición espiritual y física que los peregrinos deben alcanzar antes de participar en el Hajj. Se refiere tanto a las vestimentas simples que llevan, hechas de tela sin costuras, como a las restricciones que deben seguir, como no cortarse las uñas ni tener relaciones sexuales. En el video, se describe cómo los peregrinos entran en este estado como una renuncia a sus vidas cotidianas para estar en igualdad durante el Hajj.

💡La Meca

La Meca es la ciudad más sagrada del Islam y el destino final de los peregrinos durante el Hajj. En el video, se explica cómo la ciudad se transforma completamente durante el Hajj, con millones de personas de todo el mundo llegando para participar en los rituales, lo que convierte a La Meca en un punto de unión espiritual masivo.

💡Tawaf

El Tawaf es uno de los rituales fundamentales del Hajj, que consiste en caminar siete veces en sentido contrario a las agujas del reloj alrededor de la Kaaba, el edificio sagrado en el centro de la Gran Mezquita en La Meca. En el video, se compara esta experiencia con estar en un 'mosh pit', con la multitud apretada tratando de cumplir con este importante acto de devoción.

💡Kaaba

La Kaaba es un cubo negro ubicado en el centro de la Gran Mezquita en La Meca, y es el lugar hacia el cual todos los musulmanes del mundo se dirigen en oración. Según el video, es un lugar de gran reverencia, y caminar alrededor de la Kaaba es una experiencia intensa y espiritual para los peregrinos.

💡Monte Arafat

El Monte Arafat es el lugar donde el Profeta Muhammad pronunció su último sermón, y es un punto clave en el Hajj. Los peregrinos pasan un día en oración y contemplación, pidiendo perdón por sus pecados. En el video, el narrador describe cómo la montaña estaba llena de gente y parecía un 'pico cubierto de nieve', destacando la importancia de este lugar en el viaje espiritual.

💡Peregrinos

Los peregrinos son las personas que realizan el Hajj, provenientes de todo el mundo y de diferentes niveles socioeconómicos. En el video, se menciona cómo, durante el Hajj, todos los peregrinos están en el mismo nivel, sin distinciones de clase, y cómo esta experiencia igualitaria es única.

💡Gran Mezquita

La Gran Mezquita, o Masjid al-Haram, es la mezquita más grande y sagrada del Islam, ubicada en La Meca. Puede albergar a millones de personas y es el centro de la peregrinación. El video describe la inmensidad de la mezquita y cómo es el punto de enfoque para los peregrinos cuando realizan sus rituales.

💡Satanás

El 'apedreamiento de Satanás' es un ritual en el que los peregrinos lanzan piedras a tres pilares que representan al diablo. En el video, se describe cómo estos pilares fueron modernizados por el gobierno saudí debido a los peligros que representaban, y cómo esta parte del Hajj es simbólica en la lucha contra las tentaciones.

💡Ministerio del Hajj

El Ministerio del Hajj es la entidad gubernamental saudita encargada de la logística y organización de la peregrinación. En el video, se menciona cómo la gestión de millones de peregrinos cada año es un desafío monumental, lo que ha llevado a grandes inversiones en infraestructura para evitar desastres y facilitar la experiencia de los peregrinos.

Highlights

Hajj is the largest annual pilgrimage in the world, with an estimated 3 million pilgrims attending, though unofficial numbers are much higher.

The pilgrimage to Mecca is a spiritual journey that every Muslim is required to undertake once in their lifetime.

The state of Irham is a spiritual preparation for Hajj, marked by wearing a simple white garment that signifies equality among all pilgrims, regardless of status.

Before entering Mecca, pilgrims undergo cleansing rituals and prayers, entering a state of spiritual purity and dedication.

The Tawaf is the ritual of walking seven counterclockwise laps around the Kabeh, a focal point for Muslims around the world during prayer.

The Grand Mosque in Mecca is the largest gathering place during Hajj, holding upwards of four million people at any given time.

Hajj is a highly structured event, with pilgrims following a strict timeline to complete the necessary rituals within five days.

The Sa'i ritual involves walking and running between two hills, commemorating Hagar's search for water in the desert.

Mount Arafat is the site where Prophet Muhammad delivered his last sermon, and pilgrims spend the day there in prayer and asking for forgiveness.

One of the more intense rituals is the stoning of Satan, where pilgrims throw stones at pillars representing the devil.

Hajj concludes with Eid, a major celebration marking the end of the pilgrimage, where pilgrims shave their heads and sacrifice an animal.

The Saudi government has invested heavily in Hajj infrastructure, including complex crowd control measures and a Ministry of Hajj to manage the logistics.

Despite these efforts, the sheer number of people during Hajj, coupled with basic human needs, can create a feeling of chaos, particularly for poorer pilgrims.

For many, the Hajj is a deeply personal experience, even though it involves millions of people; the speaker describes feeling alone in a crowd.

Returning to everyday life after the pilgrimage can be jarring, as it represents a return to mundane concerns after a profound spiritual journey.

Transcripts

SUROOSH ALVI: And this is about as quiet as it gets.

Hajj is the largest annual pilgrimage in the world.

It happens in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

And for Muslims, it's a requirement that you have to

do once in your lifetime.

The Saudi government estimated that last year there were over

3 million pilgrims who attended, but the unofficial

number is much higher.

My parents are originally from Lahore, Pakistan.

They're practicing Muslims, and last year they decided it

was time for them to perform Hajj.

So I went with them to help them with their journey, but

also for myself as well.

It was the first time for all of us.

And I didn't go thinking I was going to make a VBS

documentary.

I just took the smallest handicam we had the office and

literally shot from the hip.

You're not allowed to shoot in most of the holy places.

So this is the footage I managed to sneak out.

We flew on Saudi Arabian airlines.

It was about a 10 hour flight from JFK to Medina, where we

spent 6 days getting mentally prepared for the Hajj that we

were about to embark on.

In pre-Islamic times, Medina was a place where the

travelers who were crossing the desert in camel caravans

would come to rest.

It was kind of like a desert oasis.

In modern times it's kind of the same thing, but there are

less camels and more shopping malls and hotels.

There's also stunning mosque there called the Prophet's

Mosque, which is the second-holiest site in Islam.

When you're there, you basically just go to the

mosque five times a day, for six days straight, to get into

a meditative state.

The mosque is huge.

It holds almost 700,000 people.

And when we were there for the Friday prayer, it

was pretty much full.

Flying to Mecca from Medina was really interesting.

Before we went to the airport, we cleansed ourselves in a

very specific way.

And then we had to put on a white seamless garment made

our of terrycloth that all the pilgrims have to wear.

And it's a renunciation of the life that you come from and is

supposed to put everyone on the same level.

There is no upper class or lower class.

Everyone's the same.

It's just you and the sheet, and that's it.

[PRAYING]

This is called getting into a state of Irham.

Besides the clothes, there are a lot of other rules.

You can't smoke.

You can't have sex.

You can't shave.

You can't cut your nails, and there are a

bunch of other no-no's.

So we got this charter, just for the pilgrims, and 10

minutes after the plane took off from Medina, the captain

announced that we'd flown over a designation, and we were in

the zone near Mecca.

And we all had to start saying a prayer.

And our group guide got onto the loudspeaker system of the

airplane and started yelling the prayer.

Everyone started chanting it.

And I had a moment where I looked around and saw all of

these men and women in their white robes, the men with

their beards, and just thought, if someone from the

West could see us right now, they would think we were a

bunch of fanatical Jihadis on some kind of an insane

mission, when in reality, it was just pilgrims excited to

go on this spiritual quest.

I think what was most odd about this flight were the

flight attendants, who were all Filipino, wearing their

normal Saudi flight attendant outfits, looking like they

would rather have any other gig in the

world than this one.

We landed in Jeddah and took a bus into Mecca.

And that ride into the city was one of the wilder scenes

I've ever seen in my life.

There were all these pilgrims coming from all directions in

all kinds of vehicles.

And you see them riding on the tops of cars,

and vans, and buses.

I remember seeing a pilgrim jumping from the roof of one

bus to another.

Everybody's just trying to get to the city.

Mecca is not a very big city.

And during the year, it's a relatively mellow place,

except during the week of Hajj.

The city completely transforms and half the challenge of

completing your Hajj is getting all these rituals done

in a very strict timeline, dealing with the fact there

are about three million other people there who try to do the

exact same thing at the same time.

After we checked into our hotel in Mecca we walked

towards the Grand Mosque, which is also

known as Masjid Al-Haram.

It's the holiest place in Islam.

And it's a massive structure.

This Moscow can hold upwards of four million people with

its outdoor and indoor space, which, during Hajj, is

technically the largest gathering of people in the

world at any given time.

This mosque is what Muslims pray towards from

all over the world.

And as you're walking towards it, you feel the

anticipation build.

People have been waiting their whole lives to

come to this place.

And once you enter the mosque, then you see the Kabeh.

The Kabeh is a black box in the center

of the Grand Mosque.

And it was built around 2000 BC.

And people have been praying towards it since

before Islam started.

And when Prophet Muhammad finally showed up, he cleaned

up the place, got rid of all the idols that the pagans had

been worshipping, and reordained the building as the

House of God.

So in the Grand Mosque, we had to do our first ritual, which

is called the Tawaf, which is basically doing seven

counterclockwise laps around the Kabeh.

And it's kind of like being in a mosh pit with hundreds of

thousands of people, but instead of it being full of

angry young punk kids, we were up against aggressive

Bangladeshi grandmothers.

I had my parents on each arm interlocked, and we held each

other as we went around the structure seven times.

You're staring at the Kabeh.

It's a very intense and heavy vibe.

But the one thing that's a total bummer is you look up

and all you see are these massive, luxury five-star

hotels for the super-rich Muslims who want to pray from

the confines of their room.

After running around the Kabeh seven times you have to do a

bunch of other rituals in order to complete your Hajj.

You have five days to get it done.

And it's kind of like being on a scavenger hunt.

You have a checklist.

You have to be smart.

And you have to use strategy in order to make this happen

on schedule.

You have to do the Sa'i, which is walking and running back

and forth between two hills.

Back in the day he used to be outdoors and now it's been

turned into indoor structure with two

very, very long corridors.

You have to spend a day at Mount Arafat.

It's where the Prophet delivered

his last sermon from.

And you spend the day in prayer, and contemplation, and

beg for forgiveness for all of your sins.

It's a very important day, and, after spending the

majority of it in a tent, I walked out and went in the

direction of the mountain.

And I walked through this wild scene with people everywhere

camped out with their animals.

And as I got closer to mount Arafat, it was such an

incredible sight because it had been completely

transformed.

It looked like a snow-covered peak.

Our tour group operators, before we went on this trip,

gave us some guidelines.

And the last point on the sheet said, be patient.

Be very patient.

Be very, very patient.

I fully grasped the meaning of this when we had to take a

three-kilometer bus ride, and it ended up

taking eight hours.

It was the middle of the night, and we had to collect

stones, it was one of our rituals, in a place called

[INAUDIBLE].

And so we got off the bus.

We navigated our way around sleeping bodies all over the

ground, found the stones.

And then it was time to pray, and so we just threw the

prayer rugs down on the side of the

highway and hit the mats.

After picking up the stones, we got back on the bus and

drove to Mina.

The Valley of Mina is where the majority of

the pilgrims stay.

It's a tent city that fills up with, essentially, the

population of Seattle for a week and then, after Hajj

ends, it clears out again and goes away.

It's tents as far as the eye can see.

[SINGING IN PRAYER]

From [INAUDIBLE]

we arrived in Mina, and that's where we had to stone Satan.

That's the next ritual.

And this one was actually a lot of fun.

You had to throw 21 stones, seven at three separate

Satan-stoning stations.

And I finally got to see what Satan looks like.

Up until a couple years ago, Satan looked like three big

pillars sticking out of a large pit.

But the space wasn't big enough, and there was a

stampede and people died.

So the Saudi government, they built three ramps the size of

a multi-lane highway, and there were three pillars

inside of it that represent the devil.

They're lit in shades of green.

And there's a strange rumbling loud sound coming out of them.

And as my dad pointed out, the whole thing made Satan look

quite surreal.

Before we finished the Hajj, we had to repeat some of the

rituals that we'd already done.

So we had to revisit Satan, throw rocks at

him two more times.

We had to go back to back to Mecca from Mina and do another

seven counterclockwise laps.

And then it was time for Eid, which marks the official end

of Hajj, which is a big celebration.

It's the end of the state of Irham that we've been in.

And we slaughter an animal to celebrate it.

And then the last thing you do is you shave your head.

This is the line for the barber shop.

This is the line.

Soon, they will all be bald, all of these men.

The barber shops in Mecca have these massive

lines outside of them.

And you see hundreds of thousands of baldos walking

around town.

And those people have all succeeded in

completing their Hajj.

And they're called Hajjis.

Dealing with the Hajj every year is a huge logistical

challenge for the Saudi government--

to the point where they've actually set up

a Ministry of Hajj.

In the past, there have been incidents where pilgrims were

trampled, when ramps collapsed and pilgrims died, and the

Saudi government has invested billions of dollars to create

an infrastructure to make this work, with complex crowd

control techniques.

And what I saw when I went last year was something that

somehow manages to work.

But it kind of goes without saying that bringing 3 million

people into such a small place is going to bring up some

complications.

There's a bit of a dark side.

This many people in such a small place,

it really gets unwieldy.

And despite the Saudi government's best efforts to

deal with this profound logistical challenge, the

bottom line is that there are too many people.

And people need things.

They need places to sleep.

They need food.

The need toilets.

And the poor people who were there, you see them basically

camped out on the side of the road for days on end.

It really felt like Mecca was maxing out by the end of Hajj.

And the whole scene starts looking and feeling rather

apocalyptic.

No matter where all these people come from.

No matter what they do.

And no matter how rich or poor they might be, during this

pilgrimage to Mecca it felt like everyone

was just the same.

It was unlike any place I've ever been and unlike anything

I've ever experienced.

I was there standing amongst millions of people, I was

there with my family, but, on some level, I felt like I all

alone, on a personal trek.

And everyday life felt like it was hundreds of thousands of

miles away.

We flew back to New York.

We landed in the morning, and I went straight back to the

Vice offices, which may not have been

the wisests of ideas.

I felt like I'd been catapulted from one end of the

universe to the other.