Madinah Makkah

Ihram cloth, brass cup, prayer beads and an open journal on a wooden table against deep green.

A guide for first-time pilgrims

Umrah and Hajj, explained in the order you will need them.

Madinah Makkah walks you through preparation, the rites of Umrah, and your first visits to the two mosques. Umrah and Hajj packages are on their own pages.

The Kaaba in the courtyard of Masjid al-Haram
Masjid al-Haram, Makkah.
The Prophet's Mosque in Madinah, green dome and minaret
The Prophet’s Mosque. A visit here is worship. It is not itself a rite of Umrah.

How to use this site

Read it before you travel. Follow it on the day.

Most people prepare for Umrah with advice from every direction: family, videos, and group chats. Some of it is sound. Some of it is out of date. This site is the quiet version. Short pages, plain words, and one order.

Read the guides at home, more than once, with the people travelling with you. On the day, you only need the main steps, the talbiyah, and a few duas you already know. You can make dua in your own language.

Where schools of law differ, this site does not choose for you. Ask the scholar with your group. Entry rules are set by the Saudi authorities and can change. Confirm them on the official sites before you travel.

A path you can keep

Six reads, in the order of the journey.

Do them in sequence. Each one is short. Stop when you are tired and come back to the next.

  1. 01
    What this site is

    What you will find here: the rites, the first visits, and practical care for the two cities.
  2. 02
    How to start Umrah

    What to settle before ihram: permission to enter, the Nusuk permit, and the miqat for your route. No airport is a miqat.
  3. 03
    How to perform Umrah, step by step

    Ihram, the talbiyah, tawaf, two rak’ahs, sa’i between Safa and Marwah, then shaving or shortening the hair.
  4. 04
    Your first time in Masjid al-Haram

    Wudu, shoes, the door you entered by, and how to stand still for the Kaaba without blocking anyone.
  5. 05
    Your first time in the Prophet’s Mosque

    How to enter and how to behave. A visit here is not itself a rite of Umrah or Hajj.
  6. 06
    Everyday care in Madinah

    Heat, water, shoes, belongings, and patience with the people around you.

At a glance

The four acts of Umrah, in order.

A map for the day. The full steps are in the guide. Where a detail differs by school, ask the scholar with your group.

Folded white ihram cloths, sandals, and a cup of water
  1. Folded white unstitched cloth beside simple leather sandals on a rustic wooden table1IhramEnter the state before the miqat. Men wear two plain unstitched cloths; women wear their usual modest clothes.
  2. Wooden prayer beads laid in a circle on white marble with concentric circular inlay2TawafSeven circuits around the Kaaba, then two rak’ahs.
  3. A long pale marble path stretching between two low rocky rises under a golden sky3Sa’iSeven walks between Safa and Marwah.
  4. Brass scissors and a wooden comb resting on soft cream linen4The hairMen shave or shorten. Women shorten a fingertip. Then ihram ends.

Open the step-by-step guide

Also on the site

Hajj, and the places the rites are tied to.

Hajj is not a longer Umrah. It has its own days and places. A visa that allows Umrah does not allow Hajj.

A leather travel journal, a brass compass and folded white cloth on a wooden table
Hajj overviewWhat Hajj is, and how it differs from Umrah.
 Rolling desert hills at dawn with a distant field of small pale tents
Sacred sitesThe places in Makkah and Madinah you will hear named in the guides.
 Small grey pebbles spilling from a cloth pouch beside a brass water cup
The rites, as a single pageThe same Umrah sequence, kept together for the day you perform it.
 An open book and a lantern by a window
All guidesEvery published note, newest first.

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A leather travel bag, a plain green folder and wooden prayer beads on a wooden table

Umrah & Hajj Packages

Planning the journey? Ask about a package.

See the Umrah and Hajj package pages, then send an enquiry and we will reply. Always check that any operator is licensed before you pay.

Send an enquiry Umrah packages Hajj packages

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A note before you rely on any page.

The acts of Umrah and Hajj are taught by the schools of Islamic law, and the schools sometimes differ on smaller points. These pages give the common practical steps. They do not give rulings.

Practical arrangements change. Check the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, Nusuk, and the official Saudi visa site for current entry rules.