In a unique experience reminiscent of Moroccan travel stories to perform the rites of pilgrimage on camels or on foot, young Moroccan globe-trotter Ayad El Mouftahi made the long journey from Morocco to Mecca on a bicycle.
Armed with his parents’ prayers and a strong desire to fulfill his childhood dream of visiting the Holy Places of Islam, Ayad, 28, embarked on this adventure in August 2022 from the city of El Jadida, his hometown, to cycle through many countries like Mauritania, Senegal, Gabon, Guinea, Gabon, Ivory Coast, South Africa, Namibia and Egypt, enduring the rigors and difficulties of the road with eyes fixed on Mecca.
Met in front of Mount Arafat, he said: “I have dreamed of making the pilgrimage since my early childhood. After cycling trips in many countries, I decided to make this dream come true, like our ancestors who made the Haj on the back of camels.
The young Moroccan adventurer expresses the happiness he felt when arriving in the holy city of Mecca last Ramadan on his bicycle, dressed in Al Ihram attire.
“I was looking forward to this great moment from the first day of my trip,” he said, adding: “When I saw the holy Kaaba, I realized that my wish was about to be granted after all the difficulties I encountered during my journey.”
Talking about these difficulties, Ayad says he was faced with many challenges mainly linked to the nature of the terrain and the rough roads. The Moroccan traveler remembers traveling a distance of 350 km between Gabon and Congo-Brazzaville, on an unpaved road in the middle of the jungle.
He explains that it was his passion for adventure and the support and encouragement of people from all the countries he traveled through, including members of the Moroccan community, that eased the weight of these challenges.
Ayad wishes to convey several messages through this trip, including the deep attachment of Moroccans to the holy places of Islam and the generosity of Muslims across the different countries he visited, which recall the values of tolerance and understanding. of Islam, as well as the desire to raise the flag of Morocco and promote its culture during all stages of his long journey.
The other message that the young traveler wants to share with his fans on social networks: “We are generally used to staying in the comfort zone, but to develop, we must leave this zone and dare new adventures without any fear . So we can change our lives 360 degrees for the better.”
After the pilgrimage to Mecca, Ayad plans to continue his journey to Al-Quds Asharif still by bike, before heading to the European continent via several countries, including Hungary, France and Spain, before the big returned to Morocco, having traveled a total of 50,000 km by bike across 22 countries and three continents.
A feat that could allow the young globetrotter to appear in the Guinness Book of Records as the first Moroccan, Arab and African to travel this distance.
