Thair Abud completes historic walking pilgrimage from Austria to Makkah

May 27, 2015 - After 300 days, Thair Abud has finally completed his historic walking pilgrimage to the Holy City of Makkah in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia last May 17, 2015--capping off a journey that covered 12 countries and 12,000 kilometers in tribute to a Nithir (Offering) he made to help his sister’s brave fight against cancer. Arriving at Jeddah in the early hours of May 17, Thair trekked towards the main roads leading to Makkah and later checking in at the Anjum Hotel Makkah, which is owned and managed by the Abdul Latif Jameel Real Estate Investment Company. Upon his arrival, Thair was cheered on by people who have followed his journey from the start. During his stay at the Anjum Hotel Makkah, Thair was praised by Yousef Jameel, Chairman of the Abdul Latif Jameel Real Estate Investment Company, who lauded his efforts to fulfill his promise to his sister.

In his first day at the Holy City of Makkah, Thair performed his Umrah. He later met with senior officials of the hotel where he was given a special tour of the facilities.

Yousef Jameel, Chairman of Abdul Latif Jameel Real Estate Investment Company, said, “The completion of Thair’s journey demonstrates the strength of the human spirit and how you can achieve your goals by putting your mind and heart to it. We congratulate Thair on his arrival to the Holy City of Makkah and may this exceptional journey serve as an inspiration for all. We are also equally humbled that he has chosen to stay with us at Anjum Hotel Makkah on the completion of this pilgrimage—rest assured that we will provide him with world class services needed to help him relax from such a long and strenuous trip.”

Born to an Iraqi father and a German mother, Thair’s first journey covered a walk that stretched from Austria to Santiago, Spain. The effort was made in tribute to his sister, who was diagnosed with breast cancer. Upon fulfilling his first promise, Thair’s sister narrated how she kept track of his journey and forgot about the pain she was suffering from. Inspired by this, Thair then made a second offering—promising to walk all the way to Makkah if his sister would be healthy again.

His journey, which is completely documented on his blog entitled ‘On the way today’, started from Graz, Austria last July 25, 2014 and follows an old pilgrimage route from Austria to Makkah and running through Europe from Mosque to Mosque. Thair’s inspiring journey has been followed by many. During his travels, he has come across many strangers who have taken on his plight and have sought to help him out along the way. Travelling at a walking pace of four kilometers per hour and carrying around 14 kilos of baggage each day, Thair has already used and replaced six pairs of shoes.

In his latest blog entry, Thair acknowledged everyone that rendered their support and assistance to making the walking pilgrimage a success. He also thanked Anjum Hotel Makkah and cited its latest CSR initiative, ‘Anjum Dreams,’ a new program that aims at fulfilling the dream or a challenging personal journey of individuals wishing to make a big difference in this world.