British man who walked to Hajj from UK meets Saudi minister

Adam Mohammed travelled more than 6,500km on foot to take part in pilgrimage

Adam Mohammed, 52, meets Dr Majid Al Qasabi, Saudi Arabia’s Acting Minister of Information, in Mina, after walking from Britain to the kingdom to perform Hajj. Photo: SPA

An Iraqi-British man who walked thousands of kilometres to participate in this year’s Hajj has met a leading Saudi Arabia politician and told him of his epic trek.

Adam Mohammed, who walked more than 6,500 kilometres from his home in Britain and is currently performing Hajj with his family, met Dr Majid Al Qasabi, the Acting Minister of Information, on Sunday.

The encounter took place at the ministry’s headquarters in Mina, where Mr Mohammed told the minister of the various stages of his journey, which lasted 10 months and 25 days and took in 11 countries.

Mr Mohammed, who is British with Iraqi roots, started his walk in Wolverhampton, central England and passed through the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Serbia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan before reaching the holy city of Makkah in the kingdom.

He thanked Dr Al Qasabi and the Saudi government for providing him with his Hajj permit and for his stay so far in the country.

Mr Mohammed said he was impressed by the reaction he had received after covering such a distance on foot, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

“I was so happy to finish my trip and I am blown away by how warmly Saudis and people from other countries treated me,” he said.

“Hajj has always been my biggest dream and I can’t wait to make it come true.”