A trip to Saudi Arabia-My first foreign tripI wondered when my paper has been accepted for oral presentation in the international conference in Saudi Arabia, because this will open me a chance to visit Makkah as well as my father. International conference is a chance to meet and to make contact with the people who do similar work in the other part of the world. The organizer especially Abdul rahman Alwarthan was so kind to give me a visa to participate the conference and allotted me a talk, I got confirmation from him that I can perform Umrah by the same visa. Alhamdu lillah, one of the greatest dreams of a Muslim is going to be fulfilled.
But the problem here is that how I can visit the foreign country when I don’t have funds for my research work. Even though I had got an educational loan and I had to submit bills to get the money from the bank. I don’t get money for my food and accommodation, but I managed to get the money for this expense by submitting bills of my friends, they bought chemicals on my name to help me. I had the same plan when two friends joined for M. Phil under my guide and we got quotation for the chemicals on name also, Mean while my colleague Nirmala wanted them to join these friends with her. I convinced her that these bills are not needed for her again but this can help me to get money from bank. She agreed with my plan and I got bills for 15 thousands.
Mean while my paper accepted for oral presentation in the conference and decided to use this money for ticket. Because, I had submitted travel grant application form to DST and TNSCST, but DST rejected my request, I don’t know what will be the result of TNSCST travel grant request. I know this is not the right moment to ask money from my parents for ticket so I got money from bank and also I had to withdraw from my savings for the remaining expense. I have discussed my plan to perform Umrah with my supervisor and with my HOD, they accepted my request, Al hamdu Lillah, I am going abroad.
I cannot forget the love of Kavitha Akka, I don’t have an elder sister but I have four younger sisters and luckily I got Kavitha Akka (Kavitha elder sister), she was very kind when she bestow her sweet heart when I needed any help towards this journey. She is really an Akka (elder sister) of me.
I got visa for 30 days and planned to start my journey on 3rd April but I did not get stamped my visa until 2nd April. I went home on the same day and booked a ticket on 4th April with Oman airways. I visited my sister’s home to get their blessings for my journey and I am very lucky to get the sweet love of my uncle, he was with me on every situation related to this journey because he is well experienced with that foreign country.
I had to reach the air port at 4 am and my uncle (elder brother of my mother),my brother in law and my cousin Safnas stayed in my home on the night to give me a farewell. They came with to the airport and went after when I got the boarding pass. While I was in the queue for the boarding pass I got a new acquaintance, Ms. Jolly , she was also a new to the airport as me. She was going to the same place where I am going, Riyadh, as a medical lab technician. She was very much anxious due to the new situation and she asked my phone many time to call her husband and her child. But I was not nervous and I was verymuch confident and happy with the new experience. I had much experience of long trip journey and it is true that air port is new to me, even though I enjoyed it, not wasted my time by becoming nervous and I don’t have anything to worry because I am going on a Saudi government visit and also stamped it on my passport.
When I went to the emigration the officer asked many questions regarding my educational qualifications he was very much confused about the visa, because it is the first time they see a visa like this to Saudi Arabia, and allowed me to go. When I was waiting for Ms. Molly near to the emigration department, she called me to ask a help because she need her luggage bag back to show her certificates to the emigration officer, the officer also called me back and asked my passport for more clarification. Then two officers came and started to ask the same questions, and called a person who can read Arabic and after the approval of the translator they allowed me to go ahead. Ms. Molly also showed her certificates and we moved in to the flight. Flight started at 7.30 am from the Calicut airport, it was my first experience in the plane. I had much expectation about the flight travelling but these expectations disappointed me much. It was like an air bus journey and not much. We reached at the Muscat airport at 9.20 am Oman time (4 hour journey, Indian time about 11.30 am), we had to wait until 5.30 pm for the flight to Riyadh from Muscat.
We got delicious food from the flight and lunch from the Muscat airport and I enjoyed the waiting there by visiting all the duty free shops. I enjoy observing people and I observed the people from the different part of the world, the costumes of the Muscatians and the ladies costumes are very much attractive. Here the ladies have not many restrictions as in Saudi Arabia and many ladies are working in shops also.
We got in to the flight to Riyadh at 5.30 pm and most of the travelers are from Pakistan and north india, but I got malayalees on my neighbor seats. After having the food they distributed a declaration form in the flight and when I filled the form, a person from Pakistan asked to fill his form also. Then I found a flood of people near my seat by asking to fill up their forms, Me and my neighbor seated malayalees also helped them to fill up the forms. We reached the Riyadh airport at 6.30 pm and the Saudi police moved Ms. Molly to another room allotted for lady travelers. Another police showed a queue by shouting “naaya” and indexing another queue by shouting “boora”. I showed my passport to this police man and he guided me to the visitors and diplomats counter. The officer welcomed with a smile and wished him “assalamu alikum” he wished me also, then he stamped arrived on my passport. I got my luggage without any problems as I had experienced in Calicut airport, but Ms. Molly did not get her luggage and she was very nervous, I convinced her about the Saudi rules and told her not to worry. The officer kept her passport and guided her to another room. I called my cousin and my village friends also and waited in the waiting room. While I was waiting for my village friend Najmudheen I saw Ms. Molly moving on a queue of ladies and she told me to wait there until she comes. I waited there for 30 minutes for my friend Najmudheen and I knew that I cannot see Ms. Molly again because she is in ladie’s waiting room and the movement of the people from here to there is prohibited there and the ladies are not allowed to move without a burqa ( a black dress covering whole body) and she don’t have that one.
Najmudheen came with his car and took me to his room, later we moved to my cousin’s office about 9 pm and he welcomed me with an energy drink . My cousin Mr. Hamsa Koya and me moved to his room and I stayed in his room. We had chappatty and chicken for dinner and he introduced me to his friends. He offered me his phone to call my home and to my friends.
5th April 2009
I got up early before 6 o’clock in morning as my cousin instructed me, otherwise I would not be able to have bath until 10.30 am. There are 18 members in this house, and there are 3 bathrooms. Each of them start to go to office from 6.30 am and the 18th member leaves this house at 10.30 am. I have to leave my room at 8 am because the registration starts at 8 am, my cousin leaves the house at 7 am and he is going in a different route, but Ummer ka going in the same route of “Riyadh Inter Continental”, so I planned to go with Ummar ka, otherwise I would create trouble to my cousin or I have to call a taxi but why I want to spent money when I get a free trip there.
I had breakfast with my cousin and he left at his time. Ummer ka goes at 9 am and I went with him and he dropped me there in front of the Gate 3 of the Intercontinental. I saw a big queue in front of the registration desk when I reached there and finally I got registered about 10.15 am but I missed the registration kit because I was late.
I surprised when I entered in to the main conference hall that I cannot find any ladies there, later I knew that the ladies are not allowed with strangers and they have arranged another conference hall on the upper part of the building and they have a separate gate also. Ladies can watch the proceedings of the conference on a big display and we hear only their voice when they arise any questions or if they participate in the conference, we can watch their slides on the display, but no direct contact. It was entirely a different thing from what I thought before, I know that this type of isolation of women is there in Saudi, but I never expected it in an international conference, because a number of people from different parts of the world attending the conference. I am not criticizing their culture and their rules because they follow Islamic sharia law. I am also a muslim and I have to respect the law of the country where I live, but in my concept, this type of isolation is not good. We have to treat them as equal. It is true that there will be some distraction to our thoughts when we see a lady and it is also true that this isolation cannot stop that distortion also. They have to wear descent dress, that would not make any disruption to the men’s mind and it would not lead to sexual thoughts. It is quiet natural to think about sex when a man sees a woman when she was sexually attractive, and I don’t think that this isolation can stop these thoughts. I came to know that many people are misusing this burqa and escaping from police very easily. Islamic sharia treats woman equal to men and both have their own freedom and some restrictions, this is for the good of our society and the country.
Here I have to mention one of the important thing that what the sharia describing by Taliban in Afgan and Pakistan area is not original Islamic sharia, it is their own sharia, talibanism, not Islamic. My opinion is that all the muslims of the world should come forward to oppose the talibanism, otherwise they give a wrong impression of Islam. Islam is peace, it is from Allah, for the good of his slaves. Allah is great; he is most gracious and most merciful. As far as my knowledge concerns, there is no compulsion in Islam. The 109th chapter of Quran is “In the name of Allah, the most Gracious, and the most merciful. Say, O disbelievers in Allah, I worship not that which you worship. Nor will you worship that which I worship, and I shall not worship that which you are worshipping. Nor will you worship that which I worship. To you be your religion, and to me my religion (Islamic monotheism)”.
It was a wonderful experience to participate in the international conference, here they have provided live translation of English to Arabic for Arabic speaking people, and we had drinking water on each table. They provided continental food for lunch and they have given us tea and coffee as well as different fruit juices during the tea break time. They had provided accommodation in the intercontinental hotel for the participants but I did not demand an accommodation for me because I thought to stay with my relatives. That will give me more knowledge and good insight into the lives of the “Pravaasees” (immigrants for work or externals in a country).
I got a lot of friends especially Mustafa from Egypt and Eisa from Sudan and in the evening the organizers informed me that they provide transportation also, and an organizing committee member Dr. Nazer came forward and told me that he will drop me, because his home is near to the place of my stay. While I was waiting for him to finish his works, I took some photographs. Meanwhile, Mr. Sajid from Austria came to me and asked to take some of his photographs also. I knew that he is staying alone and he need a company and he loved my acquaintanceship, so I called him to come with to my friend’s room. Dr. Nazer, who is a teacher in Arabic and he dropped us and take us to my friend’s shop because we are not familiar to this place. I met my villagers there after a long years, nearly 6 years. Then we had gone for a walk and then my cousin came to pick me to his room, meanwhile sajid also returned to his hotel room.
I found a best friend from my neighbor country, Pakistan. He has a very kind and sweet heart, he shared everything about his family and his research life, and he extended his heart to offer every possible thing to help me in future regarding research works. I am a very lucky person, I must thank Allah, otherwise I could not meet good people with kind heart, in my concept, I consider everything that comes in my life as God, he is extending his heart through such things or such people. I am very lucky to find good people always.
It was my second night with “pravaasees” in Riyadh. Their life is not new to me because I have the same experience since my degree course. Because I am staying away from my home since my first degree course and I had prepared food also, so this lodging is not new to me. Many of the people I met here from Kerala asked me the same question, how the gulf life is. I am very proud of my life because I never asked money from my father for a leisure life as other people do in my same age and so their questions did not make anything in my mind. Even though the life if “pravaasees” is different. They are living for their family by staying away from family. Only their mind and the money they are sending is there to control their family. Only the commitment to their family is leading them to pour their blood here in this sandy and sunny place. They are leaving their room in early morning and returning back late night, and many of the people has no time to spent with their friends. I asked the same thing to some of the people, but they replied me that it is not their work, if it is their work then they would have time to spent with their friends. Eventhough, many of them find time for social gathering, my cousin is an organizing member of a food ball tournament in Riyadh, and he is also an active member of KMCC in Riyadh. He told me that, if he is not have such social activities then his life will be an hell because of the work tension and the family matters. But in some stratum of the people does not have time to spent for such social gatherings, they live with all the tensions and toiling for their family and then for their country. The real thing is that, their work and they are not recognized by their origin country, India and the state kerala. It is true that they have brought up some schemes for the pravasees and a ministry also, eventhough it is not enough. Especially, the kerala state depends on the foreign money that the pravasees are sending back to their families, but the kerala state government has not a good scheme to recognize their hard work for the society, while the state has the highest educated people as well as highest unemployed educated people. The social crisis due to this unemployment situation is eradicated by the money of pravasees only but the governments did not wake up until this time. It is the time of parliament election in kerala and the pravasee people are eager to the political matters in their state. They are conducting debates on political issues in their state even when they are away from their state. The country should recognize them and they should be allowed to cast vote by the help of embassies.
My talk was at 1 pm and many of my friends attended my presentation, my talk is given below
“Welcome you all, I am abdul kareem.T from Kerala, doing doctoral degree in Kongunadu arts and science college, Coimbatore, Tamilnadu, India. Here I am presenting one of my research work titled “synthesis and thermal study of octahedral silver nanoplates in polyvinyl alcohol”.
Lot of research people are working on metal nanoparticles especially in nano sized silver because of its emerging applications. Nano sized metal is a cluster of finite atoms with a size below 100 nm. The new property of the nano sized metals arises from their increased surface area by the reduced size and the nano sized metals have a tendency to remain as a single crystal.
This work was aimed to synthesize nanosized silver metal, thermal and optical absorption study of the prepared nano silver and to study the pyrolysis of the nano silver filled polyvinyl alcohol.
Nano sized silver metal is using in biosensors, nano sized silver metal has an increased tendency to inhibit the growth of micro organisms by destroying the enzyme produced by these micro organisms to metabolize oxygen and many papers published on its activity with HIV-1 virus also. The recently published article in a website optics.org on 27th march reports plasmonic solar cells using nano sized silver metal. In the case of biosensors, one interactant such as biomolecule is immobilized on the nano sized silver film and the other interactant is allowed to flow across this surface, then we notice the variations in the surface plasmon resonance using UV visible spectrograph. This makes label free biochemical assays. In the case of plasmonic solar cells, these nano sized silver metals uses to increase the absorption of solar cells by scattering and trapping the light inside the solar cell due to the surface plasmon resonance of the nanosized silver metals.
There are many reasons to employ PVA in this experiment; PVA is a water soluble, non toxic and bio degradable material. Moreover, PVA act as a particle reducer, stabilizer and capping agent for metal particle. In this experiment the ability of PVA to form fine film is used to restrict the growth of the nano sized particles.
PVA is a linear polymer with carbon backbones and OH groups inter-bridge the molecular layers of the H bonded monomers. PVA act as a negatively charged colloid in hot water solution below glass transition temperature 85oC and it will strongly adsorb metallic Ag+ cations and the silver atoms coalesces to form silver clusters. The byproduct is simply nitric acid and it evaporates about 50oC. No other harmful byproducts during the preparation of the nano sized silver metal in PVA.
We have prepared two samples with weight percentage of silver as 0.05 and 0.1. During the preparation silver nitrate solution was covered with black cloth to avoid photo-reduction and silver nitrate solution added drop wise to the PVA solution using a syringe. We found the color of the solution changing from transparent to brownish yellow and we continued the stirring under the hot condition until it became a less viscous solution. Then we dipped the glass slides into the less viscous solution to form fine films and allowed the samples to dry in air. We had restricted further growth of the silver cluster by making the fine films.
You can see the color variation from this slide, after seven hours of preparation and the final sample.
Optical and structural characterizations have been done by JASCO UV-VIS Spectro- Photometer V-570, x-ray diffractogram obtained from Bruker AXS D8 advance X-ray diffractometer , PL obtained from Varian Cary Eclipse Fluorescence Spectrophotometer and JEOL 3010 for TEM image. Thermal studies performed by SDT Q600 V8.3 Build 101 of TA Instruments.
The peak observed around 425 nm is due to the Surface plasmon resonance and the sample with highest weight percentage has highest intensity. SPR is the coherent oscillation of free electrons in the metal particles and occurs only when the particle size is lesser than the wavelength of the incident light. Other peak observed near UV region may be due to the presence of clusters formed by nano particles as reported in previous literature.
Photo luminescent shows that three peaks for excitation at 222nm the nano sized truncated octahedral silver particles as you see in TEM image later.
X-ray diffractogram shows the presence of silver and compared it with the standard JCPDS.
TEM image shows the particles shape and dimension. You can see a truncated octahedral shape for 0.1 weight percentage sample silver with a bright boundary and we had seen the highest SPR intensity for this sample in optical absorption spectra also. So, this bright boundary may be due to the SPR when the electrons interact with each other. The other sample possesses a pentagonal structure and we can say that it may be the growth nature of the crystal to form octahedral shape. The dimensions are measured and in the case of octahedral shape the shorter side possesses just half of the length of the longer side.
The interplanar spacing is measured from the HRTEM and verified with the standard JCPDS data for the hexagonal silver structure.
In the case of thermal analysis, we had performed thermo gravy metric analysis (TGA), this analytical technique measures the weight changes of the material when the sample is heated. This analysis is using to study the thermal decomposition and the pyrolysis of the PVA.
We can see that the two samples have identical decomposition temperature and it is the decomposition of PVA only. The weight loss seen in between 50oC and 130oC is due to the loss of absorbed water, because here we had used 88% hydrolyesed PVA. An important result is that the thermal stability of the PVA is improved when compared to pure PVA due to the nano sized silver metals. The residue is carbon coated nano sized silver metals and this carbon can be removed when we wash with benzene and we will get pure nano sized silver metals.
The Differential Calorimetry measures the difference in heat energy required to increase the temperature of the sample and of reference. More heat flows to sample when it undergoes any phase change to maintain the both the sample and the reference in the same temperature. We can also find the enthalpy of the phase change from the DSC.
The sample became less viscous at the glass transition and here the glass transition temperature of the PVA is shifted to higher temperature by the incorporation of the nanosized silver metals.
A broad melting is observed for PVA in higher temperature due to the incorporation of the nano sized silver metals, and at the higher temperature, a sharp endothermic peak is observed due to the metal particles. The melting temperature of the octahedral silver nano metals observed at 478oC and is depressed to lower temperature when compared to the bulk silver. The depression of the melting point is evident from the reduced size of the silver.
The DSC data is shown here in this slide and I can conclude my presentation by giving the result of this experiment that growth and shape of silver nanoparticles can be controlled in PVA by forming fine films, SPR depends on shape of the silver particle, Glass transition and melting temperature of PVA increases when silver nanoparticles are used as fillers, Melting point of silver nano particles depends on size and shape.
Thank you all.”
They allotted me 20 minutes even though I have finished my talk within 15 minutes, but When I said thank you all, the session chair rose from his seat and announced to move everybody to the lunch room, people moved to have lunch without asking any question because the session chair did not give a time to ask questions. I got appreciations from my friends and Sajid told me that my voice was very much clear like a lawyer and fine. I asked again to get some negatives feedback but he did not give anything negative.
Last day of the conference, Eisa informed me about a one day workshop on electromagnetic radiation that will be held in the same conference hall and he took me to the press room for online registration. He helped me to register and told me that Mustafa will also attend this workshop. Mr. Qalik came about 10 am from India and we met the organizing committee to schedule his talk.
I planned to visit some of the tourist places in the Riyadh, but I came to know that they are all much away from my place where I stay and I have to get a taxi to visit all those places, because my cousin and his friends are all busy with their work. So we sajid and qalik decided to go for Umrah but I have to leave for Jeddah as my father instructed me.
I returned in the night at 11 pm to Jeddah and reached there at Thursday 11 am next morning. Father came to the bus stand to take me to his room. It was very hot in Jeddah than Riyadh. The name Jeddah originated from jeddath means grandmother where the first mother of human beings (havva) resting or buried. We planned to move to madeena then I can do ihram for Umrah in the same evening. It is the one of greatest dream of a muslim, that visiting prophat muhammed’s (SAW) masjid and his burial place and seeing kaaba, I am going to full fill one of my dream that I am going to visit all the very important places of muslims.
My brother, father and me moved to madeena with a tourist group at 10 pm in the Thursday evening. It was very cold in the night and we reached badar nearly at 3 am (the place of first war with muhammed SAW and makka people), madeena is nearly 450 km away from Jeddah. Then we reached at masjid Quba (where the camel of prophet muhammed SAW rested when he was on his first trip to madeena, Hijara) for Subah prayer (morning prayer) at 4.30 am, I was shivering at that time because it was very cold in that morning. Then we moved to Uhudu (battle field, on which many of strong believers of Islam and prophet muhammed’s relatives sacrificed their life for Islam) and we had breakfast. Next we had visited qibilathain masjid (The masjid of two qibala, two directions. When prophet muhamed SAW was praying facing towards masjid aqsa-which is in Jerusalem-allah instructed muhammed to change his praying direction towards kaaba in makka, from south to north) and then we visited Kandhaq ( the place of seven masjid and a place of war with canal to trap enemies). After visiting all these places we moved to Masjidu Nabavi (prophet muhammed’s masjid) and prayed in between the prophets resting place and his stage, a place considered as heaven. I cannot explain my feelings on words when I said “Assalamu alikum ya sayyidee” (peace be upon you my dear leader), it was my dream once, alhamdu lillah (praise be to Allah).
After Juma prayer (Friday prayer) from the Masjidunnabavi, we moved to our room to have lunch and then to do Ihram. We had bath and prayed two rakaath for Ihram and wore two white cloth for Ihram. Then we, my father, my brother and me left the tourist group and left for Makkah on a car. It is 420 km away from madeena, and it took three hours to reach makkah. It is really a miracle that a man from this desert land changed the world with his mind. I wondered how a man alone from this desert can make a mass change in the heart of people, I found only deserted sandy hills and hills of rocks on my journey from Riyadh to Jeddah as well as from madeena to makkah. Prophet muhammed took 30 days to travel from makka to madeena to cover all this hills and sandy lands when he was on hijara (historical journey to madeena from makkah), then he changed the world. It is being 1430 years since his first journey to madeena and his holly book, quran is still with people without any change. It is a miracle that he and his 333 believers fought with 1500 disbelievers in badar and he won the battle.
When I saw kaaba first time, I forgot everything around me. Kaaba is a little square building with a single door and with a stone from heaven(hajarul aswad, an important stone), we pray facing to this kaaba. After finishing the 7 times thavaf (moving around the kaaba and some rules are there for this movement) we moved for saaee(7 times running between safa and marva hills to commemorate the meeting of Havva and Adam (first mother and father of human beings) and to commemorate the running of hajara, the mother of ismail and wife of Ibrahim –abraham). We took some photographs after Umrah and returned back to Jeddah. Al hamdu lillah, later I got the same opportunities again while my stay here in KSA. I am very much thankful to my supervisor and I would not get this lucky moments without her kind heart.
25.04.2009
We have planned to climb the hills of “Jabal Al Nur” and “Jabal al Saur” to see the caves known as “Hira Cave” and “Saur Cave” on Thursday and Friday (23rd and 24th of this month). Before sunrise is the best time to climb the hills, so we had planned to perform umrah on the Thursday morning before the “morning prayer”(4.30 am) and then to move Jabalu al nur. It was my third umrah in this trip and at 1 am in the morning we moved to makkah, after the Morning Prayer in haram we got a taxy for 20 riyals for two people to Jabalunur. It took 45 minutes to climb the hills of Jabal al nur (2500 ft), and I climbed it with full of energy. Prophet mohammed SAW used the Hira cave to meditate and here the Angel Gabrial appeared in front of the prophet and commanded to say “read, in the name of your lord who has created (all that exists), he has created man from a clot, read and your lord is the most generous. Who has taught by the pen, he has taught man that which he knew not.” It was the first revelations of quran and he became the prophet. This cave and the hills have not much important in Islam other than this, and we have visited this place only for historical reason, there is no religious custom behind it. If I quote from the Qalifa Ummar, “hey stone (the stone from heaven on the Kaaba), I know you are simply a stone, I respect you because prophet respected you, otherwise I would not do”.
Truly it is a miracle that an illiterate man (who cannot read and write) climbed the hills before 1430 years before and climbed down with a scientific truth that “man is created from clot” simply from a blood clot, which is proved recently. From this itself we can say that this revelations are not his own, it is from something beyond our control. The word used here in Arabic for blood clot is “alaq”, which has three meanings1. Leech 2. Suspended thing 3. Blood clot. Which can be explained as the embryo (with a shape of leech ) that get nourished from the blood of mother as leech (getting nourishment from other’s body) , then suspended in the womb of the mother and the embryo appears as a blood clot until the end of third week. This was confirmed in 1677 only by Hamm and Leeuwenhoek.
We took just 20 minutes to climb down the hills and it was 9.30 when we reached the haram taxy stand back , then we moved to Thaif to meet my uncle there and reached there for lunch nearly at 1 pm. When it was 4 am in the Friday morning, after the Morning Prayer in our room, we started to Makah again to climb the hills of “jabal al saur” to see the “saur cave”. We got a taxy from haram taxy stand to jabal al saur and reached there nearly at 7.30 am and climbed the rocky hills. It was very much difficult to climb this hill because it was rocky and much steep, and the sun was on our head. We took 1.30 hours to climb this 5413 ft steep rocky hill, the highest peak in Makkah. I became too tired because it was very much sunny and ran down within 30 minutes.
Prophet mohammed SAW used this cave to hide when he was moved to medina, here starts the hijara calendar (Islamic calendar). Prophet and his uncle siddiq (first qalifa) climbed the hills on a night to escape from the enemies of the Islam when they were on hijara to medina. I think prophet climbed this hill because it is the highest peak in makkah and he can watch all the movements of his enemies from the hill and it was a tactical movement of him, that enemies would have thought that mohammed (SAW) moved to madina because it was the nearest town and they started to search for Mohammed on the way to madina, but Mohammed (SAW) selected to climbed the Saur hills. So, he escaped from his enemies and he watched all the movements of his enemies from this peak , then he moved to medina when he saw nobody there to catch him. No other important for this hill and this cave, but I saw many Pakistanis and iranis climbing the hills and praying on the caves, as far as my knowledge concerns there is not much important but simply a cave of stones.
We reached Masjidul haram for juma prayer and it was my second juma in the haram in this trip, we were moving around the kaaba (tawaf) when the sun was just over my head. I thought the sun was much angry on me, and I felt that the sun was much thirsty. He was not much kind when he was drinking the water from my body.
We planned to visit madain salai on the next morning Saturday but I felt head ache and much tired because of my last two days long trips and it is much away from our stay. Then, later I decided to withdraw that plan. Really it was exciting my trip to Saudi Arabia, I cannot forget this trip in my life time and the experience that I got from this trip is much more than that of I learned from my school and college. I am very much thankful to all who helped me for this trip.
But the problem here is that how I can visit the foreign country when I don’t have funds for my research work. Even though I had got an educational loan and I had to submit bills to get the money from the bank. I don’t get money for my food and accommodation, but I managed to get the money for this expense by submitting bills of my friends, they bought chemicals on my name to help me. I had the same plan when two friends joined for M. Phil under my guide and we got quotation for the chemicals on name also, Mean while my colleague Nirmala wanted them to join these friends with her. I convinced her that these bills are not needed for her again but this can help me to get money from bank. She agreed with my plan and I got bills for 15 thousands.
Mean while my paper accepted for oral presentation in the conference and decided to use this money for ticket. Because, I had submitted travel grant application form to DST and TNSCST, but DST rejected my request, I don’t know what will be the result of TNSCST travel grant request. I know this is not the right moment to ask money from my parents for ticket so I got money from bank and also I had to withdraw from my savings for the remaining expense. I have discussed my plan to perform Umrah with my supervisor and with my HOD, they accepted my request, Al hamdu Lillah, I am going abroad.
I cannot forget the love of Kavitha Akka, I don’t have an elder sister but I have four younger sisters and luckily I got Kavitha Akka (Kavitha elder sister), she was very kind when she bestow her sweet heart when I needed any help towards this journey. She is really an Akka (elder sister) of me.
I got visa for 30 days and planned to start my journey on 3rd April but I did not get stamped my visa until 2nd April. I went home on the same day and booked a ticket on 4th April with Oman airways. I visited my sister’s home to get their blessings for my journey and I am very lucky to get the sweet love of my uncle, he was with me on every situation related to this journey because he is well experienced with that foreign country.
I had to reach the air port at 4 am and my uncle (elder brother of my mother),my brother in law and my cousin Safnas stayed in my home on the night to give me a farewell. They came with to the airport and went after when I got the boarding pass. While I was in the queue for the boarding pass I got a new acquaintance, Ms. Jolly , she was also a new to the airport as me. She was going to the same place where I am going, Riyadh, as a medical lab technician. She was very much anxious due to the new situation and she asked my phone many time to call her husband and her child. But I was not nervous and I was verymuch confident and happy with the new experience. I had much experience of long trip journey and it is true that air port is new to me, even though I enjoyed it, not wasted my time by becoming nervous and I don’t have anything to worry because I am going on a Saudi government visit and also stamped it on my passport.
When I went to the emigration the officer asked many questions regarding my educational qualifications he was very much confused about the visa, because it is the first time they see a visa like this to Saudi Arabia, and allowed me to go. When I was waiting for Ms. Molly near to the emigration department, she called me to ask a help because she need her luggage bag back to show her certificates to the emigration officer, the officer also called me back and asked my passport for more clarification. Then two officers came and started to ask the same questions, and called a person who can read Arabic and after the approval of the translator they allowed me to go ahead. Ms. Molly also showed her certificates and we moved in to the flight. Flight started at 7.30 am from the Calicut airport, it was my first experience in the plane. I had much expectation about the flight travelling but these expectations disappointed me much. It was like an air bus journey and not much. We reached at the Muscat airport at 9.20 am Oman time (4 hour journey, Indian time about 11.30 am), we had to wait until 5.30 pm for the flight to Riyadh from Muscat.
We got delicious food from the flight and lunch from the Muscat airport and I enjoyed the waiting there by visiting all the duty free shops. I enjoy observing people and I observed the people from the different part of the world, the costumes of the Muscatians and the ladies costumes are very much attractive. Here the ladies have not many restrictions as in Saudi Arabia and many ladies are working in shops also.
We got in to the flight to Riyadh at 5.30 pm and most of the travelers are from Pakistan and north india, but I got malayalees on my neighbor seats. After having the food they distributed a declaration form in the flight and when I filled the form, a person from Pakistan asked to fill his form also. Then I found a flood of people near my seat by asking to fill up their forms, Me and my neighbor seated malayalees also helped them to fill up the forms. We reached the Riyadh airport at 6.30 pm and the Saudi police moved Ms. Molly to another room allotted for lady travelers. Another police showed a queue by shouting “naaya” and indexing another queue by shouting “boora”. I showed my passport to this police man and he guided me to the visitors and diplomats counter. The officer welcomed with a smile and wished him “assalamu alikum” he wished me also, then he stamped arrived on my passport. I got my luggage without any problems as I had experienced in Calicut airport, but Ms. Molly did not get her luggage and she was very nervous, I convinced her about the Saudi rules and told her not to worry. The officer kept her passport and guided her to another room. I called my cousin and my village friends also and waited in the waiting room. While I was waiting for my village friend Najmudheen I saw Ms. Molly moving on a queue of ladies and she told me to wait there until she comes. I waited there for 30 minutes for my friend Najmudheen and I knew that I cannot see Ms. Molly again because she is in ladie’s waiting room and the movement of the people from here to there is prohibited there and the ladies are not allowed to move without a burqa ( a black dress covering whole body) and she don’t have that one.
Najmudheen came with his car and took me to his room, later we moved to my cousin’s office about 9 pm and he welcomed me with an energy drink . My cousin Mr. Hamsa Koya and me moved to his room and I stayed in his room. We had chappatty and chicken for dinner and he introduced me to his friends. He offered me his phone to call my home and to my friends.
5th April 2009
I got up early before 6 o’clock in morning as my cousin instructed me, otherwise I would not be able to have bath until 10.30 am. There are 18 members in this house, and there are 3 bathrooms. Each of them start to go to office from 6.30 am and the 18th member leaves this house at 10.30 am. I have to leave my room at 8 am because the registration starts at 8 am, my cousin leaves the house at 7 am and he is going in a different route, but Ummer ka going in the same route of “Riyadh Inter Continental”, so I planned to go with Ummar ka, otherwise I would create trouble to my cousin or I have to call a taxi but why I want to spent money when I get a free trip there.
I had breakfast with my cousin and he left at his time. Ummer ka goes at 9 am and I went with him and he dropped me there in front of the Gate 3 of the Intercontinental. I saw a big queue in front of the registration desk when I reached there and finally I got registered about 10.15 am but I missed the registration kit because I was late.
I surprised when I entered in to the main conference hall that I cannot find any ladies there, later I knew that the ladies are not allowed with strangers and they have arranged another conference hall on the upper part of the building and they have a separate gate also. Ladies can watch the proceedings of the conference on a big display and we hear only their voice when they arise any questions or if they participate in the conference, we can watch their slides on the display, but no direct contact. It was entirely a different thing from what I thought before, I know that this type of isolation of women is there in Saudi, but I never expected it in an international conference, because a number of people from different parts of the world attending the conference. I am not criticizing their culture and their rules because they follow Islamic sharia law. I am also a muslim and I have to respect the law of the country where I live, but in my concept, this type of isolation is not good. We have to treat them as equal. It is true that there will be some distraction to our thoughts when we see a lady and it is also true that this isolation cannot stop that distortion also. They have to wear descent dress, that would not make any disruption to the men’s mind and it would not lead to sexual thoughts. It is quiet natural to think about sex when a man sees a woman when she was sexually attractive, and I don’t think that this isolation can stop these thoughts. I came to know that many people are misusing this burqa and escaping from police very easily. Islamic sharia treats woman equal to men and both have their own freedom and some restrictions, this is for the good of our society and the country.
Here I have to mention one of the important thing that what the sharia describing by Taliban in Afgan and Pakistan area is not original Islamic sharia, it is their own sharia, talibanism, not Islamic. My opinion is that all the muslims of the world should come forward to oppose the talibanism, otherwise they give a wrong impression of Islam. Islam is peace, it is from Allah, for the good of his slaves. Allah is great; he is most gracious and most merciful. As far as my knowledge concerns, there is no compulsion in Islam. The 109th chapter of Quran is “In the name of Allah, the most Gracious, and the most merciful. Say, O disbelievers in Allah, I worship not that which you worship. Nor will you worship that which I worship, and I shall not worship that which you are worshipping. Nor will you worship that which I worship. To you be your religion, and to me my religion (Islamic monotheism)”.
It was a wonderful experience to participate in the international conference, here they have provided live translation of English to Arabic for Arabic speaking people, and we had drinking water on each table. They provided continental food for lunch and they have given us tea and coffee as well as different fruit juices during the tea break time. They had provided accommodation in the intercontinental hotel for the participants but I did not demand an accommodation for me because I thought to stay with my relatives. That will give me more knowledge and good insight into the lives of the “Pravaasees” (immigrants for work or externals in a country).
I got a lot of friends especially Mustafa from Egypt and Eisa from Sudan and in the evening the organizers informed me that they provide transportation also, and an organizing committee member Dr. Nazer came forward and told me that he will drop me, because his home is near to the place of my stay. While I was waiting for him to finish his works, I took some photographs. Meanwhile, Mr. Sajid from Austria came to me and asked to take some of his photographs also. I knew that he is staying alone and he need a company and he loved my acquaintanceship, so I called him to come with to my friend’s room. Dr. Nazer, who is a teacher in Arabic and he dropped us and take us to my friend’s shop because we are not familiar to this place. I met my villagers there after a long years, nearly 6 years. Then we had gone for a walk and then my cousin came to pick me to his room, meanwhile sajid also returned to his hotel room.
I found a best friend from my neighbor country, Pakistan. He has a very kind and sweet heart, he shared everything about his family and his research life, and he extended his heart to offer every possible thing to help me in future regarding research works. I am a very lucky person, I must thank Allah, otherwise I could not meet good people with kind heart, in my concept, I consider everything that comes in my life as God, he is extending his heart through such things or such people. I am very lucky to find good people always.
It was my second night with “pravaasees” in Riyadh. Their life is not new to me because I have the same experience since my degree course. Because I am staying away from my home since my first degree course and I had prepared food also, so this lodging is not new to me. Many of the people I met here from Kerala asked me the same question, how the gulf life is. I am very proud of my life because I never asked money from my father for a leisure life as other people do in my same age and so their questions did not make anything in my mind. Even though the life if “pravaasees” is different. They are living for their family by staying away from family. Only their mind and the money they are sending is there to control their family. Only the commitment to their family is leading them to pour their blood here in this sandy and sunny place. They are leaving their room in early morning and returning back late night, and many of the people has no time to spent with their friends. I asked the same thing to some of the people, but they replied me that it is not their work, if it is their work then they would have time to spent with their friends. Eventhough, many of them find time for social gathering, my cousin is an organizing member of a food ball tournament in Riyadh, and he is also an active member of KMCC in Riyadh. He told me that, if he is not have such social activities then his life will be an hell because of the work tension and the family matters. But in some stratum of the people does not have time to spent for such social gatherings, they live with all the tensions and toiling for their family and then for their country. The real thing is that, their work and they are not recognized by their origin country, India and the state kerala. It is true that they have brought up some schemes for the pravasees and a ministry also, eventhough it is not enough. Especially, the kerala state depends on the foreign money that the pravasees are sending back to their families, but the kerala state government has not a good scheme to recognize their hard work for the society, while the state has the highest educated people as well as highest unemployed educated people. The social crisis due to this unemployment situation is eradicated by the money of pravasees only but the governments did not wake up until this time. It is the time of parliament election in kerala and the pravasee people are eager to the political matters in their state. They are conducting debates on political issues in their state even when they are away from their state. The country should recognize them and they should be allowed to cast vote by the help of embassies.
My talk was at 1 pm and many of my friends attended my presentation, my talk is given below
“Welcome you all, I am abdul kareem.T from Kerala, doing doctoral degree in Kongunadu arts and science college, Coimbatore, Tamilnadu, India. Here I am presenting one of my research work titled “synthesis and thermal study of octahedral silver nanoplates in polyvinyl alcohol”.
Lot of research people are working on metal nanoparticles especially in nano sized silver because of its emerging applications. Nano sized metal is a cluster of finite atoms with a size below 100 nm. The new property of the nano sized metals arises from their increased surface area by the reduced size and the nano sized metals have a tendency to remain as a single crystal.
This work was aimed to synthesize nanosized silver metal, thermal and optical absorption study of the prepared nano silver and to study the pyrolysis of the nano silver filled polyvinyl alcohol.
Nano sized silver metal is using in biosensors, nano sized silver metal has an increased tendency to inhibit the growth of micro organisms by destroying the enzyme produced by these micro organisms to metabolize oxygen and many papers published on its activity with HIV-1 virus also. The recently published article in a website optics.org on 27th march reports plasmonic solar cells using nano sized silver metal. In the case of biosensors, one interactant such as biomolecule is immobilized on the nano sized silver film and the other interactant is allowed to flow across this surface, then we notice the variations in the surface plasmon resonance using UV visible spectrograph. This makes label free biochemical assays. In the case of plasmonic solar cells, these nano sized silver metals uses to increase the absorption of solar cells by scattering and trapping the light inside the solar cell due to the surface plasmon resonance of the nanosized silver metals.
There are many reasons to employ PVA in this experiment; PVA is a water soluble, non toxic and bio degradable material. Moreover, PVA act as a particle reducer, stabilizer and capping agent for metal particle. In this experiment the ability of PVA to form fine film is used to restrict the growth of the nano sized particles.
PVA is a linear polymer with carbon backbones and OH groups inter-bridge the molecular layers of the H bonded monomers. PVA act as a negatively charged colloid in hot water solution below glass transition temperature 85oC and it will strongly adsorb metallic Ag+ cations and the silver atoms coalesces to form silver clusters. The byproduct is simply nitric acid and it evaporates about 50oC. No other harmful byproducts during the preparation of the nano sized silver metal in PVA.
We have prepared two samples with weight percentage of silver as 0.05 and 0.1. During the preparation silver nitrate solution was covered with black cloth to avoid photo-reduction and silver nitrate solution added drop wise to the PVA solution using a syringe. We found the color of the solution changing from transparent to brownish yellow and we continued the stirring under the hot condition until it became a less viscous solution. Then we dipped the glass slides into the less viscous solution to form fine films and allowed the samples to dry in air. We had restricted further growth of the silver cluster by making the fine films.
You can see the color variation from this slide, after seven hours of preparation and the final sample.
Optical and structural characterizations have been done by JASCO UV-VIS Spectro- Photometer V-570, x-ray diffractogram obtained from Bruker AXS D8 advance X-ray diffractometer , PL obtained from Varian Cary Eclipse Fluorescence Spectrophotometer and JEOL 3010 for TEM image. Thermal studies performed by SDT Q600 V8.3 Build 101 of TA Instruments.
The peak observed around 425 nm is due to the Surface plasmon resonance and the sample with highest weight percentage has highest intensity. SPR is the coherent oscillation of free electrons in the metal particles and occurs only when the particle size is lesser than the wavelength of the incident light. Other peak observed near UV region may be due to the presence of clusters formed by nano particles as reported in previous literature.
Photo luminescent shows that three peaks for excitation at 222nm the nano sized truncated octahedral silver particles as you see in TEM image later.
X-ray diffractogram shows the presence of silver and compared it with the standard JCPDS.
TEM image shows the particles shape and dimension. You can see a truncated octahedral shape for 0.1 weight percentage sample silver with a bright boundary and we had seen the highest SPR intensity for this sample in optical absorption spectra also. So, this bright boundary may be due to the SPR when the electrons interact with each other. The other sample possesses a pentagonal structure and we can say that it may be the growth nature of the crystal to form octahedral shape. The dimensions are measured and in the case of octahedral shape the shorter side possesses just half of the length of the longer side.
The interplanar spacing is measured from the HRTEM and verified with the standard JCPDS data for the hexagonal silver structure.
In the case of thermal analysis, we had performed thermo gravy metric analysis (TGA), this analytical technique measures the weight changes of the material when the sample is heated. This analysis is using to study the thermal decomposition and the pyrolysis of the PVA.
We can see that the two samples have identical decomposition temperature and it is the decomposition of PVA only. The weight loss seen in between 50oC and 130oC is due to the loss of absorbed water, because here we had used 88% hydrolyesed PVA. An important result is that the thermal stability of the PVA is improved when compared to pure PVA due to the nano sized silver metals. The residue is carbon coated nano sized silver metals and this carbon can be removed when we wash with benzene and we will get pure nano sized silver metals.
The Differential Calorimetry measures the difference in heat energy required to increase the temperature of the sample and of reference. More heat flows to sample when it undergoes any phase change to maintain the both the sample and the reference in the same temperature. We can also find the enthalpy of the phase change from the DSC.
The sample became less viscous at the glass transition and here the glass transition temperature of the PVA is shifted to higher temperature by the incorporation of the nanosized silver metals.
A broad melting is observed for PVA in higher temperature due to the incorporation of the nano sized silver metals, and at the higher temperature, a sharp endothermic peak is observed due to the metal particles. The melting temperature of the octahedral silver nano metals observed at 478oC and is depressed to lower temperature when compared to the bulk silver. The depression of the melting point is evident from the reduced size of the silver.
The DSC data is shown here in this slide and I can conclude my presentation by giving the result of this experiment that growth and shape of silver nanoparticles can be controlled in PVA by forming fine films, SPR depends on shape of the silver particle, Glass transition and melting temperature of PVA increases when silver nanoparticles are used as fillers, Melting point of silver nano particles depends on size and shape.
Thank you all.”
They allotted me 20 minutes even though I have finished my talk within 15 minutes, but When I said thank you all, the session chair rose from his seat and announced to move everybody to the lunch room, people moved to have lunch without asking any question because the session chair did not give a time to ask questions. I got appreciations from my friends and Sajid told me that my voice was very much clear like a lawyer and fine. I asked again to get some negatives feedback but he did not give anything negative.
Last day of the conference, Eisa informed me about a one day workshop on electromagnetic radiation that will be held in the same conference hall and he took me to the press room for online registration. He helped me to register and told me that Mustafa will also attend this workshop. Mr. Qalik came about 10 am from India and we met the organizing committee to schedule his talk.
I planned to visit some of the tourist places in the Riyadh, but I came to know that they are all much away from my place where I stay and I have to get a taxi to visit all those places, because my cousin and his friends are all busy with their work. So we sajid and qalik decided to go for Umrah but I have to leave for Jeddah as my father instructed me.
I returned in the night at 11 pm to Jeddah and reached there at Thursday 11 am next morning. Father came to the bus stand to take me to his room. It was very hot in Jeddah than Riyadh. The name Jeddah originated from jeddath means grandmother where the first mother of human beings (havva) resting or buried. We planned to move to madeena then I can do ihram for Umrah in the same evening. It is the one of greatest dream of a muslim, that visiting prophat muhammed’s (SAW) masjid and his burial place and seeing kaaba, I am going to full fill one of my dream that I am going to visit all the very important places of muslims.
My brother, father and me moved to madeena with a tourist group at 10 pm in the Thursday evening. It was very cold in the night and we reached badar nearly at 3 am (the place of first war with muhammed SAW and makka people), madeena is nearly 450 km away from Jeddah. Then we reached at masjid Quba (where the camel of prophet muhammed SAW rested when he was on his first trip to madeena, Hijara) for Subah prayer (morning prayer) at 4.30 am, I was shivering at that time because it was very cold in that morning. Then we moved to Uhudu (battle field, on which many of strong believers of Islam and prophet muhammed’s relatives sacrificed their life for Islam) and we had breakfast. Next we had visited qibilathain masjid (The masjid of two qibala, two directions. When prophet muhamed SAW was praying facing towards masjid aqsa-which is in Jerusalem-allah instructed muhammed to change his praying direction towards kaaba in makka, from south to north) and then we visited Kandhaq ( the place of seven masjid and a place of war with canal to trap enemies). After visiting all these places we moved to Masjidu Nabavi (prophet muhammed’s masjid) and prayed in between the prophets resting place and his stage, a place considered as heaven. I cannot explain my feelings on words when I said “Assalamu alikum ya sayyidee” (peace be upon you my dear leader), it was my dream once, alhamdu lillah (praise be to Allah).
After Juma prayer (Friday prayer) from the Masjidunnabavi, we moved to our room to have lunch and then to do Ihram. We had bath and prayed two rakaath for Ihram and wore two white cloth for Ihram. Then we, my father, my brother and me left the tourist group and left for Makkah on a car. It is 420 km away from madeena, and it took three hours to reach makkah. It is really a miracle that a man from this desert land changed the world with his mind. I wondered how a man alone from this desert can make a mass change in the heart of people, I found only deserted sandy hills and hills of rocks on my journey from Riyadh to Jeddah as well as from madeena to makkah. Prophet muhammed took 30 days to travel from makka to madeena to cover all this hills and sandy lands when he was on hijara (historical journey to madeena from makkah), then he changed the world. It is being 1430 years since his first journey to madeena and his holly book, quran is still with people without any change. It is a miracle that he and his 333 believers fought with 1500 disbelievers in badar and he won the battle.
When I saw kaaba first time, I forgot everything around me. Kaaba is a little square building with a single door and with a stone from heaven(hajarul aswad, an important stone), we pray facing to this kaaba. After finishing the 7 times thavaf (moving around the kaaba and some rules are there for this movement) we moved for saaee(7 times running between safa and marva hills to commemorate the meeting of Havva and Adam (first mother and father of human beings) and to commemorate the running of hajara, the mother of ismail and wife of Ibrahim –abraham). We took some photographs after Umrah and returned back to Jeddah. Al hamdu lillah, later I got the same opportunities again while my stay here in KSA. I am very much thankful to my supervisor and I would not get this lucky moments without her kind heart.
25.04.2009
We have planned to climb the hills of “Jabal Al Nur” and “Jabal al Saur” to see the caves known as “Hira Cave” and “Saur Cave” on Thursday and Friday (23rd and 24th of this month). Before sunrise is the best time to climb the hills, so we had planned to perform umrah on the Thursday morning before the “morning prayer”(4.30 am) and then to move Jabalu al nur. It was my third umrah in this trip and at 1 am in the morning we moved to makkah, after the Morning Prayer in haram we got a taxy for 20 riyals for two people to Jabalunur. It took 45 minutes to climb the hills of Jabal al nur (2500 ft), and I climbed it with full of energy. Prophet mohammed SAW used the Hira cave to meditate and here the Angel Gabrial appeared in front of the prophet and commanded to say “read, in the name of your lord who has created (all that exists), he has created man from a clot, read and your lord is the most generous. Who has taught by the pen, he has taught man that which he knew not.” It was the first revelations of quran and he became the prophet. This cave and the hills have not much important in Islam other than this, and we have visited this place only for historical reason, there is no religious custom behind it. If I quote from the Qalifa Ummar, “hey stone (the stone from heaven on the Kaaba), I know you are simply a stone, I respect you because prophet respected you, otherwise I would not do”.
Truly it is a miracle that an illiterate man (who cannot read and write) climbed the hills before 1430 years before and climbed down with a scientific truth that “man is created from clot” simply from a blood clot, which is proved recently. From this itself we can say that this revelations are not his own, it is from something beyond our control. The word used here in Arabic for blood clot is “alaq”, which has three meanings1. Leech 2. Suspended thing 3. Blood clot. Which can be explained as the embryo (with a shape of leech ) that get nourished from the blood of mother as leech (getting nourishment from other’s body) , then suspended in the womb of the mother and the embryo appears as a blood clot until the end of third week. This was confirmed in 1677 only by Hamm and Leeuwenhoek.
We took just 20 minutes to climb down the hills and it was 9.30 when we reached the haram taxy stand back , then we moved to Thaif to meet my uncle there and reached there for lunch nearly at 1 pm. When it was 4 am in the Friday morning, after the Morning Prayer in our room, we started to Makah again to climb the hills of “jabal al saur” to see the “saur cave”. We got a taxy from haram taxy stand to jabal al saur and reached there nearly at 7.30 am and climbed the rocky hills. It was very much difficult to climb this hill because it was rocky and much steep, and the sun was on our head. We took 1.30 hours to climb this 5413 ft steep rocky hill, the highest peak in Makkah. I became too tired because it was very much sunny and ran down within 30 minutes.
Prophet mohammed SAW used this cave to hide when he was moved to medina, here starts the hijara calendar (Islamic calendar). Prophet and his uncle siddiq (first qalifa) climbed the hills on a night to escape from the enemies of the Islam when they were on hijara to medina. I think prophet climbed this hill because it is the highest peak in makkah and he can watch all the movements of his enemies from the hill and it was a tactical movement of him, that enemies would have thought that mohammed (SAW) moved to madina because it was the nearest town and they started to search for Mohammed on the way to madina, but Mohammed (SAW) selected to climbed the Saur hills. So, he escaped from his enemies and he watched all the movements of his enemies from this peak , then he moved to medina when he saw nobody there to catch him. No other important for this hill and this cave, but I saw many Pakistanis and iranis climbing the hills and praying on the caves, as far as my knowledge concerns there is not much important but simply a cave of stones.
We reached Masjidul haram for juma prayer and it was my second juma in the haram in this trip, we were moving around the kaaba (tawaf) when the sun was just over my head. I thought the sun was much angry on me, and I felt that the sun was much thirsty. He was not much kind when he was drinking the water from my body.
We planned to visit madain salai on the next morning Saturday but I felt head ache and much tired because of my last two days long trips and it is much away from our stay. Then, later I decided to withdraw that plan. Really it was exciting my trip to Saudi Arabia, I cannot forget this trip in my life time and the experience that I got from this trip is much more than that of I learned from my school and college. I am very much thankful to all who helped me for this trip.
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