MAKKAH — To keep a spiritual and distinctive souvenir, which represents a unique opportunity every year, crowds of pilgrims flock to the gift markets in Makkah and Madinah to buy presents before returning to their countries after completing the rituals of Hajj. Shops and gift shops in Makkah and Madinah witness a great turnout during the Hajj period, as thousands of pilgrims visit them after completing their rituals, and buy souvenirs for themselves, their families and friends before their trip to their home countries. The pilgrim's gift is very special, unlike other gifts, because of its high spirituality, as it is bought from the Holy Sites shops, which cannot be bought anywhere else in the world. One of the advantages of gifts that are bought from Makkah and Madinah is that they are very diverse and do not revolve around one type only, as they include perfumes, Bakhoor, and essential oils such as oud, amber and Madinah roses. This is in addition to bottles of Zamzam water, as well as different types of dates, rosary beads (subha), rugs, rings and subha rings, gold, the Holy Qur'an, sweets and prayer rugs on which the images of the Two Holy Mosques with Islamic inscriptions are designed. The souvenirs vary to include intangible memories, as the pilgrims are keen, while they are in the various landmarks and centers near Makkah and Madinah, to take pictures on their own devices to keep reminding them of their spiritual journey and its unique memories. The markets of Makkah and Madinah witnessed an exceptional revival in this year's Hajj season, as Saudi Arabia received the largest number of pilgrims with about 1,845,045, representing more than 150 countries around the world. This represents the largest number since the COVID-19 pandemic, which required the reduction of the number of people to ensure the implementation of preventive and precautionary measures in order to preserve the safety of the pilgrims. In the same context, the Ministry of Commerce carried out 10,458 inspection tours in commercial facilities from the start of this year's Hajj season until the 12th of Dhul-Hijjah, which coincides with the departure of the pilgrims to Madinah after completing their Hajj rituals. The Ministry has conducted intensive tours to check on the abundance of the main foodstuffs and to ensure that the commercial establishments and the sales outlets complied with the Consumer Protection Law.
