The popular Western region hill station of Taif now offers pilgrims a breathtaking route of panoramic views to Makkah – by cable car. During Ramadan, the cable cars operate from 3.00 P.M. to 12.30 A.M. delivering people from Taif to Makkah where buses will wait to take them to the Holy Haram. “We have contracted a national transportation company to provide 10 buses to take passengers to the Haram and bring them back,” said a spokesperson of the Taif Tourism company. The cable car route was opened on the first day of Ramadan this year. For the people of Taif, the cable car ride is very convenient since the main road to Makkah is closed for expansion work and the alternative is to take the traffic-choked Al-Sail Road which zigzags all the way down and can be dangerous. The cable car ride costs SR40 for a round trip between Al-Hada and Makkah cable car stations, plus another SR30 for a round trip from the Makkah station to the Kudai parking area beyond which cars are not allowed, and another SR4 for the bus ride from Kudai to the Haram area and back. In all, SR74. Adel, a driver in the Saudi Arabian National Transportation Company, said: “We have a special parking area to pick up people returning to Kudai.” Maher Al-Zenainy, a resident of Al-Hada district in Tiaf, said the cable car costs too much and he would rather take the road. “I fill gasoline for 15 riyals and on my way back stop at one of the restaurants and I eat Mandi for 40 riyals – it's still cheaper than going by cable car,” he said. But Mohammad, another resident preferred the cable car since Al-Sail Road is crowded, full of heavy trucks and polluted. “Using the cable cars, you can go to the Haram within an hour – you don't get tired and you can use your energy in praying,” he said Tourism sources said that the cable cars are sometimes stopped two to three hours because of strong winds. Yasser Al-Awany, a teacher, said he had one scary experience when the cable car stopped suddenly midway for a few minutes. “I scared but after a while the cable car moved. I prayed two Rakaas thanking Allah for His mercy,” Al-Awany said. __
