Posts tagged ‘Hajj’

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29/09/2013

Chinese pilgrims head for Saudi Arabia – China Daily

BEIJING – A total of 290 Chinese Muslims took off in a charter flight here for Saudi Arabia on Saturday evening for the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, according to the State Administration for Religious Affairs.

English: A picture of people performing (circu...

English: A picture of people performing (circumambulating) the . This picture taken from the gate of Abdul Aziz seems to divide the Kaaba and the minarets into mirror images of one another. Français : Pélerins en train de réaliser la Circumambulation (ou Tawaf) autour de la Ka’ba. Photo prise depuis la porte Ibn Saud, d’où la vue présente une symétrie en miroir presque parfaite. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

These passengers, coming from various regions including the provinces of Hubei, Jiangsu, Guangdong, Heilongjiang and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, marked the last group of more than 11,800 Chinese Muslims who have all left for this year’s pilgrimage, said a statement released Saturday by the administration.

The Mecca pilgrimage, also known as the Hajj, is a Muslim religious tradition that specifies that all able-bodied Muslims who can afford to travel to Saudi Arabia must visit Mecca at least once in their lifetime. According to the administration, professional medical experts were sent together with the pilgrim team to ensure the health of pilgrims.

via Chinese pilgrims head for Saudi Arabia |Society |chinadaily.com.cn.

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22/09/2013

Admiral Cheng Ho (Zheng He)

From Glimpses of HIstory: “Almost all children around the world learn about Christopher Columbus, and how, as the popular poem starts, “In fourteen hundred ninety-two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue”, and how Columbus reached the Americas in October of 1492.  They also learn that he sailed with three ships: the Nina (“Girl”), the Pinta(“Pint”), and the Santa Maria (“Holy Mary”).

Zheng-He_2

All true.  But what is not as well known is that over 75 years earlier a Chinese admiral made several amazing sea voyages.  This admiral was seven feet tall.  He was a Muslim (Muslims were, and still are, a minority in China).  He was born in poverty and had worked as a servant.  And he traveled over 31,000 miles and visited 37 countries (including countries in Africa) – with a crew, a fleet, and ships, all much larger than Columbus’s.

Cheng Ho was born in 1371 with the name Ma Ho.  His great great grandfather was Sayyid Ajjal Shams al-Din Omar, a Persian who was the first governor of Yunnan during the early Yuan Dynasty. His father and grandfather had both made the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca. Their travels influenced his upbringing, and he grew up familiar with Chinese, Arabic, and Persian.

When he was ten years old, his town was captured by the Chinese army, and he eventually became a servant to Prince Zhu Di, the fourth son (out of 26 sons) of the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty.  He helped Zhu Di in various battles.  After one such battle, Zhu Di renamed him Cheng Ho (also referred to as “Zheng He”), after a place where Cheng Ho’s horse was killed.

In 1402 Zhu Di became Emperor, and one year later Zhu Di appointed Cheng Ho as admiral.  He ordered him to build a “Treasure Fleet” for three purposes: to explore the seas, to make China known to the world as a friendly power, and to establish trade relations with other countries.

Between 1405 and 1433 he led seven voyages.  1622 ships were constructed in Nanjing along the Yangtze River.  The first voyage had a 30,000 person crew, 62 large ships, and 255 smaller ships.  Some of these smaller ships were dedicated to specific purposes such as carrying horses, carrying fresh water, and carrying items to trade such as porcelain dishes, vases and cups, Chinese silk, gold, and silver.  Each of the 62 ships were 475 feet long and 193 feet wide, and each held a crew of 1000.  By comparison, Columbus’s three ships held 90 men each, and the longest of them, the Santa Maria, was 85 feet long.  Cheng Ho’s fleet was so large, that it would not be matched again in history until World War I.”

via Cheng Ho | Glimpses of History.

See also: https://chindia-alert.org/political-factors/

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08/10/2012

* More Chinese Muslims head for Mecca pilgrimage

Xinhua: “A total of 332 Muslims from northwest China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region flew to Mecca, Saudi Arabia Sunday evening for the annual pilgrimage.

This is part of the government-organized pilgrimage tours that will carry 13,800 Chinese Muslims via 41 charter flights to the holiest city of Islam this year.

Previously, more than 2,700 Muslims from neighboring Gansu Province had flown to Mecca in eight groups.

In Ningxia, one of major regions inhabited by Muslims in China, 2,676 Islamic followers will go on the pilgrimage this year, according to Li Yushan, vice president of the regional Islamic association.

The Mecca pilgrimage, also known as the Hajj, is a Muslim religious tradition that specifies that all able-bodied Muslims who can afford to travel to Saudi Arabia must visit Mecca at least once in their lives.

China has more than 20 million Muslims, about half of whom are from the Hui ethnic group. In addition to Ningxia, Chinese Muslims mainly live in the western provinces of Qinghai, Gansu and Yunnan, and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.”

via More Chinese Muslims head for Mecca pilgrimage – Xinhua | English.news.cn.

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