"You" wrote:

yup, but I wouldn't call it going "inside".

I was expecting a movie like massive cave. Nothing like that at all.

It is more like a rock that is providing a little shelter. Barely enough place for two people to pray (one behind the other).

The cave of thaur is also tiny. Two people can sit inside and that is it. can't stand.

Both of those places (Jabl Noor and Jabl Thaur) were very calm and peaceful.

You actually climbed up Mount Hira??

I was scared of getting stuck in a place where - I couldnt go up and couldnt come down.

Thats what happened in Mount Uhud.

Mount Thaur seemed more of a realistic climb. But I couldnt risk it.

Mount thaur has a staircase all the way up.

Hira has a staircase near the top too. It is also quite fast to get there. 20 mins if you leg it, less than an hour if you don't and take massive breaks.

Never went on Uhud though..

Uhud was a VERY interesting place for me.

You stood on a little flat bit looking down on what had once been the battle field. If you ignored the modern buildings (and that area WASN'T very built-up) you could try to imagine what some of the Sahaba had felt, before they made their ill-fated decision to leave their position...

I have rather a vivid imagination so i could really picture the scene.

Needless to say, my friends declined my invitation to take photos of them posing as archers. I didn't think it was in [i]particularly[/i] poor taste.

But in terms of the other mountains ('real' mountains cos they're actually big) I was just scared of passing out, I found fasting hard enough when all i had to do was walk the 10 mins to the masjid.

Insha'Allah i REALLY want to climb if i go at another time from Ramadan.

That small hillock near the tombs is not Uhud. The large 4 mile wide one on the other side is.

A picture of Uhud taken from that hillock (with the graveyard in the shot too):

[url=http://img512.imageshack.us/my.php?image=uhudty4.jpg][img]http://img512....

I heard that back in the day this hillock was supposedly much bigger.

(@Ya'qub: Am I making a fool myself by totally misunderstanding what you wrote?)

ok, better late than never (allegedly):

masjid al-nabawi on the roof
[img]http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/4967/dscn2236dx5.jpg[/img]

masjid al-nabawi during taraweh (sorry you need to rotate this)
[img]http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/8237/dscn2240ji3.jpg[/img]

scrambling for water at iftar time
[img]http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/5333/dscn2313nb3.jpg[/img]

where's wally?
[img]http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/3343/dscn2488sj0.jpg[/img]

most of my best pics are with my friends, not sure they'd be ok with me posting them.

"Ya'qub" wrote:

where's wally?
[img]http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/3343/dscn2488sj0.jpg[/img]

Wow. Fantastic pics!

"Imaani" wrote:

Wow. Fantastic pics!

Indeed. If only I was their

I loved the scene in Medina when it was night or when the sun was setting - it was as if I was staring at a pic.

I do wonder if 'glow in the dark' material was used to make such the Mosque stand out so much in the dark. It looks prettier in the dark than it did during the day (and most days it was too hot/bright to look up)

Were there lots of people taking pics?

"Imaani" wrote:

Were there lots of people taking pics?

LOADS. And this was despite the camera checks that people are subjected to before they enter both mosques.

Dad tooked pictures daily and got into fights with the religious police over this often too.

why?

yeah.

i thought security would try to confiscate cameras, but with camera-fones its pretty impossible i guess.

in Medina, I went in holding my camera in my hand once, and a security stopped me, so i just went on a different entrance!

maasha'Allah tabaarak'Allah

jaazak'Allahu khairan ya'qub.

I dont know but isnt that getting sin for disrespecting the law of the land especially in saudi

"Irfan.khan" wrote:

I dont know but isnt that getting sin for disrespecting the law of the land especially in saudi

they just don't want you to take pictures cos they want to sell you the 'official' posters of the mosques.

NOT cool IMO

Oh right, so they don't really like you to.

I think I'd be too chicken of someone getting angry at me if they saw me taking any pics or taking my camera off me.

Dad got stopped once - and thats after he was caught taking a very cheesy pic of all his family in front of the Kabah - he used a camera phone. Security caught him and they got into a huge argument over 'tasveer haraam' - dad who can get very uptight was giving it 'ma haza' (so whats this) pointing to the camera crew recording the Imam leading prayer and disturbing everyones tawaaf/and the saudi riyals in his pocket showing the grinning pictures of their beloved king.

Security wasnt havent none of it.

In the ladies section once a lady was humiliated and had a bag confiscated and taken away when she was caught taking pictures.

All the women were thoroughly body searched before entering the mosque. The men didnt have it that thorough.

Oh right thanks for clearing that up.