French pilgrim treks through 13 countries to perform Umrah

Doha, Qatar: After crossing 13 countries and over 8,000km by foot, French traveller arrived in Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah. 

Mohamed Boulabiar has been on road for the last eight months reaching his destination Madinah on May 14, 2024, reported the Saudi Press Agency. 

In an interview to SPA, the French national said that he did not encounter any problem enroute but the only challenge was the weather. He began in summer, arrived in spring passing through autumn and winter in various parts of the world. His journey was delayed by a week due to snowstorm at the Greek border. 

He expressed his delight at reaching Madinah, his first visit to the Gulf, adding that it was dream come true moment for him. 

Recording his walk on his social media handles including Instagram and Tiktok, he elaborated, "I traversed over 8,000 kilometers during the journey, crossing 12 countries before arriving in Saudi Arabia, the 13th country in my journey. I began from France, traversing Switzerland, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Montenegro, Albania, Macedonia, Greece, Turkiye, and Jordan, before finally reaching Saudi Arabia."

On his Insta handle, at the beginning of his journey Boulabiar said that he left Paris in the last week of August, for a journey that he had been physically and mentally preparing himself for a period of one year.