MADINAH: Every year after the departure of pilgrims from Madinah to Makkah to perform Haj, tens of thousands of visitors arrive in Madinah to spend their Eid Al-Adha holidays. During Haj, Madinah becomes a tourist attraction for Saudis, expatriates and Gulf citizens.

Khaled Yousuf Jamal, Egyptian expatriate living in Riyadh, said that Madinah these days is his favorite for the Eid holiday.

“I worked in a private company in Jeddah for seven years before I moved to Riyadh. When I was in Jeddah I used to spend all my Eid holidays in Madinah because it is so peaceful. After I moved to Riyadh, I spend Eid Al-Adha holiday in the Prophet’s city because Madinah is empty of pilgrims and it is easy to find hotels at cheaper rates,” said Jamal.

However, Madinah was more a place of refuge for Abdul Kader Bawazeer, a Jeddah resident. He said he lived in Jeddah’s Bani Malek area which was hit hard by the recent floods.

“On the same day when Jeddah was struck by the hard rain, I decided to spend my Eid holidays in Madinah because there was nowhere to go in Jeddah. I hope that in the coming days the city will be fixed.

However, Madinah is my favorite destination during Eid Al-Adha because it is empty of pilgrims and it is a golden opportunity to spend a few days there unlike in Eid Al-Fitr when all the hotels are fully booked.”

Young Saudi Hattan Ahmad, in his 20’s, said it is a family habit that every year his family spends four days in Madinah during this Eid Al-Adha.

“Madinah is beautiful, the weather is nice and it is not overcrowded like Jeddah or Makkah. I meet all my friends from Jeddah in Madinah, which is cool. Only a few of my friends decided to travel to Egypt or Syria during this holiday.”

Abdullah Al- Ahmadi, a shop owner in Qurban area, said Madinah is on a five-day break because of the departure of the pilgrims. He said they benefit little from the local visitors during Eid Al-Adha but he said this was the perfect time to prepare for the second wave of pilgrims arriving after Haj.

Saleh Al-Onaizi, a Kuwaiti visitor, said he had visited Madinah five times in the past three years, three times during Eid Al-Adha and two times during Eid Al-Fitr after Ramadan. He said he prefers Eid Al-Adha because it is calm and the weather has been perfect.

He said, “Madinah is a peaceful city and the people are very nice and welcoming. I feel so peaceful and comfortable in Madinah.”