Government trains hajjis

People who are going on pilgrimage to Mecca in early November can learn the procedures and practice their activities at a model of the Kaaba. For $20,000. the Government of Sudan has built a scale model to train pilgrims before they go. It's located in the Green Square in Khartoum.

The Sudanese Ministry of Guidance and Endowments and the General Association for Hajj and Umra in the state of Khartoum has erected a miniature of al-Masjid al-Haram, Islam’s holiest site located in the city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia.

Is there a similar programme run by the Sudanese government to support other religions?

About 10,000 Sudanese are expected to go to Saudi Arabia. Many will travel from Suakin to Jeddah on the ferry across the Red Sea. The Hajj runs from November 4-9, 2011. About 2 million pilgrims are expected.

Mecca is limited in size, and has a limit to the number of pilgrims who can attend the hajj. The number of muslims is so many around the world that it is not mathematically possible for all muslims to go on pilgrimage to Mecca. Millions of muslims cannot fulfill one of the basic pillars of Islam.

More info about the Sudanese government initiative here.