Souvenirs serve both as memories and gifts for family and friends. For travellers who have made the pilgrimage to Mecca, souvenirs are a way of remembering the important event and giving it a physical representation in the home.
For friends and family, it is a way of connecting with the visit to Mecca and Medina. Around Mecca there have always been many market stands, and today there are also big modern department stores. Here, pilgrims buy goods that go home with them. The street that leads to the Great Mosque, is lined with shops. In the huge Bin Dawud hypermarket, every imaginable sort of product is available: clothes, watches, jewellery…
Popular souvenirs of the Hajj include Korans, prayer rugs, calligraphic posters, mugs and sweets.