Clandestine Mission
Way back in 1503, an Italian named Ludovico de Varthema became the very first non-Muslim to make a pilgrimage to Mecca. He did this in disguise as a Mameluke guard, who was protecting pilgrims and spent three weeks there. Unfortunately, once he left and got to Yemen, he forgot his Arabic and got thrown into prison. Luckily, he was rescued three months later.
Off To The Races
Well, we told you they loved camels in Saudi Arabia! Yes, they even have camel races. At The King’s Cup, which takes place every year during a festival called the Al-Janadrivah National Festival, they have a huge race. There are up to 2,000 participants that race across the 19 km track. Sounds wild!