Electric wheelchair in Masjidil Haram.

Traditionally for those who cannot make their tawaf on foot, they can hire a porter to push the wheelchair for them around the Kaabah 7 circuit for a sum (see picture above). One circumambulate of the Kaabah on the first floor of the Masjid is about 1 km. It is a tiring job pushing a wheelchair for 7 km non stop and so the cost of hiring the porter is not cheap. One must be very extra careful when pilgrims in wheelchairs are near you because the sharp edges of the wheelchair can cause injury. The porters will be pushing the wheelchairs very fast so as to make more trips and more money.

Nowadays the electric wheelchair has make its appearance in the Haram, albeit belatedly. At least the physically unfit pilgrims can now move on their own, at their own pace (picture below), without the menacing porters shouting 'Thariq, Thariq, Thariq' (make way) at you.