Setting out on a 6.600-kilometer journey to Makkah, Bosniak Muslim Enver Beganovic from Cazinhas has reached Kirkuk in Iraq, on his life-time journey to perform hajj, the fifth Islamic pillar.
Step by step, 52-year-old Beganovic has covered thousands of kilometers, crossing 10 countries since he set off on November 18th from Wels, Austria, Anadolu Agency reported.
Carrying the flag of every country on his back, he has crossed Slovakia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Greece and Turkey since he started his journey from Austria.
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“I did not encounter any problems during the distance of thousands of kilometers. On the contrary, I received help and support from people beyond my expectations,” he told Anadolu Agency.
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Beganovic, a judo athlete who has lived in Austria for 28 years, said he decided to go to hajj on foot because he used to walk long distances as an athlete.
He added that he wanted to achieve great rewards by walking thousands of kilometers.
“My late mother and father bequeathed to us not to stray from your religion,” he said, adding that he had been walking for months to reach the holy land and never got tired.
Muslim pilgrimage or hajj is a lifetime journey that many aspire to.