Once built as one of the greatest examples of Byzantine architecture the Hagia Sophia church has been converted into the Ayasofya Mosque immediately after the conquest of the Ottomans in 1453. The amazing building with its beautiful mosaics has a marble door inside and four minarets outside. The Islamic features were added latterly throughout the reign of the Ottomans. The mosque was trasnsformed into a museum by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in 1935 prohibiting any prayers. Later on there has been a room for Christian and Muslim staff to do their prayers. Read more on Wikipedia…
Are you planning to travel to the United Kingdom? Maybe the following Dos and Don’ts might be helpful for you to fully enjoy your well deserved holidays on the island.
Be patient when standing in line!
Do use the words “Please” and “Thank you” often as good manners are highly appreciated.
Smile a lot!
Drive on the left side of the road.
Avoid talking loudly in public.
Shaking hands is less important but still the best way to greet someone.
When paying at a restaurant check the menu whether service charge is already included.
Before drinking your tea, leave it for a minute or two to let it steep.
Recently we’ve started our campaign “Reviews for charity” as we do donate 1$ USD for each published hotel review on halaltrip.com throughout the month of Ramadan. So please spread the word on your blog, via email or use the magic power of Social Media like YouTube, Twitter & Facebook and let us know! Send us your link or screenshot promoting our Ramadan campaign to info@halaltrip.com – we will then award the most creative idea with the following prizes:
Spread the word (Background: JoshuaDavisPhotography/flickr)
First of all we wish you all a blessed Ramadan and an enjoyable month with your loved ones. May this month be a time of praying, reflecting and getting closer to Allah the Almighty. We would like to contribute something special to the most wonderful time of the year. Hence, halaltrip starts his special Ramadan campaign “Reviews for charity”. For each published hotel review on halaltrip in the month of Ramadan we will donate 1$ USD for charity! So spread this message to your family & friends and browse our directory of muslim-friendly & halal hotels to share your review. If you can’t find your hotel, just send us an email and we will add the hotel after reviewing it. We hopefully continue this campaign until we reach 500 $ USD in this blessed month. Please share your feedback with us and drop a comment!
This time our virtual journey goes to the city of Dhaka in Bangladesh. Built in 1706 the Khan Muhammad Mirdha’s Mosque is probably named after its architect. 25 steps lead to the entry of the Mosque that is situated within a wider area that also contains many rooms for living purpose. The prayer hall is capped by three beautiful designed domes. The mosque is still used as a religious school and does attract many tourists as there is a special arcaded hall for visitors. More information on ArchNet.
This week we’d like to introduce you into the world behind halaltrip.com. Almost five months old the site is progressing thanks to you and a passionate team. Currently we are working on several features like an Arabic translation, some redesigning of the page and a new community feature. But what are we doing all day long in detail? We’d like to show you that based on the daily routine of halaltrip-founder Karim Saad. Check it out and enjoy
7.30 a.m.
Thinking breakfast…
Each days starts off with a nice but simple breakfast while reading through various news sources and checking the email inbox.
9.00 a.m.
Preparing the day
What are today’s goals? Trying to setup a little milestone sheet for each day focusing on the most important tasks that have to be fulfilled. That’s the crucial moment whether you’ll be successful or not.
10.30 a.m.
Time for some marketing
Updating Social Media channels (Twitter & Facebook) and thinking about an idea for a new blog post. Replying to unread messages and doing some networking via Skype.
12 noon
It’s lunch time
Grabbing some sandwiches or going out to eat depending on how much time I can spend on lunch break. Trying to get some fresh air as this is the best time for new ideas!
1.0 p.m
Sharing some thoughts
Talking to team members and their progress in adding muslim-friendly & halal hotels to halaltrip. Brainstorming new ideas and getting feedback.
2.30 p.m.
Time for some marketing II
Second round of updating social media campaigns, calling collaboration partners and replying to various messages.
3.30 p.m.
Researching for life
The most critical and time-intensive part of the day, as detailed and accurate research is the key success factor of halaltrip.
5.30 p.m.
Almost finished…
Usually I spend the last one or two hours of the day with some reviewing of the day and final correspondence.
6.30/7.00 p.m.
Getting tired…
Finally a busy day finds his end while enjoying a relaxing evening. To be honest: Even seconds before falling asleep my mind is still playing with some new ideas. Well, that’s the destiny of building startup. And yes, it is still a heck of fun!
Apart from the worldwide economic crisis the so-called Halal tourism is on the rise. The World Travel Market Report in 2007 forecasted a massive growth for this special type of tourism within the upcoming years. One year later, the WTO Report confirmed the huge potential for halal-tourism and strongly underpinned its estimation from 2007. As there is no specific definition of Halal tourism, it is mainly perceived as a tourism product providing hospitality services that comply with Islamic Law. For example, Halal hotels do not serve alcoholic beverages, offer Halal certificates for food, wellness facilities for women, prayer rooms and, in general, a Muslim-friendly environment. More on altmuslim.com!
This week we take a look to the Far East to present our mosque of the week. Situated in Beijing the Niujie Mosque is the oldest mosque in the Chinese city and firstly built in 996. The mosque is located in the spiritual Xuanwu District where a big Muslim community lives and was widely enlarged during the time of Emperor Kangxi from 1622 until 1722 and rebuilt in 1442. Due to Chinese law the mosque was constructed in traditional Chinese architecture including some Arabic calligraphy. Built out of timber the Nijujie Mosque covers an area of approximately 6000 square meters. Passing the beautiful designed entrance gate visitors are facing a 10 meters tall tower who is used to determine the starting date of Ramadan by sighting the moon. The prayer hall is decorated with amazing ornaments making the mosque to a unique building for anyone visiting Beijing.
Recently we’ve started our new blog series “Travel like a Muslim”. We’d like to share travel experience with the growing halaltrip community. Today we show you the first two passionate travelers who spent their holidays in Istanbul and Doha. Many thanks to Ateeq and Askia for sending us those beautiful pictures and even a great video of a dancing sufi in Istanbul. Enjoy!
Share your greatest trips and your biggest travel nightmares with the halaltrip community. So what are you waiting for? Grab your best pictures and/or videos and send it to travel@halaltrip.com!
Thanks to mobile technology travelling people are online whenever and wherever they want to be. Useful applications can be downloaded for a small fee or even for free. As Muslims we are often keen on specific services while travelling around the globe. Hence, we present you five apps for your iPhone (most of them are available for smartphones in general) that might be interesting.
1.) Google Apps: Yeah, this is not a “Muslim” app but it’s just incredible helpful. Google Maps show you where you are and where anything else is, Gmail keeps you updated on all of your messages, YouTube helps reducing time before boarding and Google Earth lets you explore your destination. Price: Free
2.) zabihah: Easy finding of Halal food and mosques near you including reviews to prevent surprises. Share your experience and upload media files to extend their platform. More than 10,000 listings around the world are waiting for you. Price: $0,99 USD
3.) tripcase: Travel smarter! This app shows you flight status, delays, cancellations while suggesting alternate flight routes. Price: Free
4.) jiwire: Saving costs while phoning or using the web abroad isn’t that easy due to high roaming fees. Just download jiwire and search for Wi-Fi hotspots near you. Price: Free
5.) Islamic Compass: Similar to Mecca Locator and thanks to iPhone 3GS technology finding Qibla and a calling Athan this app offers anything a praying Muslim is looking for. Price: $3,99 USD
