It’s difficult to imagine a place so important that 1.5 billion people turn and pray toward it five times a day, but senior Abdul Osmanzada and sophomore Madinah Osmanzada have been to this place.

Both made a pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, as part of the Umrah, a journey to the holy city of Islam that Muslims are encouraged to make once in their lifetime.

“Our dad really wanted to go and we had a chance over the summer so we went,” said Abdul.

One of the five pillars of Islam states that every able-bodied Muslim must make a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in their lifetime. This is called the Hajj, and it must be made during the final month of the Islamic calendar.

“The Umrah is a lesser pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, and it’s like the Hajj but it’s not required and you can go anytime,” said Abdul. “We flew out, and on the plane we had to change into a certain white cloth that you have to wear when you arrive in the city as part of the pilgrimage.”

Once there, the 13 million annual visitors venture inside the Masjid al-Haram, the largest mosque in the world where only Muslims are permitted. Inside is the Kaaba, a cube shaped black building in the center which all Muslims must face when they pray every day.

Mecca is the center of the world’s second largest religion, and unsurprisingly, the crowds are so enormous that its name has come to mean any place where huge crowds congregate.

“We went straight to the Haram, and we started walking around the Kaaba,” said Abdul. “There was a huge crowd, and a few people died while we were there.”

Those attending must walk around the Kaaba seven times, and with hundreds of thousands of people, incidents are common. The Osmanzadas still enjoyed their experience despite the heat and the droves of people.

“It was a great experience,” said Abdul. “It really got me to think more about my religion.”

Abdul also added that because he only performed the “Lesser Pilgrimage,” he will return to Mecca in the future to fulfill the pillar.

“It’s still required that I make the Hajj pilgrimage,” said Abdul. “It will be really rewarding to go again.”