I was actually surprised at some of the overt 'commercialism' in Mecca. I was not there at the time of Hajj and things were quieter but the hotels and apartments that overlooked the Ka'aba were all being marketed at rates that would have made the hoteliers of Dubai jealous!
The mosque itself is stunning merely because of its size although the Sheikh Zayed Mosque in Abu Dhabi is possibly more impressive architecturally. Its not as old as I expected. Having been to the central mosque in Tunis, I was expecting a similar building but this was very white with little adornment. This was quite modern and the facilities are definitely geared to handling mass audiences. The city was pretty unmemorable apart from that except for the diversity of restaurants. It was unusual to see so many Indonesian food outlets in Saudi!
Medina was much more interesting for me. The buildings were older and there were many of historical and local design that were delightful. Regrettably I was unable to take either my camera or my mobile with me as this was part of the conditions of being able to visit. I was taken to the Qur'anic education centre there, which is a very impressive campus, with a delightful central courtyard arboretum and a very peaceful air. The hotels were less commercial and appeared a little run down and there were still plenty of eateries.
My trip was all together too short (a single day visit) and I would love to go back and spend some more time there. My guide from the Ministry of Islamic Affairs was incredibly knowledgeable and courteous throughout. I felt a little as if I was being 'appraised' and I am sure I was only being shown a sanitised version of the true cities, but it was educational and informative. I was continually asked about my personal religion and it seemed to throw a curve ball at them to tell them I was 'Jedi'! One guy stopped and though long about my answer and then asked "So are you Christian Jedi or Muslim Jedi?"!!
My impressions? It felt like a package holiday destination. The local population has refined the art of 'hospitality' to such a degree that they know exactly what facilities to offer and how to handle almost any visiting nationality. There were currency exchange centres everywhere, signs in Arabic and Hindi and English, guide books, car hire outlets...all the trappings of commercialism. Even the Al Baik restaurant had the menu printed in English!
I feel enlightened to have been and it has helped me to understand a little more about Islam generally. Yet I will remain Jedi thank you very much.
Knight