Carrying an umbrella and a backpack, a Pakistani student walked over 4,000 km (2,485 miles) to achieve his dream of reaching Mecca on foot ahead of this year’s Hajj.

Starting his six-month journey from his hometown of Okara in October 2022, Usman Arshad walked through Pakistan, Iran, United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia to finally reach the holy city of Mecca.

“Every (Muslim) man wishes to come to Mecca, to God’s home and visit Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) mosque, once in their lifetime,” Arshad told Reuters.

“And I had the same wish, but mine was to go to these two places on foot.”

Although his original plan was to walk from Pakistan to Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, and then to Saudi Arabia, the pilgrim had to alter his journey due to difficulties in obtaining visas. His on-foot journey was interrupted by a boat trip from Iran to the UAE.

During his journey, Arshad faced many challenges, including his Iraqi visa being rejected, bad weather, and difficult sleeping arrangements, but he credits his positive outlook for getting him to his destination.

With a banner on his back reading “Okara to Mecca for haj on foot,” the 25-year-old student met with many people who he said encouraged him to carry on.

“On several occasions, there were (deserted) roads, where there was no city or village, but what kept me going and my morals high were the people that I encountered on these routes,” he said.

The sacred pilgrimage of Hajj, one of the largest religious gatherings in the world, is attended annually by millions of Muslims.