The World's Most Popular Religious Destinations

There are areas of the world where churches and temples attract more visitors than a soccer match. These are some of the most popular religious sites around the globe. How many have you visited?

1. Mecca, Saudi Arabia

Mecca is the holiest city in the religion of Islam. It's located on the Arabian Peninsula 210 miles to the south of Medina. An average of 13 million people visit Mecca every year, nearly all of them Muslims. Devout Muslims are encouraged to make the journey to Mecca (the Hajj) at least once in their lives if they are able, but many make the trip every year. The final month of the Islamic calendar is the busiest. Approximately two million Muslims come to celebrate Hajj. Mecca's holiness derives from the fact that it is the birthplace of the prophet Muhammad and the site of his first revelation about the Quran.

Sadly, non-Muslims are not allowed inside the city of Mecca; failure to observe this rule will lead to fines or deportation. However, non-Muslims are allowed in Medina, another of Islam's holiest cities.

Photo credit : MECCA. UNSPLASH / IZUDDIN HELMI ADNAN

2. The Wailing Wall, Jerusalem

Israeli police estimate that over 11 million people visited Jerusalem's Old City and the Wailing Wall (Western Wall) in 2016. That's quite the increase from the mere three million people who visited in 2003. Followers of the Jewish faith are the most frequent visitors, with some making more than one trip a year. The wall is also a holy site for Muslims, so control of the wall has long been a subject of contention between the two groups.

The Wailing Wall is a place of prayer that has long been sacred to Jewish people. The original wall dates back to the second century BC, when it was part of the Second Temple of Jerusalem. The temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD, and the wall is today all that remains. The extant section of the Wailing Wall connects to a larger wall which encircles the Muslim Dome of the Rock. The Wailing Wall that stands today measures 160 feet long and is 60 feet tall.

Photo credit : THE WAILING WALL. WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

3. Senso-ji Temple and Meiji Shrine, Tokyo, Japan

The Senso-ji Temple sees about 30 million annual visitors; it's a must-see for any traveler passing through Tokyo. Senso-ji was built in 628 AD and is the city's oldest temple. The five-storied pagoda glows with accent lighting come evening time. During the day, street vendors sell food to tourists on the temple's Nakamise Street. The Senso-ji Temple is a hotspot for celebration during New Year celebrations, consistently ranking in the top 10 for temple attendance during the new year.

Not far from the Senso-ji Temple is the Meiji Shrine, located in Shibuya, Tokyo. Construction began in 1915 and was finished in 1916. The shrine is dedicated to the spirit of the Emperor Meiji and his wife, Empress Shoken. It was erected in an iris garden where the emperor and empress were known to spend time. The original structure was destroyed during World War II, but it has since been restored. The new building that stands in a 170-acre forest. The surrounding evergreen glade contains over 365 different species of trees, all of which were donated by people from different parts of Japan.

4. Vatican City

Visited by nearly 4.2 million people annually, Vatican City in Rome is part of a pilgrimage for many devout Catholics. The Vatican is an independent city-state located in the middle of Rome. The city's architectural beauty and history attracts tourists and lovers of architecture in droves. Vatican City is home to the Pope and is considered to be the spiritual center of the global Catholic Church. St. Peter's Basilica is a focal point for both worship and sightseeing. It was designed by several well-known architects and designers, including Michelangelo and Gian Lorenzo Bernini. St Peter's is regarded by many as the holiest of Catholic shrines.

Photo credit : ST. PETER'S BASILICA, VATICAN CITY

5. Notre-Dame, Paris, France

The cathedral of Notre-Dame is another magnet for tourists and a site of pilgrimage for Catholics. Located in Paris, Notre-Dame is the most-visited attraction in France and the thirteenth most visited tourist destination worldwide. Annual visitors to Notre Dame are estimated to number 13.7 million. The cathedral is considered one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture, combining naturalistic sculptures and glowing stained glass with earlier Romanesque architecture.

6. Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mexico City

Approximately 20 million people visit the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe every year. The Basilica was built on a sacred Aztec site that was once devoted to the temple of Tonantizin Coatlaxopeuh. The history of this epic structure is wrought with violence. Spanish conquerors destroyed the temple upon conquering the city of Tenochtitlan (modern-day Mexico City). In 1921, a bomb was planted in a flower vase in the basilica, and much of the building's interior was damaged. The Old Basilica was closed for many years following the incident. It still stands, but it's now joined by its neighbor, the New Basilica, which can hold up to 50,000 people for mass.

Photo credit : OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE, MEXICO CITY.

7. Kashi Vishwanath Temple, Varanasi, India

The Kashi Vishwanath Temple in India is located on the western bank of the river Ganges. The river itself is thought to have healing powers, and the temple is one of the most famous in the Hindu religion. It is dedicated to the Shaiva philosophy -- a metaphysical concept of a supreme being or Brahman. The Kashi Vishwanath temple attracts 22 million visitors a year, 3,000 people each day on avrage. On busy days, nearly 10,000 pass through its doors. The current structure was built in 1780 after being destroyed and reconstructed several times throughout history.

The best part about places of religious pilgrimage is that they tend to feature stunning architecture and a vibrant social life. Taking in the architecture is just a bonus to soaking in the history of these ancient sites -- or the spiritual significance if you're religiously inclined.

I hope one day i will have the opportunity to go to places like this.. We not only can see the history of the place but also can know their culture. If you asked where the most place i want go must be Mecca.. Hope i can go with my family one day.. Amin.. 😄 Till then nite...

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Kim Kim River Toxic Pollutions

The 2019 Kim Kim River toxic pollution is a water pollution incident that occurred on 7 March 2019 caused by illegal chemical waste dumping at the Kim Kim River in Pasir Gudang of Johor in Malaysia. The illegal dumping released toxic fumes, affecting 6,000 people and hospitalising 2,775. Most of the victims were school students—110 schools were subsequently closed along the river.

Background of pollution

The incident started on 7 March 2019 after several students and canteen workers from two schools near the river began to fall ill and complaining of breathing difficulties. Both schools were ordered to shut down and all the victims were sent to Sultan Ismail Hospital while investigations being carried out by state health authorities over the cause. Twenty-one people are warded at the hospital with some being admitted into the emergency unit and intensive care unit (ICU). Some of the students brought at the hospital were already fainted and with symptoms such as vomiting while those who were not seriously affected were given outpatient treatment and allowed to return home. While recovering, some of the seriously affected victims shared their experiences of suddenly being ill after inhaling unpleasant odour in their school compound environment. The number of victims hospitalised over the toxic fumes rose to 76 by the following day and on 9 March, five police reports have been made on the issue with police began to investigating the case.

Further spread of toxic fumes and water pollution

On 11 March, the second wave of air poisoning took effect with further 106–207 victims been hospitalised before escalating into more than 1,000 victims with eight admitted into the ICU. The spread of the toxic fumes is aid by hot weather combined with strong wind that make more people to become sick. The Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department director-general Mohammad Hamdan Wahid explained that the further spread of toxic fumes might not have re-emerged if the illegally dumped chemicals found early were immediately removed since the authorities did not dispose the chemicals after concluding it is no longer reactive, allegedly due to the costs involved. Until 19 March, further 76 police reports have been made. On 20 June, a number of students from schools in the Pasir Gudang area began complaining of nausea, dizziness and experienced vomiting which eventually led to the temporary closure of the schools in the area. The authorities later confirmed it as the third wave of air poisoning resulted from the river pollution which are not fully cleared.

In August, residents in Acheh's Well Village who living near the Daing and Kopok rivers which is a tributaries to the Kim Kim River complaining that the waters in both rivers have turned black and oily with unbearable foul stench which are believed to have spread from the chemical pollution of the Kim Kim River. A resident interviewed on the issue said the rivers was once home to various crabs, freshwater fish and shrimps with children used to swim in the waters but everything has been damaged since the pollution turned worse in April.

Investigation, clearance works and arrestment of perpetrators

Through investigation, a lorry tanker is believed to have dumped chemical waste into Kim Kim River in early morning before the victims fallen ill. Agencies dispatched for the cleaning-up operation of the polluted river collected 2.43 tonnes of chemical waste on the day the incident was reported.The cleaning works however worsens the chemical reaction as the contractor engaged was not experienced in dealing with chemical waste. A Chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) team from the 12th Squadron of the Royal Army Engineers Regiment of Malaysian Armed Forces were later dispatched to assist in the chemical cleaning efforts together with Hazmat team.

The Johor Department of Environment (DOE) arrest an owner of a chemical factory in Kulai on 10 March followed by another arrests involving shredded waste factory owner and one of its worker in Taman Pasir Puteh in the following day after a series of investigations. With the arrestment, the DOE completed its investigation papers that will be sent to the public prosecutor for further action with the investigators also have identified the illegally dumped chemical as marine oil that emitted flammable methane and benzene fumes with the oil is a scheduled waste and needs proper disposal due to its hazardous nature. On 17 March, further nine people were arrested by police in connection to the case; two arrested in Johor Bahru while seven were arrested outside Johor Bahru area. Two key suspects who are believed to be instrumental in arranging for the transportation of the toxic substances were arrested on 19 March, bringing the total to 11 with one suspect later released under bail after he is proven not related to the case. The cleaning operation of the 1.5 kilometre stretch of the affected river was completed in the same day with a total of 900 tonnes of soil and 1,500 tonnes of polluted water were cleaned.

Several other identified toxic gases were emitted following the interaction of the chemicals concerned with water and air include acrolein, acrylonitrile, ethylbenzene, hydrogen chloride, D-limonene, toluene and xylene which if inhaled, can cause headache, nausea, fainting and breathing difficulty. Two main suspects comprising a Singaporean and a Malaysian were charged at the Sessions Court in Johor on 25 March for disposing chemicals illegally into the river and their company, P Tech Resources was slapped with 15 charges to which they plead not guilty. Both have been charged earlier in the same court for conspiring with a lorry driver to dispose of scheduled wastes into the river.

Government and health authorities response

Johor's Sultan Ibrahim Ismail urged for immediate action taken against the perpetrators involved in the pollution of environment that endangering public lives while expressing his appreciation for the medical teams which had been working tirelessly to treat affected victims in hospital. The Sultan has pledged a total of RM1 million (US$250,000) towards helping rescue agencies and authorities gather the necessary means and equipment to resolve the matter as well expressing his view that the incident shows the need for a government hospital to be built in Pasir Gudang. Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister Wan Azizah Wan Ismail who visited victims of the pollution at the hospital in Johor Bahru on 14 March said that the situation is "under control" where residents are not necessary to be evacuated from the area while telling there is possibility the country Environmental Quality Act 1974 need to be reviewed in light of the serious pollution. The federal government has approved an allocation of RM8 million for river purification works and has ordered various agencies including the police, military and Hazmat team to support the situation in the affected area where they explained there is no request for state of emergency received from the state government of Johor.

Johor's Menteri Besar Osman Sapian were in the opinion that the situation is under control without the need to declare a state of emergency in the area with the state government has approved an emergency allocation of RM6.4 million for the cleaning up of the affected river. Malaysia's Environment Minister Yeo Bee Yin stressed that investigation will be carried out to bring those responsible to justice and explained the RM6.4 million is mainly used to clearing the 1.5 kilometre stretch of the affected river with further cost is expected to balloon to over RM10 million. The state government also dismissed claims that its agencies were slow to react over the incident with the State Health Department had earlier warns the public over fake circulating news on deaths resulted from the pollution. On 1 June, Malaysia's Health Ministry formed a medical team to examine a total of 6,000 victims affected by the pollution with the team consisting of officers from the Institute for Medical Research and Johor Health Department. Malaysia's Water, Land and Natural Resources Minister Xavier Jayakumar Arulanandam urged every state governments to seriously take measures to overcome river pollution as climate change could result in the country experiencing long periods of drought in future with the ministry also will drafting Water Resources Bill to clamp down on water pollution.

Neighbouring authorities in Singapore continue to monitoring the situation following the reports of more illegal waste dumping sites have been found in Pasir Gudang. Various Singapore agencies have been conducting regular checks with a minister explained they were taking the matter very seriously as what happens in their neighbour of Malaysia can affect the latter significantly.

Criticism of government response and lawsuits

Johor's Crown Prince Tunku Ismail Idris taking the matter to Twitter to express his opinion that the government should have instead declared a state of emergency on the day it was firstly occurred and relocated residents to a temporary place until there was a guarantee that the area was safe. Former Prime Minister Najib Razak referring the state government slow response on the pollution and the refusal of the current Pakatan Harapan (PH) government to allocate more funds to clear the affected river were seen as they gives more importance to money compared to life and health of the people affected. Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) Deputy President Mah Hang Soon said that the incompetent preventive measures escalate hazard levels in the involved area. In July, a boy are reported to developed Parkinson's-like disease of myokymia after been exposed to the pollution, although this was denied by Malaysia's Deputy Health Minister Lee Boon Chye who said the boy had already born premature and had a history of fits since he was four. A group of 160 victims of the pollution then began to filed a suit and taking the Johor Menteri Besar along with the state government to court to seek monetary compensation for the boy and other damages caused by the illegal dumping of toxic chemicals.

About Me..

Assalamualaikum & Hello everyone 😄

My name is Nurul Afifah but just call me Ifah. Short and easy to remember right 😊

Currently i continue my study in Uitm Pasir Gudang after 8 years doing my diploma..

hope i can finish my degree ( you can do it ifah!!!)

I'm working at Nusa Cemerlang in manufacturing industry and they sold product based on nuts..

So if any of you want to buy nuts can come to my workplace during warehouse sales okey.. and i will update u guys when warehouse sales start..

oh ya.. before i forget let me introduce my bff, sweetheart or anything what u want call..

My stress reliever Loki & White😍 Till then bye!