JEDDAH ( WNAM MONITORING): Mbah Marsiyah, from Kediri, East Java, Indonesia, was reportedly the oldest pilgrim to perform Hajj this year. The 104-year-old was one of 221,000 Indonesians permitted to undertake the pilgrimage as part of the country’s delegation for 2026.
Marsiyah first registered for Hajj in 2021, having saved for years to achieve her dream of travelling to Saudi Arabia to perform the pilgrimage.
Speaking to the Hajj Media Center, Marsiyah said: “I sell traditional porridge. I saved, little by little. I put (the money) in a can, and save it. If there’s anything short, my son adds to it.”
By saving, little by little, for years, she eventually accumulated enough to register for Hajj. She initially kept her dream a secret. “I didn’t tell anyone that I was setting aside money to save for the Hajj,” she said, not even her close relatives and neighbors. But after her savings had accumulated, Marsiyah started telling the people around her.
Marsiyah, who was born July 1, 1921, is still able to walk slowly with the assistance of a cane, but used a wheelchair for the majority of her pilgrimage. She arrived in Makkah on the morning of Friday, May 22, accompanied by her 67-year-old daughter, Muidah.
The head of Indonesia’s 112th Surabaya Embarkation Group, Abiswatun Nadhiroh, stated on the second day of Hajj that Marsiyah was in good health and “ready to participate in all aspects of the pilgrimage.”
