Masjid Aisha, also called Masjid al-Taneem (At-Tan’im) and sometimes Masjid Umrah, lies on the north-western edge of Makkah beside the road to Madinah. Saudipedia, the Saudi national encyclopaedia, puts it roughly 7.5 km north of the Grand Mosque. By road from the central hotels around the Haram the drive is longer than that straight-line figure suggests: a live Makkah Cabs route check from the Clock Royal Tower area measured about 13 km going out and about 19 km coming back. Because the mosque has several names and many spellings, the most common problem is not the distance. It is making sure everyone, from your relatives to the hotel desk and the driver, means the same place and the same meeting point.
This guide explains where the mosque is, the names you will hear, how to be certain a map or booking points to the right place, what the site is like on arrival, and how to agree a pickup point that works on a large, busy site. For planning the return itself, whether a separate pickup or a vehicle that waits, see our guide to a Masjid Aisha taxi there and back.
One mosque, several names
You will meet at least four names for the same mosque:
| Name you may hear | Where you are likely to see it |
|---|---|
| Masjid Aisha (also Ayesha, Aishah) | Pilgrims’ conversation, travel group messages |
| Masjid al-Taneem (also Taneem, Tan’im, At-Tan’im, Tanim) | Maps, signage, official references |
| Masjid Umrah | Older guides; Saudipedia notes this name |
| مسجد التنعيم / مسجد عائشة | Arabic signage, drivers’ and hotel staff’s own phones |
The official Nusuk Umrah portal describes Masjid al-Taneem as located west of Makkah and “one of the places from which residents of Makkah and others enter into Ihram for Umrah”, noting that Aisha bint Abu Bakr entered Ihram for Umrah there after the Farewell Pilgrimage. That is why the mosque carries her name and why so many visitors go there. Whether you personally need to go there, and what you do on arrival, are religious questions for a qualified scholar and the Nusuk guidance. This article deals only with getting there and back.
“Taneem” is also the name of the surrounding area. A pin dropped on “At Taniem” may land on a road or a building nearby rather than the mosque itself, so use the mosque’s own map entry, not the district.
How to be sure you have the right place
In the Makkah Cabs planner
The planner’s popular locations include Makkah — Masjid Aisha / Al-Taneem. Choosing it selects the mosque itself, which resolves to Masjid Aisha “Umm al-Mumineen” (Masjid Al-Taneem), At Taniem, Makkah. After searching, read the route summary line: it should show that name as the destination (or the pickup, for the return).
If you type a name instead, check the result carefully. Spelling variations can return a different mosque, a shop or a hotel with a similar name. If in doubt, go back and use the popular location.
In a map app
When you share the location with relatives, send the mosque’s own map entry rather than a dropped pin. Check three things before sending:
- the place name includes Aisha or Al-Taneem;
- it is described as a mosque;
- it lies north of the centre along the Madinah road, not somewhere else in the city.
For the hotel desk and drivers
Show the Arabic name, مسجد التنعيم, alongside the English. Staff and drivers often search in Arabic, and one clear name removes a round of questions. Our guide to explaining your visit at the hotel desk has more on handing over a plan.
What the site is like when you arrive
Saudipedia describes a large mosque with capacity for about 15,000 worshippers, shaded courtyards, restrooms and water coolers, parking areas for buses, taxis and private cars, and shops selling Ihram garments and other supplies for pilgrims. It records that the mosque was rebuilt during the reign of King Fahd.
For planning a journey, three things follow from that description.
- It is a big site with more than one approach. “Meet at Masjid Aisha” is not a meeting point; you need a specific place on the site.
- Buses and many cars use it. At busy times vehicles come and go constantly, and a car may not be able to stop where it dropped you.
- You may need time on site before your visit. If anyone plans to buy Ihram garments or supplies there, allow for it in your timing.
We do not describe entrances, gate numbers or where vehicles are permitted to stop, because these can change and are managed on site. The meeting point for your journey is part of its confirmed instructions.
Agreeing a pickup point that works
Most return journeys that go wrong at Masjid Aisha go wrong at the meeting point, not on the road. A good pickup point is:
- Specific. Not “outside the mosque” but a point your party can find again, such as the spot where you were dropped off.
- Reachable by everyone. Consider anyone walking slowly, using a folding wheelchair or carrying children.
- Away from the prayer halls, so nobody has to search inside for the others.
- Easy to describe to a driver, in words and as a shared live location.
Before the vehicle drops you, look around and note where you are: the direction you came from, a nearby landmark, the side of the building. When you are ready to leave, one person from the party sends the driver or booking contact a live location from that exact spot. Our note on choosing between the frontage and an agreed assembly point explains the general idea for hotels; the same thinking applies at a large mosque.
If your party has saved several pins while planning, turn them into one clear instruction; see turning saved pins into a visit request.
Getting there from central Makkah
Masjid Aisha is a short drive by Makkah standards, but it is not within walking distance from the Haram for most visitors. The usual ways to get there are:
- A booked private journey, collected from your hotel or another exact address. This is what Makkah Cabs arranges. Because the planner treats each direction as its own journey, you book the outward trip and the return separately, each with its own time.
- Public bus. Saudipedia describes the Makkah Bus network as twelve routes with 455 stations. Check the Makkah Bus app or website for whether a route serves Al-Taneem at the time you want to travel, and how you will get back.
- Street taxis and ride-hailing, arranged on the spot.
A booked journey is most useful for families, older travellers, anyone in Ihram who does not want to negotiate transport on the day, and groups who need to arrive and leave together. If you need a specific pickup from somewhere near the Haram, use a named building or hotel as the address. A driver cannot find you inside the crowds around the Grand Mosque.
Travelling there in Ihram: practical points
Many visitors travel to Masjid Aisha to enter Ihram, or travel back to the Haram already in Ihram. What Ihram requires of you is for your scholar and Nusuk to answer. The practical transport points are simpler:
- Decide where anyone will change. If someone plans to change at the mosque, bring a small bag for day clothes and agree who will carry it. The vehicle is not a place to leave belongings unattended.
- Keep what you need with you. Phone, booking reference, water and anything for the visit should be carried, not left in the car.
- Plan the return destination. If the family intends to go straight to the Haram afterwards, the return should end at a named hotel or building you can walk from, not a vague point near the Grand Mosque. Traffic near the Haram is controlled, and the controls shift with the crowds.
- Footwear. Sandals can make walking on hot or busy surfaces harder. Allow extra time for older relatives between the drop-off, the mosque and the pickup point.
Travelling with older relatives or a wheelchair user
A large site means more walking than many people expect. If someone in your party walks slowly or uses a wheelchair:
- Tell the planner. Add the wheelchair requirement when you search, and say whether the chair folds. The vehicle is then confirmed for that need; some car classes carry only folding chairs.
- Do not assume a drop-off at the door. Where the vehicle can stop is set on the day. Ask for the closest practical drop-off, and allow walking time from there.
- Choose the pickup point with them in mind. It should be the place the slowest person can reach comfortably, even if the rest of the family could walk further.
- Plan rests. Shaded courtyards and water coolers are part of the site, according to Saudipedia, but plan the visit so an older relative is not standing for long while the group regroups.
Going in the evening
Visiting after the heat of the day is popular. In the evening, the meeting point matters even more: in the dark, one side of a large building looks like another. Choose a pickup point that is well lit, photograph it before you go inside, and use a live location when you are ready. A phone torch held up at the pickup point can help a driver spot a waiting group.
Comparing the ways there and back
| Option | Works well when | Things to weigh up |
|---|---|---|
| Booked private journey (outward and return) | Families, older travellers, anyone who wants a known vehicle and time | Two journeys to book at least 48 hours ahead; the return time needs planning |
| Makkah Bus | Confident travellers with little to carry | Check the app for a route and times to Al-Taneem; plan the return leg too |
| Street taxi or ride-hailing | Short-notice trips for one or two people | Availability at busy times; agreeing the destination on the spot |
Whichever you choose, the naming and pickup-point advice above still applies.
Common mix-ups, and how to avoid them
- A search engine shows the wrong Masjid Aisha. Many mosques around the world carry Aisha’s name. When searching online, include “Makkah” or “Al-Taneem”, and check that the result is in Makkah before sharing it.
- The pin is on the district, not the mosque. “At Taniem” is also the name of the area. Use the mosque’s own map entry.
- Relatives use different names in a group chat. Say once, clearly, that Masjid Aisha and Al-Taneem are the same place, and pin that message.
- The return is booked from “the mosque” with no meeting point. A large site needs a specific pickup point; agree it at the drop-off.
- The hotel desk writes a different name for a taxi. Show them the Arabic name and the planner’s destination, and check what they write.
Sharing the plan with someone who does not use maps
Some relatives, often older ones, will not open a map app. Give them a small card with:
- the English and Arabic names of the mosque;
- the name and address of your hotel, in English and Arabic;
- the phone number of the family member who is the transport lead;
- one line: “We meet back where the car drops us.”
If they become separated from the family, they can show the card to site staff or a driver.
Starting from elsewhere in Makkah
Not every visitor stays beside the Haram. Hotels in other districts may be closer to Masjid Aisha or further away, and the route may approach from a different side of the city. Rather than relying on a distance someone quotes, search your own hotel and the mosque in the planner and read the route summary. It shows the exact pickup and destination the journey is priced on.
If your group is staying in two hotels, decide whether you will meet at one of them or be collected from both; see a Masjid Aisha visit from two hotels.
What to tell the driver
Drivers in Makkah know Masjid Aisha well. What they do not know is your meeting point and your party. A short message before the return pickup covers it:
“Return from Masjid Aisha (Al-Taneem), booking [reference]. Five people, including one in a folding wheelchair. We will be at the spot where you dropped us, beside [landmark]. Live location attached.”
Send it from the phone of the person who will be standing at the pickup point, so any reply reaches the right person.
Timing around the journey
Journey times in Makkah swing widely with the hour and the season, so we give no fixed figure. What you can plan is the time on site. Think about:
- walking from the drop-off point to where you intend to go;
- any preparation, which for a family can take far longer than for one person;
- time inside;
- regrouping, which is often the slowest step; see visiting Masjid Aisha as a family group;
- walking back to the agreed pickup point.
Busy periods, including Ramadan and the weeks around Hajj, lengthen every step. Build in more margin then.
If you are collected by a different vehicle than dropped you
Your return may be operated by a different driver or vehicle from your outward trip, because the two are separate journeys. Do not wait for the same car. Rely on the vehicle details and instructions for the return booking, and send your live location to the contact for that booking, not to the outward driver.
A worked example
A family of three generations is staying at a hotel near the Haram. The grandmother knows the mosque as “Masjid Aisha”, the grandson’s map app shows “Masjid Al-Taneem”, and the hotel concierge writes “التنعيم”.
Before booking, the grandson selects Makkah — Masjid Aisha / Al-Taneem in the Makkah Cabs planner and confirms the route summary. He sends the family group chat one message containing the English name, the Arabic name, the mosque’s own map entry and a note: “All the same place.”
When they are dropped off, he looks around and notes a distinctive landmark by the drop-off point, then tells everyone: “We meet back here.” When the family is ready, he sends a live location from that spot to the booking contact before the return pickup time.
Keeping a transport booking separate from other advice
A transport booking takes your party to and from the mosque. It does not provide religious guidance, guided commentary or anything that happens inside. If you want a guide, see a driver and a guide are different. Any permit or booking your Umrah needs is arranged through the official Nusuk channels, not through a transfer.
Checklist before you set off
- Everyone knows the names Masjid Aisha and Al-Taneem refer to the same mosque.
- The Arabic name is saved on at least one phone.
- The booking uses the planner’s Makkah — Masjid Aisha / Al-Taneem location, and the route summary shows it.
- The outward and return journeys are both booked, each with a time you have thought through.
- You know where the pickup point will be, and one person will send a live location from it.
- Any shopping or preparation time on site is included in your plan.
To book, begin with the Masjid Aisha return planning page, or go straight to the Makkah Cabs planner and search both directions.