I changed the title of my blog because I thought it was more appropriate. We are going to be going to India in the near future for vacation. And we're going to be exploring more of Saudi too.

     Today we visited Al-Hofuf (means whistling of the wind). It is claimed by many to be the largest oasis in the world with over 1.5 million palm trees. I guess in ancient times, Al-Hofuf lay under the ocean.

     I found an excellent site about the Muslim faith. It is: http://www.sacredsites.com/middle_east/saudi_arabia/mecca.html I went to this site to find out what the black stone is because Al-Hofuf was a refuge for the Qamartians who were a group of people who had stolen the black stone from the Kaaba. The Kaaba is now a holy mosque that is believed to be a holy shrine built by Abraham and Ishmael. When they completed building the shrine, Gabriel (the angel) brought the magic stone for the sanctuary. Some say that it was a great white sapphire from the Garden of Eden. Legend tells that the stone was originally white, but turned black from the kisses of sinners. When Muslims go on Haj to Mecca they kiss the stone.