Turkish pilgrim dies chasing after monkey

Muş-based Fethullah İskola, who traveled to Mecca in Saudi Arabia from Turkey to observe hajj, the obligatory pilgrimage, fell off from the Jabal al-Nour while chasing the monkey that stole his bag and died, succumbing to the injuries he sustained from the fall.

İskola, 60, climbed the Jabal al-Nour located five kilometers from Kaaba and left his bag on the ground near Hira, where the Quran was first revealed to Muhammad, while he was praying. Upon seeing an monkey take his bag, İskola began chasing the monkey to get his bag back. The unfortunate pilgrim was unable to see clearly due to the darkness of the night and slipped on the Jabal al-Nour and fell from the cliff. Despite the efforts of paramedics and doctors, İskola passed away at the hospital.

Zekai Öztürk, the official of the tour company which organized the hajj trip, said İskola's death upset them very much. Saying such accidents happen around Hira all the time, Öztürk noted that there are many monkeys on the Jabal al-Nour and they are fed by the pilgrims near Hira. As there have been many similar cases in the past, Öztürk said they warn pilgrims before climbing the mountain. "We tell them not to put their bags on the ground inside or outside of Hira while praying. Apes are looking for something to eat when they steal the bags," said Öztürk. İskola was buried in Mecca.