Buying Gifts to Bring Home from Umrah: Dates, Prayer Mats, Perfume & Souvenirs

Table of Contents

• Ajwa Dates and Other Dates, Where to Buy and Real Prices
• Prayer Mats, Budget to Premium
• Attar, Oud and Perfume Shopping
• Souvenirs: Tasbih, Magnets, and More
• Baggage Rules for Perfume, Liquids and Gifts
• Common Mistakes to Avoid
• FAQ
• Notes

Ajwa Dates and Other Dates, Where to Buy and Real Prices

Ajwa dates, the small, dark, soft dates grown in Madinah, are the number one gift pilgrims bring home. They are widely available, but prices vary dramatically depending on where you shop.

Here is what you should expect to pay in July 2026 [1][2]:

Location	Ajwa Price (SAR/kg) [1]	Notes
Taiba Hotel basement, Madinah [1]	18-45	Best value. Multiple date shops; bargain for bulk purchases.
Shops directly facing Masjid Nabawi [1]	45-60	Convenient but pricier. Paying for location.
Madinah date markets (general)	100-120	Average range across the city for grade 1 Ajwa.
Makkah (Abraj Al Bait area) [1]	120-150+	Most expensive. Avoid buying dates in Makkah if you are visiting Madinah.

Budget alternatives to Ajwa [1]: If Ajwa stretches your budget, these are excellent and cheaper:

• Safawi dates, dark, semi-dry, rich flavour. Widely available in bulk.
• Sukkari dates, golden-brown, soft, very sweet. A favourite for gifting.
• Medjool dates, large, caramel-like. Premium option, still cheaper than grade-1 Ajwa.

Where exactly to go in Madinah: Walk to the Taiba Hotel (near Masjid Ghamama, about a 5-minute walk from the northern edge of Masjid Nabawi). Take the escalator down to the basement, there are dozens of date shops competing with each other. This is where local residents shop, and the competition keeps prices low. At 18 SAR/kg for decent Ajwa, you can fill a small suitcase for under 200 SAR [2]. For a deeper guide on date varieties, spotting fakes, and more shopping locations, see our Madinah date market guide.

Bargaining: Most date shops in the basement will negotiate, especially if you buy 3 kg or more. Start by asking the price at 3-4 shops, then go back to the cheapest one and ask if they can do better for bulk. A polite “bikam hadha?” (how much is this?) goes a long way.

Prayer Mats, Budget to Premium

Prayer mats are the second most popular Umrah gift. They are lightweight, easy to pack, and come at every price point [5][7]:

Type	Price (SAR) [5]	Where to Buy
Basic printed mat (no name)	5-10	Street stalls around Masjid Nabawi, Old Bazaar
Custom name-printed mat [5]	8-10	Small shops on lower floors, side streets off the main mosque approach
Quality thick mat with name [5]	20-30	Specialist shops in Taibah Commercial Center
Haram-pattern premium mat	60-125	Almunawara Gift Shop (near Gate 21, Hilton), Rihal Souvenirs

Money-saving tip: Shops on the ground floor and directly facing the mosque charge the most. Walk one street back, the price drops by 30-50% for the same mat. The shops in the basement and lower floors of the shopping complexes around the mosque consistently have lower prices because their rent is cheaper [5].

What to look for: Check the edge stitching and weave tightness. Cheap mats at 5 SAR [5] are fine as token gifts, but they may fray after a few washes. At 20-30 SAR you get noticeably better fabric, cleaner printing, and stitched edges that last. If you are buying for 5-10 people, the 8-10 SAR custom-name mats are the sweet spot, personal, affordable, and meaningful.

Attar, Oud and Perfume Shopping

Saudi Arabia is one of the world’s best places to buy attar (oil-based perfume) and oud. The shopping experience near the Haram is overwhelming, hundreds of shops, aggressive sales tactics, and prices that can swing wildly. Here is how to navigate it [3][4].

Where to buy in Madinah (better prices):

• Taibah Commercial Center, across from the northern gates of Masjid Nabawi. Multiple attar shops with mukhallat blends, white musk, Taif rose, and oud oils [4].
• Old Bazaar lanes, the narrow streets behind the main commercial strips. Smaller shops, less polished, but significantly better prices.
• Al Munawwarah stores, a chain with several locations in Madinah, known for bakhoor (incense chips) similar to the fragrance used in Masjid Nabawi itself.

Where to buy in Makkah (convenient but pricier): Expect to pay 15-30% more than Madinah [3].

• Abraj Al Bait Mall, fixed-price branded outlets like Arabian Oud and Abdul Samad Al Qurashi. Expect to pay 15-30% more than Madinah or Jeddah prices [3].
• If Makkah is your only stop, these are fine for one or two bottles. [3] For bulk buying, hold off until you reach Madinah if your itinerary includes it.

Price guide:

• Small attar roll-on bottles (6-12ml): 15-40 SAR for basic blends, 50-100 SAR for branded mukhallat. [4]
• Bakhoor (incense chips) small box: 20-50 SAR. [4]
• Oud oil (3ml tola bottle): starts around 80 SAR for blended oil, 200+ SAR for pure oud. The sky is the limit for aged rare oud. [4]

Pro tip: Never buy oud oil without smelling it first. Shops will happily let you test on a blotter strip or the back of your hand. If a shop refuses to let you test a bottle, walk away. Also, be aware that the fragrance used inside Masjid Nabawi and Masjid Al Haram is a proprietary blend made exclusively for the mosques, shops claiming to sell “the exact Haram fragrance” are exaggerating. Similar blends exist, but the actual formula is not publicly sold.

Souvenirs: Tasbih, Magnets, and More

Beyond the big three (dates, mats, perfume), here is what else to look for and what to pay [6][7][10]:

Item	Price Range (SAR) [6]	Notes
Plastic tasbih beads [6]	3-10	Lightweight, good for bulk gifts.
Wooden tasbih beads [6]	15-40	Nice quality, natural feel.
Stone/semi-precious tasbih [6]	80-245	Heavy, beautiful, premium gift.
Prayer hats (kufi) [7]	~10 each	A dozen for about 120 SAR.
Fridge magnets	3-10	Everywhere, cheap, packable.
Miswak sticks [10]	2-5	Traditional tooth-cleaning twig, very lightweight.
Small Quran copies [10]	15-40	Available in Arabic and translations.

Where to buy: The streets immediately surrounding Masjid Nabawi have the densest concentration of souvenir shops [10]. The Old Bazaar (Souq Al Qiblatayn area, about 10 minutes’ walk from the mosque) has the best deals on bulk souvenirs. In Makkah, the streets around Ibrahim Khalil Road near the budget hotels have competitive prices. Small independent shops are consistently cheaper than mall stores for identical items [7].

Baggage Rules for Perfume, Liquids and Gifts

This section matters, airport security will confiscate perfume bottles that break the rules, and you will lose money. Here are the rules that apply whether you are flying Saudia, Emirates, Qatar Airways, or any other carrier [8]:

Carry-on (cabin) baggage:

• Each liquid container must be 100ml (3.4 oz) or less [8].
• All liquids must fit in one clear, resealable 1-litre plastic bag [8].
• This means: your 12ml attar roll-ons are fine. A 250ml bottle of spray perfume is not, put it in checked luggage.

Checked (hold) baggage:

• Total perfume/liquid limit: 2 litres or 2 kg per person [8].
• Each individual container must not exceed 500ml (17 fl oz) [8].
• Wrap bottles in clothes or bubble wrap. Airport baggage handling is rough, and a broken oud bottle inside your suitcase will ruin everything it touches.

Practical packing advice:

• Buy a small roll of bubble wrap from a stationery shop before you travel, or wrap perfume bottles in socks and place them inside a sturdy shoe in your checked bag.
• For dates: vacuum-sealed packs travel best. Loose dates in open boxes can attract ants and get squashed. Most date shops in Madinah offer vacuum sealing for a small extra fee (around 2-5 SAR per pack). [2]
• For prayer mats: roll them tightly and place along the spine of your suitcase. They make good padding for more fragile items.
• Zamzam water: the standard allowance is one 5-litre bottle per pilgrim, collected from the airport. Do not try to bring extra bottles in your luggage.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Buying dates in Makkah when you are also visiting Madinah. Madinah is where dates are grown and the selection is better and cheaper [1].
2. Paying the first price you are quoted. Bargaining is expected in the souks and bazaars, especially for dates, prayer mats, and souvenirs bought in quantity. The first price is seldom the real price [2].
3. Buying perfume in the Abraj Al Bait Mall without comparing. The premium for shopping next to the Haram is real, 15-30% above what you would pay in Madinah [3].
4. Putting large perfume bottles in carry-on. Anything over 100ml will be confiscated at security. Check your bottle sizes before you leave the hotel [8].
5. Not vacuum-sealing dates. Loose dates leak syrup, attract pests, and get crushed. Spend the extra few riyal for vacuum packing.
6. Forgetting to leave luggage weight allowance. A suitcase full of dates, prayer mats, and perfume bottles adds up fast. Weigh your bag at the hotel before heading to the airport. Excess baggage fees at the counter can cost more than the gifts inside. [8] See our pre-departure checklist for packing and luggage tips.

FAQ

Is it cheaper to buy gifts in Madinah or Makkah?

Madinah is almost always cheaper, for dates, prayer mats, perfume, and souvenirs. Makkah’s proximity to the Haram comes with a price premium. If your Umrah itinerary includes both cities, do your serious shopping in Madinah [3][4].

How much should I budget for Umrah gifts?

A reasonable shopping budget covering dates, 3-4 prayer mats, a bottle of attar, and small souvenirs for family is 150-300 SAR [2][4][5][6] (roughly USD 40-80). You can do it for 100 SAR if you stick to the basement shops and basic items, or spend 500+ SAR if you are buying premium oud and grade-1 Ajwa for a large family.

Can I bring dates into my home country?

Most countries allow commercially packaged dates without restriction. Check your country’s biosecurity rules, Australia, New Zealand, and the US have stricter rules for agricultural products. Vacuum-sealed, labelled packs from established date shops pass through most customs checks without issue.

What is the one gift I should not skip?

Ajwa dates from Madinah. They are unique to the region, spiritually significant, and universally appreciated. Even a small 500g box makes a meaningful gift. At 18-45 SAR/kg from the Taiba basement shops, they are also one of the best-value purchases you can make [2].

Notes

1. [1] AjwaaDates.com, Ajwa Dates Price in Saudi Arabia 2026: Average 100-150 SAR/kg across Saudi Arabia, Madinah lowest at 100-120 SAR/kg. Also documents Safawi, Sukkari, and Medjool as alternative date varieties. https://ajwaadates.com/ajwa-dates-price-2025/
2. [2] Reddit r/Umrah community report, Taiba Hotel Madinah basement: Ajwa at 18 SAR/kg vs 45 SAR/kg at mosque-front shops. https://www.reddit.com/r/Umrah/comments/1fhbjct/
3. [3] House of Saud, Saudi Perfume Shopping Guide: Abraj Al Bait Mall prices 15-30% higher than Riyadh/Jeddah. https://houseofsaud.com/travel/saudi-perfume-shopping/
4. [4] Hisar Travel SG, Oud and Attar Shopping Guide: Taibah Commercial Center and old bazaar lanes near Masjid Nabawi northern gates for attar shops. https://hisartravel.sg/oud-and-attar-shopping-sg-buyers-guide-in-haramain/
5. [5] Reddit r/Umrah community report, Prayer mat prices: custom mats 8-10 SAR, quality mats 20-30 SAR, basic mats from 5 SAR. https://www.reddit.com/r/Umrah/comments/1owrkvc/ and https://www.reddit.com/r/Umrah/comments/1ps59dm/
6. [6] Reddit r/Umrah community report, Tasbih prices: plastic 3 SAR to stone 245 SAR; fridge magnets available everywhere. https://www.reddit.com/r/Umrah/comments/1go84hp/
7. [7] Tripadvisor, Mecca shopping tips: small shops near Prophet’s Mosque; dozen prayer beads and hats for ~120 SAR; small shops cheaper than malls. https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g293993-i4536-k8136573-Shopping_tips-Mecca_Makkah_Province.html
8. [8] Scentories / TSA, Perfume in hand luggage 100ml max per bottle; checked baggage total 2L/2kg per person, max 500ml per container. https://scentories.com/blogs/perfume-guides/is-perfume-allowed-in-hand-luggage and https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/whatcanibring/items/perfume
9. [9] Dua Travels UK, Best Gift Ideas from Makkah & Madinah 2025-2026: Ajwa dates, prayer mats, Zamzam water, attar, and tasbih as top 5 categories. https://duatravels.co.uk/best-gift-ideas-from-makkah-madinah-what-to-buy-in-2025-2026/
10. [10] The Haramayn Guide, Madinah Shopping Guide: shops around Masjid Nabawi sell tasbih, prayer mats, Qurans, miswak; Old Bazaar for budget deals. https://theharamaynguide.com/blogs/articles-for-pilgrims/shopping-guide-for-madinah

This article is correct as of 2026-07-26.