The Arab American News
RAMADAN 2011
30
T
he Bri sh Museum is to stage a major exhibi on
dedicated to the hajj, the Islamic pilgrimage to
Mecca.
Hajj: Journey to the Heart of Islam will bring to-
gether historic and contemporary objects – including
manuscripts, tex les, archaeological items and pho-
tography – to explore the experience and importance
of the pilgrimage.
The exhibi on, opening in January, will also feature
the work of contemporary Saudi ar sts such as Ahmed
Mater, who has created an installa on with magnets
and iron filings to symbolize hundreds of thousands of
pilgrims circumambula ng the Ka'bah, the black gran-
ite cube inMecca thought to be built by Abraham and
his son Ishmael. There will also be work by Shadia
Alem, one of two ar sts who represented Saudi Ara-
bia for its debut at the Venice Biennale earlier this year
while sound cones in the Reading Roomwill convey a
sense of being in Mecca by transmi ng the labbaik,
the prayer recited by pilgrims as they carry out their
rituals.
The museum's director, Neil Macgregor, who an-
nounced details of the show on Tuesday , said it would
enable a global audience to deepen their under-
standing of the significance and history of the hajj.
"It is special in being the only aspect of Islamwhich
non-Muslims cannot take part in. It is not merely a
spiritual phenomenon, it has become a cultural phe-
nomenon. The museum has always sought to present
a connec on between faith and society. It [the hajj] is
a phenomenon that needs to be be er understood
than it is. It has become very clear to us that we've
been looking to put on exhibi ons about things peo-
ple want to know about – such as Iran and Afghanistan
– and ques ons people want to explore."
Macgregor called the organiza on of the hajj "one
of the great administra ve achievements in the world"
and said the exhibi on would show the logis cs be-
hind the pilgrimage, which annually a racts up to four
million people to the holy sites of Mecca.
In addi on to the rare objects on display, drawn
fromprivate and public collec ons, there will bemore
prosaic items such as a cket for a Thomas Cook hajj
ship, which used to operate services across the Indian
Ocean, a hajj proxy cer ficate, issued to those who are
unable to perform the pilgrimage and have asked
friends or family to perform it on their behalf, and pil-
grims' diaries.
Vene a Porter, the curator for the exhibi on, said:
"The exhibi on is about a journey and life-changing
experience, a journey that has one purpose only – to
reach the heart of Islam. We want people to under-
stand what this experience has meant."
Although the prepara on and rituals behind the
pilgrimage have remained largely unchanged for
1,400 years, Mecca itself is evolving at a dizzying
pace.
Last month, in Jeddah, Saudi officials unveiled a
£16bn development plan for the city, increasing its pil-
grim capacity, strengthening its transport links and
overhauling its appearance.
The government's commission for tourism and an-
qui es said revenue from tourism in 2010 would
reach $17.6bn, then almost double again by 2015.
A $6bn, 276-mile rail link will connect Mecca with
Medina, the home and burial place of Muhammad,
while a mul -billion-dollar upgrade will increase the
capacity of Medina airport from three million to 12
million passengers a year.
King AbdulAziz Interna onal airport in Jeddah will
also expand – accommoda ng 30 million travelers by
2012 to 80million when finished – and the total num-
ber of visitors to Mecca and Medina could rise to al-
most 17 million by 2025.
— The Guardian
British Museum to stage world's largest exhibition
dedicated to hajj pilgrimage
Collec on will include historic and contemporary objects that 'journey to the heart' of Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca.
"The exhibi on is
about a journey and
life-changing experi-
ence, a journey that
has one purpose
only – to reach the
heart of Islam. We
want people to un-
derstand what this
experience has
meant."
