In 2011, nearly 3 million Muslims made the pilgrimage, or hajj, to Mecca. Worshippers from almost every land traveled to this holy city in the Saudi Arabian desert: 222,600 from Indonesia alone; 99,000 from Nigeria; 13,800 from China. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2106011,00.html

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Muslims believe was constructed by
Pilgrim's Progress. €fu= **gE r*s***** Adam after his expulsion from the Gar-
den of Eden, then rebuilt by Abraham'
Eee * *F**=#E# ae*e *xfo*fu€€**ac The site attracted devotees even before the
birth of Islam. An exquisite painting fron
ByWilliamGreen
around r55o depicts Alexander the Gr:a:
Mecca. But a captivating alternative now kneeling beside the Kaaba in pra]'er.
IN 2011, NEARLY 3 MILLION MUSLIMS
exists for those curious about the experi- while his soldiers standback in arve. It
made the pilgrimage, or hajj, to Mecca.
ence-the exhibition "Hajj: Journey to the was the Prophet Muhammad rvho estab'
Worshippers from almost everyland
Heart of Islam," which runs until April 15 lished the Kaaba as the center of Islam.
traveled to this holy city in the Saudi
at London's British Museum. It's a stun- Born in Mecca, he performed the haji r::
Arabian desert: zzz,6oo fromlndonesia
ning show, featuring an extraordinary 632 and stipulated that every Muslim
alone;99,ooo from Nigeria; r3,8oo from
ran[e of objects-from priceless paintings must make this pilgrimage at least on;e'
China. Yet to non-Muslims, Mecca is a
to n-umble items like Burton's ownbat- In their fervor, the Pilgrims-or
mystery. One of the first to glimpse its
tered metal flask, which he filled with wa- haj jis-braved storms, plagueand Beciou
wonders was the British explorer Richard
ler fromZamzam, Mecca's sacred well' in bandits. Some perished, and the erhi-
Burton, who ventured there in 1853,
Beside this flask stands a cotton-and-velvet bition touchingly includes the tombstone
disguised as an Afghan doctor. In his
helmet, once dipped in Zamzam water to of an unnamed visitor buried in Iecca
besl-selling account, he recalled:' A an'
protect its owner, Tipu Sultan, the Muslim 9oo years ago. Other travelers were
blunder, a hasty action, a misjudged
iuler of Mysore. The British killedhim in ihing but anonymous. One celebritv pi'-
word, a prayer or bow, not strictly the
1799 and stole the helmet as a souvenir. grirnwas the African King N{ansu Ius:'
right shibboleth, and my bones would
The focal point of Mecca is the black who embarked from Timbuktu in r3::
hive whitened the desert sand"'
granite Kaaba, a cuboid building that with 5oo slaves, dispensing so much sc-:
Non-Muslims are still forbidden to visit
44

3. Spiritual riches
Items on show include
paintings, textiles
and, below. an ancient
copy of the Koran
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along the way that the commodity price
plunged in Egypt. A map from r5z5 por-
lntheirfervor, the Neil MacGregor, the director of the
British Museum, is dazzled by a vast silk
trays him clutching his bullion. pilgrims braved curtain made in 1857 to cover the door of
One ofthe loveliest treasures on dis- storms, plague and the Kaaba. Sumptuously embroidered in
play is The Pilgrim's Com anion, a guide-
book written during a yearlong hajj in
Bedouin bandits gold and silver thread, it was commis-
sioned by an Ottoman sultan. MacGregor
1676. The Indian author shares tips on draws a connection between this "mar-
how to avoid getting cheated by ship cap- velous" textile and the painting of Alex-
tains, fend offattackers and bail out wa- ander the Great praying at the Kaaba. In
ter. The manuscript also includes both cases, he says, "the supreme earthly
wonderfully detailed paintings depicting power submits and respects a higher
hajjis at sea and camping with camels. power. It's a very moving idea."
Venetia Porter, the exhibition's cura- What makes the exhibition so en-
tor, says her toughest challenge was se- thrallingis this juxtaposition of sublime
lecting objects to tell the story ofa art and commonplace items. One mo-
spiritual journey in a way that's "evoca- ment, you marvel at a ravishing textile;
tive to non-Muslims." She's particularly the next, you see a Mecca Pilgrimage
moved by such simple items as a photo- Ticket from the travel agent Thomas
graph of pilgrims crossing the desert in Cook, entitling a passenger to sail by
19o9: privileged hajjis perch on camels steamboat from Bombay to feddah and
and carry parasols, while poorer ones back "during 1886." Both capture the
walk alongside. As Porter says, "You feel magic of the hajj. But fornon-Muslims,
vou're with them." this view from afar will have to suffice. I