Art Spots, Pathways of Faith

The Art of Hajj
by Venetia Porter

In the Qur’an, Muslims are instructed that at least once in their lives they must take part in the hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, the spiritual center of the Islamic world . Over the centuries, artists, craftspeople, and others have found innumerable ways to articulate the experience, from calligraphy to decorative tiles and textiles, even scientific instruments, maps, and metalwork. These and other media of expression are captured in this profusely illustrated book by distinguished curator Venetia Porter.

Northampton, Mass.:Interlink Books, 2012

Author

Venetia Porter is a curator at the British Museum responsible for its collection of Islamic art, and was a curator of the recent exhibition Hajj: Journey to the Heart of Islam, from which this Muslim Journeys Bookshelf title is drawn. Porter studied Arabic and Islamic art at Oxford University and holds a PhD in the medieval history and architecture of Yemen from the University of Durham. Among her other publications are Word Into Art: Artists of the Modern Middle East (2006) and Islamic Tiles (1995, reprinted 2005).

Related Resources

• 'Faith' from Oxford Islamic Studies Online

  The rituals of the hajj, or pilgrimage are discussed in the article excerpt on faith. The article by John L. Esposito is reprinted from What Everyone…

• 'Five Pillars of Islam' from Oxford Islamic Studies Online

  This article by Vincent J. Cornell provides background information on the five pillars of Islam. The article is reprinted from The Oxford History of…

• 'Hajj' from Oxford Islamic Studies Online

  This article discusses hajj, or Islamic pilgrimage, as background to Venetia Porter's The Art of Hajj, F. E. Peters' The Children of Abraham, and…

• 'Mecca' from Oxford Islamic Studies Online

  This article describes the city of Mecca in the Arabian Peninsula, the destination for Muslim pilgrims. This article is reprinted from The Oxford…

• 'Travel for Religious Purposes' from Oxford Islamic Studies Online

  This article explains travel for religious purposes as background to Stewart Gordon's When Asia Was the World, Venetia Porter's The Art of Hajj, and…

• "What is the Kaaba?" from Oxford Islamic Studies Online

  This article describes the history and role of the Kaaba in the rites of the hajj. It is reprinted from What Everyone Needs to Know About Islam by…

• Folk Art Hajj Paintings in Luxor, Egypt

  Successfully completing the hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca, is one of the Five Pillars of Islam. Any Muslim whose circumstances permit is required to…

• Ibn Jubayr Describes a 12th Century Hajj Caravan

  The annual caravans that set out from major cities on the hajj, or pilgrimage, to Mecca, were huge, moving towns under the leadership of an Emir, or…

• Ibn Jubayr Describes the Standing at Arafat during the Hajj

  The hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca, during Dhu’l Hijjah, the twelfth lunar month in the Islamic calendar, takes place at locations in and around…

• Islamic Gardens

  This brief video describes the forms, functions, features, and significance of the garden in Islamic societies, and the motif of gardens in various…

• Mosques and Religious Architecture

  This brief video describes the structure, architecture and decoration of mosques and other religious buildings and discusses theirvariations in Muslim…

• The Arts of Trade and Travel

  The obligation to make the pilgrimage (known as the hajj) to Mecca, combined with the tradition of global trade in Muslim societies, makes…

How to Cite This Page

"Muslim Journeys | Item #221: ", April 20, 2024 http://bridgingcultures-muslimjourneys.org/items/show/221.

Tags

agriculture, books, botany, cartography, ceramics, commerce, cuisine, decorative arts, food, geography, Hajj, Ibn Battuta, Ibn Jubayr, Islamic arts, material culture, medicine, migration, Qur’an, rihlah literature, textiles, trade, travel, travelers, video essays