Leaf from Futuh al-Haramain (Description of the Two Holy Cities of Mecca and Medina), mid-16th century; Ottoman Probably Turkey, Ink, colors, and gold on paper, 8 3/8 x 5 1/4 in. (21.3 x 13.3 cm)
Futuh al-Haramain is an example of a genre of religious writing devoted to the hajj, the Muslim pilgrimage. It serves as a guide to pilgrims in which the proper rituals and prayers accompany descriptions of the holy shrines in the cities of Mecca and Medina. Several copies of the manuscript contain diagrammatic views of the pilgrimage sites.
This illustration (on fol. 29 recto) shows the plain of cArafat, which is visited by the pilgrims during the second day of the hajj, together with the Mosque of Nimra on the left.
Leaf from Futuh al-Haramain (Description of the Two Holy Cities of Mecca and Medina), mid-16th century; Ottoman Probably Turkey, Ink, colors, and gold on paper
