The Hajj, the fifth pillar of Islam, has captured the descriptive imagination of visual artists, craftsmen, travel writers, bureaucrats and rulers almost since its inception in 632 AD. Beginning with Medieval maps depicting Mecca as the center of the world, and incorporating tile work, ceramics, tapestry and carpets, architectural niches, curtains, embroidery, book illustrations, plain line drawings and, since the 19th century, lithography and photography, the images of ritual sites and sacred monuments in Mecca make the Muslim pilgrimage one of the most richly represented events in human history. Author and filmmaker Michael Wolfe, who has performed the Hajj several times, will lead us through a sample slideshow of this impressive visual record, providing historical commentary and personal asides.
