A GROUP OF HAJJ-RELATED SOUVENIRS AND A TRAVEL POSTCARDS ALBUM
Europe, Egypt, Ottoman Provinces and Mecca, Hijaz, Saudi Arabia, 20th century

An eclectic mix of different Hajj-related memorabilia comprising five chromolithographed certificates of the pilgrimage to the Muslim sacred sites, each slightly different but overall with the same composition of a large panoramic view of the interior of the Masjid al-Haram with Ka’ba at its centre, the minbar from where the Prophet gave his first sermon, the main congregational mosque and views of other sacred sites, the largest approximately 48cm x 68.3cm; two chromolithographed panels possibly for the celebrations of Eid al-Adha, depicting the Biblical scene in the Genesis of the Sacrifice of Isaac, portraying Abraham holding a knife in his hand being stopped by the Angel of God, his son Isaac (Ishmael in the Quranic tradition) resting on a pile of rocks with his eyes folded, next to him the sacrificial ram, the submission of Abraham and his son usually commemorated by Muslims on the days of Eid al-Adha marking the end of the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, the largest 29cm x 40.5cm; three black and white photographs of Ka'ba and tents near Mecca during the pilgrimage season, the largest 24.2cm x 30cm; and a printed postcards travel album, with both tinted and black and white examples from all over the world including France, Russia, Turkey, Lebanon, Tunisia, Algeria, and Iran, the album 18cm x 12.5cm.