DOHA: “Haj Exhibition”, featuring century-old photographs of Makkah, opened yesterday at Katara.
Fifty-three black and white photos of Makkah taken during the Haj season in 1908 are on view at the expo at Gallery 1 in Building 19.
Jean-Christophe Peaucelle, French Ambassador to Qatar and Darwish Ahmed, Director of Marketing and International Affairs at Katara opened the expo held under the patronage of H E Dr Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al Kuwari, Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage.
The expo is presented by the French Embassy in partnership with Katara and features 100 year-old photographs of Makkah taken by Muhammad Al Hussaini.
Born in India in 1863, Hussaini, who was doctor by training, became the deputy of the British consul in Jeddah, assisting big contingent of pilgrims sent by India every year to Holy places.
His photos depict the most important steps of the pilgrimage one century ago: The Egyptian caravan’s arrival in Jeddah’s harbour; the landing of the mahmal and the kiswa; perceived sites along the way, as Eve’s grave in Jeddah, Turkish forts, Makkah Sherif’s house and several famous characters of this period as ‘Abd ul Rahman Pasha Al Yusuf, Ottoman emir of the pilgrimage.
This unique collection was discovered in the archives of the Dominican Institute for Oriental Studies (IDEO) in Paris.
The expo runs until the end of the month with conferences by Jacques Pérennès, Director of Oriental Studies Dominican Institute on October 24 and 25.
The Peninsula
