Publication Date
Hijri 1297 / AD 1880
Publication Place
-
Al-Khalili Family Trust - Nasser D. Collection. Al-Khalili Islamic Art
Subject
Mini album print mounted on card
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Physical Dimensions
ARC.pp 211.4: 16.5 × 21.5 ، وهي مثبتة : 23.5 × 32 سمARC.pp 211.9 : 11 × 16.5 ، وهي مثبتة : 24 × 33.5 سم
Library
Museum With No Frontiers
Library Asset ID
ARC.pp 211
Record ID
object;EPM;uk;Mus22;2;ar
Library Location
Al-Khalili Family Trust - Nasser D. Collection. Al-Khalili Islamic Art
Date
Hijri 1297 / AD 1880
Notes
Muhammad Siddiqbay was the first person to take pictures of Mecca, Medina and the Hajj. He is an Egyptian military engineer and surveyor. He was also the treasurer of the Egyptian Hajj caravan, and he traveled many times to the Hijaz. Using a technique first invented in the 1850s, Siddiqui took his first photographs in 1861 using a film negative consisting of a glass plate, which was particularly useful for large-scale frames. His pictures were often signed and dated on negatives. His most important photographs of the holy buildings and sites in Mecca and Medina, as well as the sites at Arafat and Mina, were taken in 1880 and 1881. For the first time, pilgrimages to the holy cities were documented accurately and truly. Siddiq Bay’s achievements in the field of photography were appreciated by the Arab and European worlds, and in 1881 he won a gold medal at the Venice Geographical Exhibition. He published two important works, “The Meshal of the Mahmal” in 1881 and “The Pilgrim’s Guide” in 1896, both of which presented his photographs and notes on his travels. Twelve of his pictures are in the collection. [arc.pp 211.9] It is a view of the city showing Bab al-Shami at the northern end of the city. It is a large gate in the form of a stone wall located within the city, and it was one of three places through which one could enter the town. In the center of the picture is the green dome built above the tomb of the Prophet Muhammad. [arc.pp 211.4] It is a scene of the Kaaba surrounded by pilgrims performing circumambulation. The gutter can be clearly seen above the Kaaba, while the Bilal Mosque can be seen at the top of the hill behind. The photo is signed and dated in Arabic in the lower right corner.
Sample Text
“Photographic Views of Hajj by Muhammad Siddiq Bey” within Explore Islamic Art Collections. Museum Without Borders, 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;EPM;uk;Mus22;2;ar
