Al-Hajj is the
22nd chapter (
surah) of the
Quran, describing the pilgrimage to
Mecca known as the
Hajj. This Chinese scroll in ink, watercolour and gold on paper was produced in the second half of the 19th century, contains the full text of the chapter in Arabic, and is now part of the
Khalili Collection of Hajj and the Arts of Pilgrimage. Almost five metres (16 feet) in length, the scroll's illustrations include a map entitled "Routes of the Hajj", a view of the
Great Wall of China, and views of Mecca and
Medina, as well as diagrammatic depictions of the stations of pilgrimage and Jerusalem, including the
Kaaba. The illustrations are captioned in Chinese.
Calligraphy credit: 'Abdallah; photographed by the Khalili Collections
