The British Museum’s Hajj exhibition inspires Paris, Leiden and Doha

July 30, 2013

The British Museum’s Hajj exhibition inspires Paris, Leiden and Doha

ASHARQ ALAWSAT
By Abeer Mishkhas

Image of Muslim pilgrims during the Hajj. (Credit: British Museum)

UNITED KINGDOM---It appears that the successful exhibition of Hajj: Journey to the Heart of Islam that took place at London’s British Museum in January 2012 has tempted other international museums and art institutions to host similar exhibitions. In the next few months there will be exhibitions on the Hajj, the main Muslim pilgrimage, at the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, the Arab World Institute (AWI) in Paris and the National Museum of Ethnology in Leiden, Netherlands. [link]

Comments

Ernest Disney-Britton said…

It was a visit to Vatican City that cemented my defection from being a Baptist to returning to to the original path a set by Catholicism (original is still debated). The point though is that such pilgrimages make such allegiances real. Like families that return to their summer home each year, the Hajj connects muslims with their spiritual family, as I was connected to my Christian family at Vatican City. I think the Hajj experience is far more difficult for non-Catholics to understand, but it's exhibits like this that can shed light on how older traditions reaffirm the links that bind. I am very curious about the Hajj, and I want to know more.

Tue Jul 30, 10:44:00 PM EDT