By Qaisra Khan
This lecture will provide a visual tour covering the spiritual, cultural and artistic aspects of the pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina, told exclusively through the Khalili Collection of Hajj and the Arts of Pilgrimage. It will reveal the art of the Islamic world created to represent and sometimes to accompany pilgrims to and from the most important journey of their life. In it, Curator, Qaisra Khan will discover the mastery and meanings behind this fascinating art.
The Khalili Collection of Hajj and the Arts of Pilgrimage comprises some 5,000 objects covering all aspects of Hajj, from the eighth to the twenty-first centuries and geographically from China to India and around the globe to Morocco and the United Kingdom. It includes Qur’ans, illustrated manuscripts, rare books, scientific instruments, textiles, coins, paintings and prints, as well as unique archival documents and examples of the work of some of the earliest photographers of the Hajj.
Qaisra has a degree in Law from Magdalene College, Cambridge University and an MPhil in Oriental Studies also from Cambridge University. After working for many years in financial consulting, she left to pursue the arts, acquiring an MA in Islamic Art and Architecture from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. She worked for the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, Qatar, before joining the British Museum as the Project Curator for the acclaimed and pioneering 2012 exhibition, Hajj: Journey to the Heart of Islam and later, on projects with museums around the world. Qaisra has lectured and broadcast widely on the arts of Muslim pilgrimage and since 2015 is Curator for Hajj and the Arts of Pilgrimage, with the Khalili Collections, London.
This event is free to attend but registration is required as places are limited. The MIAH Foundation would like to extend its thanks to the Cadbury Research Library, University of Birmingham, for their support of this event.
Main Image: Miniature panoramic view of the city of Mecca by Muhammad ‘Abdallah | Mecca, mid-19th century | gouache on ivory | Hajj and the Arts of Pilgrimage, The Khalili Collections MSS 1354