Hajj Exhibition

Hajj, is one of the five pillars of the faith of Islam. It is a sacred duty for Muslims, wherever they may reside, to go at least once in their lives, if they are able, to Mecca, where the Prophet Muhammad received the revelation in the early 7th century. Drawing millions of pilgrims annually, Hajj is a powerful bond that draws Muslims together from across the world. It takes place in the 12th month of the Muslim year Dhu'l Hijja. Over the course of one week a number of specific rituals are performed which involve circumambulation of the Ka'ba, the cube-shaped building in the centre of the sanctuary at Mecca, and visiting key sites. Hajj has ancient roots. The Ka'ba is believed by Muslims to have been built by Abraham and his son Ishmael and was the focus of pilgrimage before the coming of Islam.

From earliest Islamic times those rulers of Muslim dynasties whose territories encompassed Mecca and Medina looked after and refurbished the two holy sites. They provided shelter along the routes and organised the great annual caravans that took place. These carried the cloth known as the kiswa which was draped on the Ka'ba. The rulers, particularly the Ottomans, gave sumptuous gifts to the shrines. Many of these objects survive today. Before modern travel, the journey was long and hazardous. Pilgrims came from far afield and their journeys are evocatively documented in the form of manuscripts, photographs and wall paintings. Today the holy sites are under the care of the King of Saudi Arabia who has the title, 'Servant of the Two Holy Sites'. On average about two million Muslims from across the world undertake the Hajj.

This project aims to research the history of the Hajj and the objects associated with it over the length of its history to underpin a major international exhibition and supporting programme of activities.

An extensive exhibition on the Hajj has not been undertaken before. It will consist of three main interacting elements:
1) the pilgrim's journey through history with an emphasis on the major routes used;
2) the Hajj today and the rituals associated with the journey, and, once at Mecca, the rituals involved;
3) Mecca itself, the destination of the Hajj, its origins and importance.

The research will lead in broad terms to the sourcing of appropriate objects as well as film, photographs and contemporary art that powerfully evoke the sacred and the historical side of this extraordinary phenomenon. It will also lead to a thorough grounding of the source material including the writings of Arab travelers and historical accounts.

There are therefore a number of distinct avenues of research with a number of key partners. The first focuses on the routes: across Arabia, from the Muslims heartlands, from Africa and across the Indian Ocean as far as China.

Each of these routes will be researched in some cases with key partners who will be major lenders to the exhibition and contributors to the catalogue. For the Darb Zubeyda, for example, key partners are from King Saud University in Riyadh. For the Ottoman period route from Damascus, the majority of the objects are in Topkapi Palace, Istanbul and they will be the second of the key partners. For the trans-Saharan route, the research will examine the journey of the 14th century ruler Mansa Musa and carry out research in the libraries of Timbuktu. Juxtaposed with the medieval period journeys will be to examine the Hajj experience of Muslims coming from Africa today.

Another important area of research will be to investigate the rich source of Hajj related material, including manuscripts from institutions in Malaysia, Indonesia and Leiden and the bank documents of the Saudi-Hollandi Bank in Saudi Arabia responsible for pilgrims from across South-East Asia. The journeys from eastern and western India will be researched both in pre-modern and modern times. And finally, the journey today from the UK and the experiences of British Muslims.

This research is directed to producing a clear impact on wider understanding of Islam and its history with different audiences in the UK and wider afield, as the original research will a result in a major, high profile exhibition supported by a range of supporting activities. As such, this application is designed to deliver clear social, cultural and economic benefits from the research - as well as ensure that clear academic outcomes are also delivered.

The research will aim to expand knowledge and promote better understanding about Islam by focussing on the annual pilgrimage the Hajj.
The exhibition will run for 4 months during spring 2012 and will be supported by a large schools, community and public programme. A unique feature of the exhibition will be the close involvement of Muslim communities across the UK before and during the exhibition and it will introduce new audiences to the British Museum. Based on recent major British Museum and other London exhibitions, 'Hajj' is likely to be seen by at least 150,000 visitors in London and sell at least 10,000 copies of the catalogue. Numbers of adults and families attending talks, performances and other activities, such as weekend and holiday activities will be at least 30,000 and the ambitious schools and learning programme should reach at least 10,000. The supporting website is likely to receive 1,000,000+ hits.

The exhibition will lead to considerable press coverage in this country and abroad, while supporting TV and Radio programmes are being planned. Ways to extend the reach of the exhibition across the UK are being explored, using the model to tour key objects to other UK Museums developed for previous major BM exhibitions. This exhibition will be the penultimate of the BM's major exhibitions in the Round Reading Room and one of the last under the Directorship of Neil MacGregor, this - combined with the subject matter, will mean this will be a very high profile exhibition.
The following have been identified as the key beneficiaries of this research, but there will be others:

1. Different Adult and Family Audiences that will be reached through visiting the exhibition, attending parts of the supporting programme of activities, watching TV or listening to radio programmes produced to support the exhibition, visiting the web resources etc.

2. Teachers and Pupils in Schools in London and South East England.

3. The Museum's media partners for the Exhibition

4. The British Museum

Economic Impact:
This research will lead to a direct economic impact to the Museum and to the London economy. The British Museum, a publicly funded institution, will benefit from the major commercial sponsorship that will be needed to pay for the exhibition, ticket sales and revenue generated in Museum shops and cafes from visitors, sales of catalogues and other merchandise. At a time of significantly reduced Government core funding to the Museum, this revenue underpins the delivery of the exhibition while any surplus supports the Museum's wider activities.

British Museum exhibitions provide clear economic wider benefits for London through revenues generated by visits to the museum (transport, shops and hotels) by visitors, many of whom come from outside London or from Europe. E.g for a comparable exhibition (Shah Abbas), 40% of visitors came from outside the UK and 23% from outside Greater London.

International Impact:
An exhibition on this subject matter will have significant international impact. The cultural diplomacy role that such a high profile exhibition can have has been highlighted in recent studies. Loans from foreign institutions, especially in the Middle East, and the focus on Islam and important aspects of Islamic history, are likely to play important roles in fostering relationships with other cultural institutions and Governments. The attention the e