Description

A rare ephemeral illustrated pamphlet in Ottoman language was lithographed and sold in one of the gates of the Great Mosque, Baab-As-Salaam, to the visitors on the Hajj pilgrimage. The chapters describe the architectural elements of the Mosque and their spiritual meanings through the prayers. The illustrations represent the Great Mosque with its architecture from the time of the late Ottoman Empire.

The brochure was printed by Abd al-Hafid and His Brothers and distributed by Maktabah al-Nahdah al-Hadithah bookstore on the premises of the entrance to the Mosque. Such pamphlets became especially desirable, when more people could easily reach Mecca through newly built parts of the Hejaz Railroad in 1908. This vivid connection between this religious center and other parts of the Ottoman Empire was abruptly interrupted by the World War I.

Due to their ephemeral nature such pamphlets are very rare on the market. We could not find any institutional examples.