"Hajj Art"
Village walls in some parts of Upper Egypt blossom with naive and colorful paintings that commemorate the homeowner’s safe return from Hajj. A form of folk art expressing their piety and joy; sharing with others the blessing of having completed their obligation to Allah Ta’ala. Many of these people are very poor and are subsidized or even paid fully by the government to embark on this journey of a life time. Egyptian Hujjaj are here in the thousands. The village ladies are quite distinct with a small colourful headscarf tightly binding their head, a larger flowing scarf placed over this. The older women have dark blue face tattoos consisting of patterned dots and lines.
"For the 13 centuries until 1950, the hajj journey from Upper Egypt to Makkah took more than a month; there was no way for the pilgrim to stay in touch with his family during that time. It was a journey into the unknown, with an uncertain conclusion, and the return of the traveler amounted almost to a rebirth. Joyful family members greeted the pilgrim at the boat in Suez or another Egyptian port or at the hometown train station, or awaited the camel caravan’s return to the oasis. Thus the hajj paintings expressed the family’s happiness at the pilgrim’s safe return, and at the same time provided religious inspiration to anyone viewing the murals."
One of the artists: "My art, my poetry, just pours out of me," he declares. "I work very fast while I am inspired by the scriptures; my brush flies across the surface. Sometimes I can finish an entire mural in one day."
From "Mural Celebrations" SaudiAramco. A lively article resonating with the jubilation these pilgrims experience in fulfilling their duty to Allah Ta’ala.
At the end of the article you will see: Check the Public Affairs Digital Image Archive for May/June 1993 images. Clicking on the link takes you a series of small images found in that edition. Then, if you want to view these as larger ones, click on one image and register, taking only a few minutes to be able to access their truly amazing digital image archives.
Scroll down the alphabetical list on this site to ‘Hajj Art’ for more images.
Insha’Allah you enjoy these whimsical images, depicting an imaginative aspect of a different culture’s way of conveying their jubilation and gratitude to Allah Ta’ala.
All good is from Allah Ta’ala whereas mistakes are from this humble speck. May Allah Ta’ala Bless all readers, bringing you all closer to Him and His Rasul SallAllahu alaihi wasallam. Ameen.
