MAKKAH: While many pilgrims were raising their hands in prayer, others were lifting cameras and mobile phones, photographing scenes from Haj. A number of pilgrims were keen to take advantage of their presence in Makkah and the holy sites to document life’s most sacred journey.
No matter where you went, you would have seen cameras capturing the moment, especially in the usually crowded Jamrat area and the valleys of Mina. Some pilgrims considered this a documentation of the beautiful and blessed days they spent in the sacred places while others wanted to record the accomplishments of the Saudi government in looking after the welfare of pilgrims and visitors.
Abdul Rahman Muhammad, a pilgrim from Algeria, had an advanced video camera to record the Haj journey. He said he was a professional photographer making a documentary film about Haj. He began taking pictures of boarding the plane, landing at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, visiting Madinah and the journey by bus to Makkah and the holy sites. “I have never in my life seen anything more beautiful than the Green Dome on the Prophet’s Mosque,” he said.
Muhammad’s only regret was not taking his camera into the Grand Mosque as this was forbidden.
The pilgrims were also keen to photograph historic sites such as Jabal Al-Rahmah (Mountain of Mercy) in Arafat, Ghar Hira in Makkah, the Baqeea Cemetery, Uhud Mountain and the seven mosques in Madinah.
Many pilgrims also wanted to visit Jeddah and take pictures of the gate to the Two Holy Mosques at air, sea and land inlets.
The oldest photographed Haj journey dates back to 1938 during the reign of King Abdul Aziz, the founder. Studio Misr, a movie studio in Egypt, shot the Haj journey showing the old city of Jeddah and the camels pilgrims used to reach Makkah.
About 550 local and foreign media covered this year’s Haj.
