Pilgrims’ Companion

Qaisra M. Khan is a Curator of Islamic Art, specialising in the Arts of Pilgrimage. She holds a degree in Law from Cambridge University and an MPhil in Oriental Studies, also from Cambridge. After several years in financial consulting, she transitioned to the arts, earning an MA in Islamic Art and Architecture from SOAS, University of London. Her career includes working at the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, Qatar, before joining the British Museum as Project Curator for the acclaimed exhibition Hajj: Journey to the Heart of Islam (2012). She has also consulted on projects with museums worldwide. Since 2015, she has been the Curator of Hajj and the Arts of Pilgrimage at the Khalili Collection in London. Her publications include Hajj and the Arts of Pilgrimage (Assouline, 2022) and Hajj and the Arts of Pilgrimage: Essays in Honour of Nasser David Khalili (Gingko, 2023). She also co-curated the exhibition William Morris and Art from the Islamic World (Spring 2025), the first exhibition to explore the influence of Islamic art on William Morris, founder of the Arts and Crafts Movement. Qaisra has lectured extensively and appeared on various broadcast platforms, contributing to the global discourse on Islamic Art. Michael Burns is a translator and researcher specialising in Arabic and Persian. Through his practice, Lisān, he works across classical literature and contemporary Middle Eastern politics, with a particular interest in poetic translation and the cosmopolitan mobility of people, texts and ideas. He holds a degree in Oriental Studies from the University of Oxford and an MSc in Conflict Studies from the London School of Economics. Alongside translation, he contributes to the research and delivery of heritage and cultural projects, particularly those engaging with Yemen. Anīs al-Hujjāj is his first full-length published translation.

• 1.Foreword – Professor Sir Nasser David Khalili 2.Acknowledgements3.Safi b. Vali’s Journey (map)The Khalili Anīs al-Ḥujjāj – An Introduction1.The Manuscript2.Conservation & Display3.Historical Context4.About the Author a.Safi b. Vali’s Library5.The Dedication 6.The Audience7.Other Hajj Narratives8.The Indian Ocean 9.The Ships & Oceana.The Salamat Rasb.The Fath’ic.Celestial Navigation10.The Routea.The Overland Routeb.The Return11.The Masjid al-Haram & Hajja.Textiles & Fittings12.Medina 13.Food, Drink & Consumablesa.Court Culture14.Sketches15.The Illustrationsa.Folio 1b – ‘Unvān and Opening Textb.Folio 2b – Port Surat, ships and tender-boatsc.Folio 3b – The Sea of Oman and shipsd.Folio 10a – Mashʿar al-Haram and the gathering of pebbles for the Jamarate.Folio 10b – The village of Mina and its rituals, including shaving, sacrifice and casting [of pebbles] at the Jamaratf.Folio 11b – The complex of the Pure Birthplace of the Prophet, peace be upon himg.Folio 12a – Clarifying the blueprint of the Masjid al-Haram referencing the four cardinal directionsh.Folio 15a – The pilgrims’ caravan of Maghreb provincei.Folio 15b – The caravan of Egyptian pilgrimsj.Folio 16a – The Syrian pilgrims’ caravank.Folio 16b – Caravan of the Bedouins and the people of Najdl.Folio 17a – The India caravan and the Iran caravanm.Folio 17b – Officials, scribes and secretaries (not captioned)n.Folio 18a – Sharif Barakat, Governor of the Two Holy Places, riding to greet and don the robe of honour of Sultan Mehmed IV, Emperor of Rum.o.Folio 18b – ʿAbdi Pasha, the Amir al-Hajj of Egypt, riding out to depart from Great Mecca towards Honourable Medinap.Folio 22b: The Port of Jeddahq.Folio 21a – The Port of Mokhai.The qapuq poler.Folios 21b and 23a: The lion seizing the young man and an unknown rider freeing the young man. Reunion gathering for the young man and [his] mother.16.Other Copies17.Translations18.CloseThe Khalili Anīs al-Ḥujjāj – The Translation19.Translator's Introduction20.Anīs al-Ḥujjāj21.Timeline of Events22.Glossary of Terms, People, Places & Units23.Bibliography24.Index

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