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Zara and Ali are joined by Salim Bharwani and Maaria Lohiya to discuss their experiences of Hajj. They talk about whether or not pilgrims should be taking photos during Hajj, as well as the history of photography in the Haram al-Sharif. They discuss how modes of travel for pilgrims have changed over the centuries, and the benefits of reading pilgrim travel accounts from the past.
What We Talk About In This Episode
- Salim’s article: ‘Hajj: Journey of the Soul’
- Salim and Maaria share their Hajj experiences and whether they were ‘life changing’ and what this means. What should one do if their Hajj does not live up to expectations?
- Hajj Insta Story
- Should pilgrims take photos on Hajj? Maaria explains her reasons as a photographer for doing so.
- The first time Hajj was photographed
- How air travel has changed Hajj; whether pilgrims have lost something because of it.
- ‘Luxury’ Hajj vs. ‘normal’ Hajj – what is considered luxury? Is it a bad thing?
- Commercialisation of Hajj
- Pilgrim travel accounts from the past
People/Things Mentioned In This Episode
- Salim’s article: ‘Hajj: Journey of the Soul’
- Maaria’s Hajj film
- Ibn Jubayr
- Muhammad Sadiq Bey – first to take photos of Mecca and Madina
Further Reading
- One Thousand Roads to Mecca by Michael Wolfe
- Pilgrimage to Mecca by Lady Evelyn Cobbold
- A Pilgrim in Arabia by Harry St. John Philby
- Lady Evelyn Cobbold: the First British Woman on Hajj by the Conscious Muslim
- Travels of Ibn Jubayr
- Mecca-Medina: The Yildiz Albums of Sultan Abdulhamid II
- Photographers of the Hajj
NOTE: It was mentioned on the recording that the Yildiz collection of photos is available to view online- this is not the case. Though individual photos can be viewed, the collection is available to purchase in print.
Maaria Lohiya is a freelance photographer and filmmaker based in London. Some of her assignments and travels have taken her across the globe, including capturing the struggles of education in Jerusalem, the lush coffee farms of south India, the medical situation in Bangladesh, a Indian and Iraqi wedding in Philadelphia, and the Hajj Pilgrimage. To see more of her work, check out her instagram @justmebreathing.
Salim Bharwani is a UK qualified corporate lawyer by profession who has recently made the jump into the world of business and entrepreneurship. Fuelled by a passion for travel and adventure, Salim relocated from London to East Africa 3 years ago with his wife and young family. Combining his passion for writing and luxury travel, Salim started a modest travel blog on instagram earlier this year – #explorehisbounty. His hope is to inspire a passion for travel, a craving to explore new cultures and a thirst for new experiences and firmly believes that exploring the World and witnessing the natural beauties within it has the potential to create a deeper and more profound love for God in the hearts and minds of the Muslim Voyager.
