NMC272H1

Hajj and History

The history of the hajj (Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca) reflects important political, theological, social, artistic, and technological developments in Middle Eastern and Islamic history. This course begins with an exploration of Mecca as a pilgrimage site before the Islamic era and continues with an examination of how the history of the hajj reflects and intersects with important moments and trends in the history of Muslims around the world from medieval times to the 21st century. We will discuss the significance of the pilgrimage especially during periods of transformation such as the fitna (civil wars) of early Islamic history, the rise of hadith scholars and the ulama as religious leaders in the Abbasid era, the aesthetic and political Ottomanization of the Arab world, British naval domination over the Indian ocean and colonization of India, the evolution the Saudi state and its religious program, pan-Islamic movement in the post-colonial era, and the growth of Muslim minority communities around the world in the 21st century.