A long-awaited translation of a wonderfully illustrated 17th-century pilgrimage guide, offering unique insights into the Hajj, maritime travel and Indian Ocean ports, and encounters with Muslims across diverse nations and societies.
The Khalili Anis al- ujjaj (Pilgrims Companion) presents a ground-breaking new exploration of Safi ibn Vali Qazwini's richly illustrated manuscript dating from 1676-77. This beautifully produced volume, with a scholarly introduction by Qaisra M. Khan and translation by Michael Burns, documents the author's year-long journey to Mecca and Medina from Mughal India via the Indian Ocean and Red Sea.
Commissioned by Zeb un-Nisa, the daughter of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, this delightfully vivid account belongs to a long-established tradition of guides to the Holy Sanctuaries. It gives comprehensive advice to prospective pilgrims on every aspect of the maritime journey, such as which ships to select, the best foods to consume, rituals to observe, significant places to visit and the people one might encounter.
This volume extensively explores the original manuscript's detailed illustrations and text, providing an invaluable window into 17th-century religious practices, maritime travel, and the cultural landscape of the Indian Ocean world.
1. Foreword Professor Sir Nasser David Khalili
2. Acknowledgements
3. Safi b. Valis Journey (map)
The Khalili Ans al-ujjj An Introduction
1. The Manuscript
2. Conservation & Display
3. Historical Context
4. About the Author
a. Safi b. Valis Library
5. The Dedication
6. The Audience
7. Other Hajj Narratives
8. The Indian Ocean
9. The Ships & Ocean
a. The Salamat Ras
b. The Fathi
c. Celestial Navigation
10. The Route
a. The Overland Route
b. The Return
11. The Masjid al-Haram & Hajj
a. Textiles & Fittings
12. Medina
13. Food, Drink & Consumables
a. Court Culture
14. Sketches
15. The Illustrations
a. Folio 1b Unvn and Opening Text
b. Folio 2b Port Surat, ships and tender-boats
c. Folio 3b The Sea of Oman and ships
d. Folio 10a Mashar al-Haram and the gathering of pebbles for the Jamarat
e. Folio 10b The village of Mina and its rituals, including shaving,
sacrifice and casting [ of pebbles] at the Jamarat
f. Folio 11b The complex of the Pure Birthplace of the Prophet, peace be
upon him
g. Folio 12a Clarifying the blueprint of the Masjid al-Haram referencing
the four cardinal directions
h. Folio 15a The pilgrims caravan of Maghreb province
i. Folio 15b The caravan of Egyptian pilgrims
j. Folio 16a The Syrian pilgrims caravan
k. Folio 16b Caravan of the Bedouins and the people of Najd
l. Folio 17a The India caravan and the Iran caravan
m. 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 Abdi Pasha, the Amir al-Hajj of Egypt, riding out to depart
from Great Mecca towards Honourable Medina
p. Folio 22b: The Port of Jeddah
q. Folio 21a The Port of Mokha
i. The qapuq pole
r. 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 Copies
17. Translations
18. Close
The Khalili Ans al-ujjj The Translation
19. Translator's Introduction
20. Ans al-ujjj
21. Timeline of Events
22. Glossary of Terms, People, Places & Units
23. Bibliography
24. Index
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, Lisn, 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. Ans al-Hujjj is his first full-length published translation.
