1920 Egyptian Arabic Hajj Certificate of the Ka'aba at Mecca

This is a c. 1920 Library and Printing Press El-Mashhad El-Husseini hajj certificate with views of the Kaaba in Mecca, the Mosque in Medina, and the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem. Printed entirely in Arabic, the three views occupy the center of the sheet and smaller views of Muslim holy sites appear in roundels or cartouches.

Hajj Certificates

Per Ulrich Marzolph in his article 'From Mecca to Mashhad: The Narrative of an Illustrated Shi'l Pilgrimage Scroll from the Qajar Period', Hajj certificates are stylized legal documents testifying to the fact that a certain individual has participated in the pilgrimage to Mecca and executed the required rituals.Hajj certificates are known to exist from as early as the 12th century. Modern hajj certificates, like the present example, utilized the comparable motifs, such as views of the Kaaba and Medina, and took advantage of modern lithographic printing techniques.

Publication History

This certificate was created and published by the Library and Printing Press El-Mashhad El-Husseini c. 1920.