<br /> <span style="font-size: 14pt"><span style="color: #000080"> <br /> From a few thousand people traveling by camel in the 7th century<br /> to three million a year today: <br /> The story of the Hajj<br /> -- the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca -- <br /> is an epic journey<br /> <br /> That journey is celebrated in the first major exhibition dedicated to the Hajj,<br /> opening at the British Museum in London on January 26.<br /> <br /> It includes sacred objects,<br /> pictures and the human stories of pilgrims past and present.<br /> <br /> &quot;We hope to be able to get across the hardship of the journey <br /> in the old days when it was a long journey by camel <br /> or by sea and could take two years there and back,<br /> &quot; said Venetia Porter, the exhibition curator. &quot;<br /> Now of course you can go by plane.&quot;<br /> <br /> Yet despite the changes over the years,<br /> it was what hadn't changed which most struck Porter<br /> The experience itself doesn't seem to have changed since medieval times<br /> Venetia Porter, exhibition curator<br /> <br /> &quot;The experience itself doesn't seem to have changed,&quot; she said.<br /> &quot;If you read the historical accounts of pilgrims in medieval times,<br /> their rituals, how they feel and the deep spiritual significance is the same as now.&quot;<br /> <br /> The exhibition falls into three sections, <br /> the first focusing on the journey to Mecca, <br /> particularly along the major routes used through history across Africa, Asia, <br /> Europe and the Middle East.<br /> <br /> The second section focuses on the Hajj today, <br /> its rituals and what the experience means to pilgrims. Finally,<br /> the exhibition takes on Mecca itself,<br /> its origins and importance.<br /> <br /> Mecca is considered the spiritual center of Islam because it was where the <br /> Prophet Mohammed is said to have received his first revelations in the early 7th century.<br /> <br /> At its heart is the cube-shaped Ka'ba,<br /> built by Abraham and his son Ishmael, according to the Quran.<br /> <br /> The Hajj takes place in the last month of the Islamic year,<br /> known as Dhu'l Hijja<br /> and includes certain rituals which must be completed. <br /> Every Muslim who can is expected to go on Hajj at least once in their lifetime.<br /> <br /> It took the British Museum more than two years to collect all the objects, <br /> which include a seetanah which covers the door of the<br /> Ka'ba, archaeological material, manuscripts, textiles, <br /> historic photographs and contemporary art.<br /> <br /> Also on Inside the Middle East: Finding freedom behind bars<br /> <br /> The exhibition was put together with the help of the<br /> King Abdulaziz Public Library in Riyadh,<br /> which arranged the loan of some objects which had <br /> never before been taken outside Saudi Arabia.<br /> It's the most extraordinary spiritual journey every Muslim takes<br /> HRH Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf Al Saud, <br /> Saudi Ambassador to Britain<br /> <br /> The Saudi Ambassador to Britain, <br /> HRH Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf Al Saud, said:<br /> &quot;Hajj is not just a physical journey, it's the most extraordinary spiritual journey every Muslim takes.<br /> <br /> &quot;We leave our families and our homes to<br /> undertake this profound life-changing experience.<br /> <br /> &quot;It doesn't guarantee passage to Heaven, <br /> but it focuses us on what's important in life.<br /> <br /> &quot;It's a sensitive issue for the British Museum to tackle<br /> and we had long discussions to make sure it was accurate.<br /> Eventually they did an excellent job.&quot;<br /> <br /> Porter said:<br /> &quot;The most challenging aspect for us was to turn it from <br /> a mere collection of objects into something evocative of the strong spiritual experience.<br /> <br /> &quot;The way we did it was to include quotes and voices from pilgrims.&quot;<br /> <br /> To accompany its exhibition, <br /> the British Museum invited Muslims to recount their own experiences on its website<br /> , and hundreds have done so.<br /> <br /> One, Kamran Majid, from London, wrote:<br /> &quot;The moment you enter the Harem Mosque<br /> and first lay eyes on the Ka'ba feels like the day you are<br /> truly born of life, your soul, heart and eyes soften and ease to the glorious sight.&quot;<br /> <br /> Also on Inside the Middle East:<br /> Youth march 'shows true spirit'<br /> <br /> Another, Amal Alabdulkarim, from Riyhad, wrote:<br /> &quot;Hajj is the journey of pureness,<br /> love, hope and optimism.<br /> It taught me humility, patience and justice.&quot;<br /> <br /> Sophia Khan, from Slough, UK, wrote: <br /> &quot;My most memorable moment was when<br /> I just happened to sit on some steps looking out to the Ka'ba.<br /> There were thousands of people from all over the world <br /> circumambulating this sacred structure at the center of the Earth,<br /> all there for a common purpose of praising God,<br /> yet each engaged in private reflection oblivious of any other.&quot;<br /> <br /> </span><span style="color: #ff0000">retrieved from</span><span style="color: #000080"><br /> </span><a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2012/01/26/world/meast/hajj-exhibition/index.html" class="externalURL" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><span style="color: #000080">CNN</span></a><span style="color: #000080"><br /> </span></span>