This item has been added to the Database within the Explore Islamic Art Collections project. Information is available in: English, Arabic.

Name of Object:

Panoramic view of the city of Mecca, painted by Muhammad ‘Abdallah, the Delhi cartographer

Location:

London, United Kingdom

Holding Museum:

Khalili Family Trust – Hajj and the Arts of Pilgrimage Collection

About Khalili Family Trust – Hajj and the Arts of Pilgrimage Collection, London

Date of Object:

circa 1845 AD

Museum Inventory Number:

MSS 1077

Material(s) / Technique(s):

Ink and opaque watercolour on paper

Period / Dynasty:

Ottoman

Provenance:

Saudi Arabia, Mecca

Description:

The view of Mecca is remarkable for its comprehensiveness and accuracy and, in the manner of contemporary topographers, brilliantly combines a plan of the city with a bird’s-eye view from about 60 degrees. Muhammad ‘Abdallah, whose grandfather, Mazar ‘Ali Khan was court painter to the Mughal ruler Bahadur Shah II, was commissioned by the Sharif of Mecca to depict the sacred monuments of his realm in the second quarter of the 19th century.

This is the earliest known accurated depiction of the Masjid al-Haram and the immediate vicinity. The painting is also unique among such representations in its inclusion of a ‘vignette’ of a man attending to his jars…

How date and origin were established:

The painting is signed.

Selected bibliography:

Rogers, J.M., The Arts of Islam. Masterpieces from the Khalili Collection, London: Thames & Hudson, 2010: no.298, pp.260–61.

Citation of this web page:

 "Panoramic view of the city of Mecca, painted by Muhammad ‘Abdallah, the Delhi cartographer" in Explore Islamic Art Collections. Museum With No Frontiers, 2024. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;EPM;uk;Mus22;37;en

MWNF Working Number: UK2 37