Lot 125: A BIRDS EYE PAINTING VIEW OF MECCA BY M. ABDULLA OF DELHI, 1845

This painting on paper depicts a panoramic view of the city of Mecca, centring on the Kaaba within the Masjid al-Haram. The composition illustrates the pre-modern city with its densely packed traditional architecture, framed by the surrounding mountains including Jabal Abu Qubais. To the far left, the Ajyad Fortress is visible on a hillside. The work is executed in watercolour and gouache, utilising a non-Western bird’s-eye perspective common in 19th-century Indian topographical art. The painting features two inscriptions on the lower border. On the left, it is signed in white capital letters M. ABDULLA PAINTER DELHI 1845. On the right, a line of calligraphy in Urdu or Persian script identifies the subject as a map of the city of Mecca and mentions landmarks such as the Haram Sharif, Jabal Abu Qubais, and the markets of Safa and Marwa.

60 by 31cm