Lot 129: A COLLECTION OF VINTAGE HAJJ PILGRIMAGE SOUVENIR PRINTS AND CERTIFICATES

This collection consists of several colour-printed paper souvenirs and certificates related to the Hajj pilgrimage, likely dating from the mid-20th century. The prints utilize colour lithography or offset printing techniques with a bold, saturated palette characteristic of commercial religious ephemera. One print depicts a panoramic view of the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca with the Kaaba at its centre, bordered at the top by a calligraphic band featuring verses from the Quran (Surah Al-Imran, 3:96-97). Small vignettes at the bottom illustrate significant holy sites including the Well of Zamzam, Mount Arafat, and Al-Safa and Al-Marwa, alongside a steamship representing travel to the Hejaz. This print bears the mark of Al-Maktaba al-Hussayniya at No. 18 Al-Mashhad al-Husayni in Cairo, Egypt. Another print features a tripartite layout displaying the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina, and the Kaaba in Mecca, framed by twenty vignettes of various religious landmarks and published by Dar al-Ta’awun in Mecca. A third print presents an isometric view of the Kaaba and its surrounding courtyard within a decorative red and green floral border, containing extensive Arabic calligraphy and published by Al-Maktaba al-Tijariya al-Kubra in Cairo. The final print is a Hajj Badal certificate intended for pilgrimage performed on behalf of another person, showing a perspective view of the Kaaba with six rectangular vignettes of holy sites arranged along the lower edge, published by Al-Maktaba al-Tijariya in Mecca.