The Mosque in Mecca, arranged around the central Ka’ba, is the holiest site in Islam. Mecca is the birthplace of the Prophet Mohammed. The Ka’ba was constructed on a site of a temple from a pre-Islamic period. The city of Mecca has grown over the centuries like its counterpart, Madinah, where the Prophet died in the seventh century. Mecca now accommodates as many as tens of thousands of pilgrims in a single day. The site is the point of pilgrimage to which pilgrims travel from across the world in the annual Hajj, a key point in Islamic spiritual life. The Ka’ba is a symbol of unity, a structure of the greatest geometrical simplicity containing a single door. It is, however, considered to be feminine in gender and is draped in a covering of black cloth known as Al Astar to protect its modesty. This cloth, woven with gold, is replaced every year with a special ceremony. On this one day, the Ka’ba is left exposed and unveiled. Adel Alquraishi, a Saudi photographer from Riyadh, had established his reputation with the authorities of the Great Mosque in Mecca with his work on the Guardians of the Mosque in Madinah, published in 2020 as The Guardians. In parallel with that great book, the authorities of the Great Mosque in Mecca have enabled Adel Alquraishi to photograph the Ka’ba, the epicentre of Islam, in its undraped state.

The Mosque in Madinah, which houses the tomb of the Prophet Mohammed himself, is second only to Mecca as the holiest point of pilgrimage in the Islamic world. The Prophet was born in Mecca and died in Madinah in the seventh century. The great Mosque has grown around his tomb and continues to spread at the heart of the city. For centuries the tomb has been watched over by a group of Guardians, brought originally from Abyssinia. The Guardians form their own closed society and exercise authority throughout the Mosque. They carry the keys to the tomb. The current generation of Guardians will be the last. They will have no successors and a tradition almost as old as Islam itself will be replaced by modern forms of administration. Adel Alquraishi, a Saudi photographer from Riyadh, began his extraordinary document by making portraits of the Guardians. These photographs, printed on a large scale, received acclaim outside Saudi Arabia as well as recognition within the kingdom. After making the portraits he was able to persuade the Guardians to allow him to photograph the keys. Finally, he was able to photograph through the enclosing iron grill into the chamber itself. This was unprecedented. The publication is of great historical significance.

The Mosque in Mecca, arranged around the central Ka’ba, is the holiest site in Islam. Mecca is the birthplace of the Prophet Mohammed. The Ka’ba was constructed on a site of a temple from a pre-Islamic period. The city of Mecca has grown over the centuries like its counterpart, Madinah, where the Prophet died in the seventh century. Mecca now accommodates as many as tens of thousands of pilgrims in a single day. The site is the point of pilgrimage to which pilgrims travel from across the world in the annual Hajj, a key point in Islamic spiritual life. The Ka’ba is a symbol of unity, a structure of the greatest geometrical simplicity containing a single door. It is, however, considered to be feminine in gender and is draped in a covering of black cloth known as Al Astar to protect its modesty. This cloth, woven with gold, is replaced every year with a special ceremony. On this one day, the Ka’ba is left exposed and unveiled. Adel Alquraishi, a Saudi photographer from Riyadh, had established his reputation with the authorities of the Great Mosque in Mecca with his work on the Guardians of the Mosque in Madinah, published in 2020 as The Guardians. In parallel with that great book, the authorities of the Great Mosque in Mecca have enabled Adel Alquraishi to photograph the Ka’ba, the epicentre of Islam, in its undraped state.