Sunday Vibes

The soul of four sacred Islamic cities in a dazzling exhibition

MOST photography exhibitions are about the photos. Ambience rarely gets a look-in. A current exhibition at the Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia actually generates some spiritual ambience along with the aesthetics.

It is also a useful visual resource for the six billion people on the planet who are not Muslim, and will therefore, never be visiting Makkah or Madinah. Nor is Jerusalem looking like a bright travel prospect at the moment. There is a fourth part of the picture, accessible to all: Istanbul.

These four cities are at the heart of an exhibition by seasoned Turkish photographer Orhan Durgut. Using official Saudi spellings, the full title is "Makkah, Madinah, al-Quds and Istanbul: Through the Eyes of a Believer". Al-Quds is, of course, how Jerusalem is referred to by many Arabic speakers.

Being a photography exhibition, it's a visual rather than a literary experience. The man who created these exceptional images is a photographer who has given the past 10 years of his life to the project. Grand panoramas of Makkah, in particular, have always been rare. This is one of the reasons that a 19th-century photograph of the Masjid al-Haram fetched more than RM6 million at an auction in 1998.

Durgut is going far beyond that earlier image in trying to convey the feel of the four cities he has selected. These locations have special meaning for Muslims, and the first three are indeed the most sacred places in Islam.

SACRED IDENTITY

In Surah al-Isra' of the Quran, these three localities became haram: the place where the Kaabah is located; the mosque in which the grave of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) exists; and the area of Al-Aqsa Mosque, the original qiblah to which Muslims turn in prayer. Each of them has its own sacred identity. Istanbul may at first appear to be an afterthought, but it was the base of caliph-sultans and the centre of an empire that included Makkah, Madinah and Jerusalem.

To avoid confusion, it is explained that Al-Aqsa Mosque is not a single mosque. It is an area of 144 acres that includes the Al-Qiblah Mosque, the Dome of the Rock, the Marwan Mosque, the Buraq Mosque, the Umar Mosque, madrasah and other places of prayer. Although Al-Qiblah Mosque and the Dome of the Rock are pictured as Al-Aqsa Mosque, it is important to know them by their own names.

The purpose of Durgut's decade of effort is to do more than make these holy sites look as photogenic as possible; it is also to understand and protect them. Making his first visit to Makkah and Madinah in 2005 gave his life new meaning. Being an expert in aerial photography helped him catch angles that are often less familiar.

HOLY KAABAH

The most familiar of all sites from these four cities is the Kaabah. This is not only through photos, but also the countless souvenirs and representations of this massive cube at the heart of the Masjid al-Haram in Makkah.

It is the point towards which almost two billion Muslims direct their prayers and has featured in a variety of imaginative formats over the centuries, from the painted exterior walls of African houses to embroidery on Palestinian costumes.

There are few sights as impressive — and of course visited. It's not the world's pilgrimage venue, though, despite drawing close to two million pilgrims this year. That honour goes to a different (Syiah) Muslim place of reverence: Karbala in Iraq attracts around twice that number, with much less photographic interest. Makkah is still the holiest site for all Muslims, and where the obligatory pilgrimage happens for those who are able to fulfil this pillar of faith.

As it's also the most restricted to believers and non-believers, this is where Durgut's work really comes into its own. The size of the mosque at its heart is extraordinary. It's the largest in the world and can hold four million worshippers.

The photos in this exhibition give a real impression of what this looks and feels like, along with the innumerable other mosques, graves, hills and caves that are part of the sacred territory. In Madinah, too, the Prophet's Mosque is far from being the only place of reverence, although it is the second largest mosque in the world.

PEACE AND SERENITY

Jerusalem, on the other hand, is more about sanctity than size. Durgut's photos highlight the multi-denominational nature of this city sacred to Muslims, Christians and Jews. He provides a strong visual flavour of why this location is so holy to Muslims.

According to Islamic sources, Jerusalem's haram status is based on two elements: the first is the Quranic verses and the event of the Mikraj (the Prophet Muhammad's (PBUH) night journey to heaven); the second is the connection between the city and the sacred knowledge of the Abrahamic religious tradition, in particular the history of the prophets, from Adam to Muhammad (PBUH). In the Quran, Jerusalem is directly referred to as the holy city and the city whose surroundings have been made fertile.

The feature that is most synonymous with Jerusalem did not exist at the time the Quran was delivered, although the eponymous rock certainly did. The Dome of the Rock was built by Caliph Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan in 691 and is thought to be the oldest surviving Islamic building.

Sadly, most of the time, it is seen as a background shot for news reports on the ever-worsening situation in the Middle East. To see this and a multitude of other locations in all their radiance and real purpose, the answer is a viewing of Durgut's photos in the peace and serenity of their exhibition space in the Lake Gardens.

Makkah, Madinah, al-Quds and Istanbul: Through the Eyes of a Believer

ORGANISER: Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia, in collaboration with the Turkish Embassy in Malaysia

WHEN: Until Oct 20

WHERE: Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia, Jalan Lembah, Tasik Perdana, Kuala Lumpur.

Follow Lucien de Guise at Instagram @crossxcultural.

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