middle east

Thank you Ali Kazuyoshi Nomachi, thank you Seyyed Hossein, thank you Aperture and thanks to everyone who made possible, such a unique collection.

This book has 4 major sections. First is about history, geography, out skirts and some related information about Islam, Hajj and Arabia. Next 3 are covering Mecca, Medina and Arabia. The text, the history, the photographs, the geography, its not just insightful for Muslims but also for non-Muslims. Its a beautiful gift.

I dont agree with one of previous comment that "night exposure is disaster" because for me it doesnt matter that pictures were taken at night or at day, every picture has its mood and every picture is a master piece. Picture doesnt always have to be in sun light and this is very artistic that photographer captured those different times and moods. This book is like one from series of "a day in life of". Coverage was enough to make me sentimental.

In response to comment "two racist cities...", in short, non-muslims were allowed earlier but after the incident of 2 non-muslims digging tunnel underground to get the body of prophet Mohammad (PBUH) from his tomb in the era of ruler salahuddin ayyubi, its restricted now. In response to comment "Where blacks went for...", I have read history but I have never read this vision. Its true that there was concept of slavery in old times of east and west and everywhere else but mapping of Islam with slavery and this new vision and this conclusion is a new addition in old history.

We get so little information from our media on the largest pilgrimage in the world, that this book is a revelation. Islam and the Hadj are an integral part of the history and culture of the Middle East, and by extension, our world.

The photography is nothing short of stunning, and there is little that is not covered, so that one gets a good sense of the topography, the rites, and of course, the pilgrims.

An essential book not only for Muslims, but perhaps even more for non-Muslims looking to understand one of the world's great faiths.

I will never, as a non-Muslim, be able to visit the holy cities, but this book was the next best thing. Flawless.

Mecca the Blessed, Medina the Radiant: The Holiest Cities of Islam is a stunning pictorial depiction of the hajj, the annual sacred pilgrimage to Mecca. Particular focus is paid to the specifics of the hajj, but it also succeeds in reminding readers of the extraordinary picture of humanity one obtains at the hajj as well as the powerful role that faith plays in the lives of the pilgrims

While another reviewer points out that sometimes lost is the intimate depictions of pilgrims, as a Muslim, the book is a powerful reminder of what is most important about the hajj: our shared devotion to Islam.

Other readers take pains to point things not within the ken of the book. In particular, one should remember that Mecca and Medina are sacred. One reader makes much of the exclusion of non-believers to the holy cities, but in every there are sacred spaces for which only believers are allowed and for which only believers can imbue it with the spiritual value it deserves. And in every religious tradition, believers inscribe the boundaries of the sacred and the profane. Indeed, Mecca is not the Vatican, it does not warehouse religious artifacts, Mecca and Medina serve as an earthly reminder of their ethereal beliefs on earth.