Futuh al-Haramain (Description of the Holy Cities)

Muhi al-Din Lari

mid-16th century · Main support: Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper Binding: Leather · Islamic Art

The Futuh al-Haramayn is a poetic description of the Holy Cities of Mecca and Medina, composed by Muhi al-din Lari in the early sixteenth century. Often lavishly illustrated, it provides instructions on the hajj pilgrimage rituals and descriptions of important sites Muslim pilgrims can visit. The Futuh was popular in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, when it was mainly copied in the Ottoman realm from Mecca to Istanbul, and also in Central Asia and India. Illustrations of sites and buildings are commonly shown from a bird’s-eye view. Symbols and other details enable the reader to identify sites where important miracles of the Prophet and other events took place. Differences in style and quality exist.

Artist

Muhi al-Din Lari

Date

mid-16th century

Medium

Main support: Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper Binding: Leather

Department

Islamic Art

Credit line

Rogers Fund, 1932