'Die Ka’bah'. Photographer: Muhammad S̱ādiq Bey
1781.b.6/3
1 items in this record
Search within this record
The record is made up of 1 photographic print. It was created in 1881. It was written in German. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .
About this record
- Content
Genre/Subject Matter:
This west-southwest view inside the Masjid al-Haram of the Caaba and, behind it, the sacred mountain Jebel Abu Qubays (1220 ft / 460 m), which overlooks the Masjid al-Haram to the east. At the summit stands a squat, apparently unfinished structure which later became the Bilal mosque, according to later photographs, for example Photo 174/5 ( c. 1907).
The buildings that line the foothills of Abu Qubays, feature distinctive Ottoman-era architectural features, such as a roshan (known elsewhere as mashrabiyya, or enclosed balcony), which are almost unchanged almost twenty years later in the same view by the Delhi-based photographers H. A. Mirza & Sons (Photo 174/5).
Inscriptions:
Printed above image, in ink:
III
Printed beneath image, in ink:
‘Die Ka’bah.’
A circular 'British Museum' blind stamp is located in the lower right corner.
Temporal Context:
This photograph was likely taken by the Egyptian photographer, army engineer and surveyor Muhammad S̱ādiq Bey (1832-1902). The attribution is claimed by Durkje van der Wal in his publication Christiaan Snouck Hurgronje: The First Western Photographer in Mecca, 1884-1885 , Amsterdam : Manfred & Hanna Heiting Fund, Rijksmuseum, 2011, p. 40. As such the picture is likely to date to his 1881 visit to the city. How Christiaan Snouck Hurgronje acquired the image is unknown.
- Extent and format
- 1 photographic print
- It is part of
- 138 imagesRef: 1781.b.6
- Physical characteristics
Dimensions:
169 x 210 mm
Format:
1 photographic print pasted into volume
Condition:
The print is in good condition with one minor surface loss in the lower portion of the image.
Foliation:
‘III’
- Written in
- German in Latin script
- Type
- Photograph
Archive information for this record
- Original held at
- British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity.
- Access conditions
Unrestricted
- Archive reference
- 1781.b.6/3
- Date(s)
- 1881 (CE, Gregorian)
Access & Reference
History of this record
Related search terms
- Subjects
- Landscape photographyMosques
Use and share this record
- Share this record
- Cite this record in your research
'Die Ka’bah'. Photographer: Muhammad S̱ādiq Bey, British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, 1781.b.6/3, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100023619120.0x00002c> [accessed 19 April 2024]
- Link to this record
https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100023619120.0x00002c
- IIIF details
This record has a IIIF manifest available as follows. If you have a compatible viewer you can drag the icon to load it.https://www.qdl.qa/en/iiif/81055/vdc_100022547736.0x000001/manifestOpen in Universal viewerOpen in Mirador viewerMore options for embedding images
Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- 1781.b.6/3
- Title
- 'Die Ka’bah'. Photographer: Muhammad S̱ādiq Bey
- Pages
- 5r
- Author
- Muḥammad Ṣādiq
- Usage terms
- Public Domain