Pilgrims and Sultans

The pilgrimage to Mecca - the Hajj - is a major aspect of the Islamic religion, yet little has been written about its history or of the conditions under which thousands of pilgrims from far flung regions of the Islamic world were able to travel to the heart of the Arabian peninsula. The book concentrates on the pilgrimage in the 16th and 17th centuries, when Mecca was ruled by the Ottoman sultans. At a time when, for the majority of the faithful, the journey was long, arduous and fraught with danger, the provision of food, water, shelter and protection for pilgrims presented a major challenge to the provincial governors of the vast Ottoman Empire. Drawing on documentation left by Ottoman administrators, and on the accounts of contemporary pilgrims, this book deals with such issues as the financing of the pilgrimage and the political problems it posed.