Hajj Paintings

Since the seventh century, the Hajj, or Great Pilgrimage to Mecca, has been a lifelong goal of devout Muslims throughout the world. Entire households may save for years to send a respected family member to Mecca. Egyptian Hajjis (or Hajjas, if female) traditionally celebrate their sacred journey by commissioning a local artist to depict their religious odyssey on the walls of their homes.

Hajj Paintings is the first visual record of the richness and variety of this naive art form, considered Egypt's most significant contribution to the contemporary international folk art scene.

Photographer Ann Parker and writer Avon Neal spent a decade exploring towns, villages, and isolated farm communities along the Nile, across the Delta, down the Red Sea coast, and into the Sinai. On the walls of buildings ranging from alabaster factories to mud brick farmhouses they found brilliant murals illuminated by the desert sun, portraying beloved icons of the pilgrims' faith and scenes from the Koran.

Their nearly one hundred and fifty color photographs and accompanying descriptions record the radiant palette of mostly self-taught artists. Unprotected from the scorching sun, sandy winds, and seasonal rains, these "flowers in the desert" eventually fade and vanish, never to be repaired or recreated. Hajj Paintings is the only major study and lasting record of this ephemeral but important religious folk art.