Description: 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 travelled to the heart of the Arabian peninsula. This pioneering book concentrates on the pilgrimage in the sixteenth and seventeenth 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 rich documentation left by Ottoman administrators and on the accounts of contemporary pilgrims, Suraiya Faroqhi here sheds new light on the trials and experiences of everyday life for those undertaking the hajj.
Brief description: Suraiya Faroqhi is a professor of history at Ibn Haldun University, Istanbul, Turkey. Her focus is on Ottoman social history of the early modern period, especially women, artisan production, the use of objects as historical sources, as well as urban life and cross-cultural linkages, her most recent publications are, A Cultural History of the Ottomans: The Imperial Elite and its Artefacts ( I. B. Tauris, 2016), and The Ottoman and Mughal Empires: Social History in the Early Modern World (I.B. Tauris, 2019).
Review Quotes: 'Pilgrimage provided Faroqui with a venue through which a variety of seemingly disparate topics were brought together: cultural tradition, commercial activity, demographic change, religious belief, geographic and military boundary. Her book is informative, widely researched and clearly written.' - Nabil I. Matar, Florida Institute of Technology, 17th Century News, Fall-Winter 1998, Vol 56
'A comprehensive account of the political and socio-economic aspects of the haj during the first and a half century of Ottoman rule in the Hijax, written by a foremost authority on Ottoman history. [...] A masterful balance of detail and macro-level analysis. It informs a host of vital issues relating both to the haj and to the broader shape of early-modern Ottoman history'. - Michael R. Fischbach, Randolph-Macon College, Middle East Journal
'A useful account' - Khurram Murad, Muslim World Book Review, 17 n.2 1997
'A highly regarded social historian of the Ottoman Empire, Faroqui offers [...] an informative discussion of a central practice of Islam and a novel perspective on the relationship between the Ottoman central government in Istanbul and Mecca. [...] [Her] book is a must for scholars of the Hajj and the Ottoman Empire.' - John L. Meloy, American University of Beirut, Religious Studies Review, Vol 26 n1, Jan 2000
'[un ouvrage à] grand intérêt et à qualité remarquable [...]. Il constitue un approche extremement stimulante et novatrice sur les multiples aspects du pèlerinage où, pour une fois, la dimension religieuse n'est prise en consideration que dans ses prolongements politiques et diplomatiques.
([a work] of great intrigue and remarkable quality. Its approach, on the many aspects of the Hajj, is extremely stimulating and innovative. For once, the religious dimensions of the Hajj are taken into consideration as part of their political and diplomatic context.)' - Michel Tuchscherer, Univeristé de Provence
'Faroqui [...] has produced a wonderful book covering many aspects of [....] historical change. [...] This book will remain for many years both a reference work and a challenge to certain prejudices of Western historiography.' - Salih Özbaran, Dokuzeylül University, The International History Review
'Pilgrims and Sultans offers a fresh perspective on several issues and is a useful addition to the literature on Islam. [...] The Hajj under the Ottomans is a complex and multifaceted topic. Faroqhi's ability to put together an impressive study of the subject deserves admiration. Her challenge to Western historians' prejudices makes the work a significant contribution to Ottoman historiography.' - Haidar Moukdad, McGill University, Digest of Middle East Studies
'[Faroqhi] is very good on the architectural and other patronage extended by the Ottoman sultans to the holy places and their inhabitants.' - Robert Irwin, London Review of Books, 21 July 1994
'Faroqhi presents findings from a large array of archival sources previously untapped. In doing so, she fills a gap in our understanding of the religious, economic and political significance of the institution of the hajj for the Ottomans.' - Bruce Master, Wesleyan University, The Muslim World