Database: Hajj (Pilgrimage to Mecca)

Mamlunk Pilgrim's Flasks / 15th century, North Africa

Once in their life, every Muslim who is physically and financially able to do so is enjoined to carry out a pilgrimage to Mecca, Islam's holiest city. This "hajj" takes place only once a year, in the 12th and final month of the Islamic lunar calendar. It commemorates events linked to the life of Prophet Ibrahim, his son Ismail, and the latter's mother Hajar. According to Islamic beliefs, in Mecca, they rebuilt a temple (the Kaaba, or "the cube") which had been created by angels to venerate God and was visited by Adam and Eve, parents of humanity. Over the five days of the hajj, Muslims perform a series of rituals meant to pay tribute to God on the site of his first temple and to symbolize their unity with other believers. All dressed in the same humble white clothes, the pilgrims move in harmony around the Kaaba, symbolically refuse the Devil's temptation by throwing pebbles at pillars, and share meals.

Crossing thousands of kilometers of desert and mountainous trails to reach Mecca was a tough and dangerous undertaking for pilgrims coming from all over the Muslim world. Finding and transporting clean water was of special importance, and flasks like these were precious possession for any pilgrim. One of the main tasks of any caliph was therefore to assist them by maintaining traveling infrastructures, offering supplies, and patrolling roads. The most famous of these charitable works is Zubaydah's Trail, a network of milestones, wells, fire signals and caravanserais founded by the first wife of caliph Harun al-Rashid (r. 786-809).