A copy of the Anis al-hujjaj (‘Companion for Pilgrims’) of Safi ibn Vali Pilgrim ships in the Sea of Oman on Collections Sphere from

Written during the year-long pilgrimage undertaken by the author in 1676–77, the Anis al-Hujjaj gives advice to prospective pilgrims on every aspect of the journey.The author’s own pilgrimage was made possible through the financial help of Zib al-Nisa, a daughter of the Mughal emperor Awrangzeb, for whom he had written a commentary on the Qur’an. The manuscript differs from other guides to the Holy Places in that its illustrations include vivid scenes of pilgrims performing the various rites and cogent pictures of their camp life. Illustrated are the ports of Surat, Mokha and Jeddah; the pilgrim ships crossing the Sea of Oman; Muzdalifa, with the pilgrims in the state of ihram, collecting pebbles; Mina, with the pilgrims casting pebbles, being shaved and making sacrifices; shrines in the vicinity of Mecca; plan of the Masjid al-Haram; and the camps of the North African, Egyptian, Syrian, desert Arab, Indian and Iranian pilgrims. There are also depictions of Sharif Barakat, the ruler of the ‘two Holy Sanctuaries’ riding to meet the envoy of Sultan Mehmed IV; and of ‘Abdi Pasha, the Egyptian amir al-hajj, on his way from Mecca to Medina.