The Hajj Today: A Survey of the Contemporary Pilgrimage to Makkah

Author:   David Long
Publisher:   State University of New York Press
ISBN:  

9780873953825


Pages:   180
Publication Date:   30 June 1979
Format:   Hardback
Availability:   In Print   Availability explained
This item will be ordered in for you from one of our suppliers. Upon receipt, we will promptly dispatch it out to you. For in store availability, please contact us.

Our Price $250.80 Quantity:  
Add to Cart

Share |

The Hajj Today: A Survey of the Contemporary Pilgrimage to Makkah


Add your own review!

Overview

"The Qu'ran admonishes Muslims that ""the pilgrimage to the temple is an obligation due to God from those who are able to journey there."" Today over one and a half million pilgrims annually fulfill this Fifth Pillar of Islam, the Hajj. Saudi Arabia conquered the Hijaz in part to protect Hajjis from abuses in the management of the Hajj. How does that country now administer the religious event that brings so many people, often poor and illiterate, into one small area to perform a variety of complex rituals? How does the government protect its visitors' health and safety, and ensure their proper guidance through the necessary rites? How does it move so many pilgrims in and out of what is essentially an out-of-the-way desert? David Long has set this thoughtful examination of the twentieth-century Hajj within its historical framework. He first provides a clear, concise description of the rituals either necessary or traditional to the proper performance of the Hajj; he then relates how the inhabitants of Mecca used to manage the pilgrimage and finally, relates how the new Saudi rulers gradually brought the Hajj service industry under government regulation. Today there is probably no agency of the Saudi government which is not at least tangentially concerned with the Hajj. Only in the area of health did there exist a history of public management. By the early nineteenth century it had become all too clear that the Hajj served to carry diseases endemic to the Orient to Europe, and by the end of that century health and quarantine procedures were under international control. Today the Saudi government has sole control of these matters. Oil revenue vastly exceeds Hajj revenues-once a major source of Saudi income-but the Hajj continues to play an enormous role in the religious, social, and political life of the country. And even in economics it structures the Saudi businessman's year and provides part- or full-time employment to more Saudi citizens than does the oil industry. This volume contains an extensive bibliography, appendixes containing statistical material on recent Hajjs, maps, and a glossary."

Full Product Details

Author:   David Long
Publisher:   State University of New York Press
Imprint:   State University of New York Press
Dimensions:   Width: 15.20cm , Height: 2.50cm , Length: 22.90cm
Weight:   0.372kg
ISBN:  

9780873953825


ISBN 10:   0873953827
Pages:   180
Publication Date:   30 June 1979
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print   Availability explained
This item will be ordered in for you from one of our suppliers. Upon receipt, we will promptly dispatch it out to you. For in store availability, please contact us.

Table of Contents

Tables Preface Part One: The Religious Aspects of the Hajj 1. The Origins of the Hajj The Pre-Islamic Origins of the Hajj The Islamization of the Hajj The Farewell Hajj 2. The Rites of the Hajj Eligibility for the Hajj The Departure Ihram : The Rite of Consecration The Arrival Tawaf The Sa'y The Hajj Rites The Closing Ceremonies The Visit to al-Madinah Part Two: The Administrative Aspects of the Hajj 3. The Hajj Service Industry: From Laissez Faire to Government Regulation The Hajj Service Industry Before 1924 From Laissez Faire to Government Regulation Contemporary Regulatory Procedures The Internal Hajj Transportation Industry Complaints Procedures 4. The Public Administration of the Hajj The Development of Governmental Institutions The Overall Supervision of the Hajj Saudi Administrative Services for the Hajj 5. The Health Aspects of the Hajj The Period of International Control The Development of Saudi Health Institutions for the Hajj The Health Administration of the Hajj Part Three: The Impact of the Hajj on Saudi Arabia 6. The Social, Economic, and Political Significance of the Hajj The Sociological Impact of the Hajj The Economic Impact of the Hajj The Political Impact of the Hajj 7. The Hajj Today A Period of Change Hajj Administration: A Balance Sheet Looking to the Future Appendixes A. Hajj Statistics B. Glossary C. Maps Bibliography Notes Index

Reviews

Author Information

A specialist on the Middle East, David Long spent three years in Jidda, Saudi Arabia, with the U. S. Foreign Service.

Tab Content 6

Author Website:  

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

No review item found!

Add your own review!

Countries Available

All regions
Latest Reading Guide

ls

Shopping Cart
Your cart is empty
Shopping cart
Mailing List