La Pelerinage de la Mecque - Essai d'histoire, de pyschologie et d'hygiene sur le voyage sacre de l'Islam Cherif, Docteur Ahmed

A history and description of Hajj by the Chief Physician at the Beirut Lazaretto (Quarantine). Original black and red printed tan wraps with Kaaba vignette captioned with the pilgrim's call "Labaik! Allahouma! Labaik!" 14x21cm. (4), VI, 71pp French text + 8 full-page b/w photos + 3 maps (of which 1 full-page, and 2 folding including 1 in colour). Wraps very good with minor loss at the spine ends. Interiors near fine, tanned with one of the plates loose, and faint pencil annotation to p42. Cherif had joined the Ottoman Sanitary Administration by now renamed the "Quarantine Service of the Levant States under the French Mandate", stating that supervision of Hajj was one of its most important duties. This was in connection with ongoing cholera and plague outbreaks that became more acute as pilgrim numbers increased. In 1928 the International Office of Public Hygiene introduced legislation for travellers under which Hajjis needed to be isolated, tested and vaccinated at one of several designated centres before travelling on to Mecca. Among these, the Beirut Lazaretto became a major stop for those travelling from Iraq, Iran, India and French-ruled countries from this time into the 1940s. Upon clearance, they would board a ship to Jeddah via Suez. Cherif prepared this for a non-Muslim audience, noting the scarcity of literature generally known only to distinguished Orientalists, and incorporates his own professional experience. He explores the origins of Hajj and the Kaaba, rites including visits to Medina and Jerusalem, social and moral influences, and hygiene and preventive measures. Along with 4 classic views of Mecca and the Mahmal, 4 photos show views of the Beirut Lazaretto, its mosque, hospital and lab, pavilion, and the author among a large group of pilgrims vaccinating them prior to departure. The colour map shows Muslim counties and pilgrim routes. The b/w maps show Hejaz Railway and caravan routes; and Mecca, Medina, their ports and environs.(Reference: Mohamad El Chamaa, "Beirut's forgotten medical history: Quarantining before COVID-19", Beirut Today, 6 April 2021).