The first photographer of Hajj Arab ( Makkah )

 In 1861, an Egyptian military engineer as well as surveyor was transported to the Hijaz via train. He was carrying the largest collodion camera, which produced the first photos ever recorded to be captured of the Holy cities that are Mecca as well as Madina. The technique of glass-plate was only 10 years old.

Nearly two years after, Sadiq Bey returned to the Hijaz and this time, serving as the treasurer for the Hajj caravan. He then created an assortment of photos that , be the very first ever capture the Hajj authentically through the camera. These are the photographs that he will be remembered most for.

Sadiq Bey's accomplishments were recognized throughout the Arab world as well as Europe as well. He was awarded an award of gold during the Venice Geographical Exhibition in 1881.

The photographs were published in two books that chronicle his Hajj travels: The Mash'al al-Mahmal ('The Torch of the Mahmal') in 1881, and Dalil al-Hajj ('The Guide to the Hajj') in 1896.

History:

Muhammad Sadiq Bey (1822 or 1832 - 1902) was an Ottoman Egyptian army engineer and surveyor who was treasurer for the Hajj pilgrimage. As a photographer and an author Bey documented the holy places of Islam in Mecca in addition to Medina as well as taking the first photographs ever taken in the present-day Saudi Arabia.

Life and work

The sanctuary is located at Medina In 1880, the photo was taken and with the signature of Sadiq Bey

The family was born in Cairo, Sadiq was educated in the Cairo military college, and at Paris's French Ecole Polytechnique. He was a Colonel in the Egyptian army[2] and then returned at the college for military service to instruct in cartographic drawing.[11

He was in 1861 when he received a commission to travel through the area of Arabia beginning from Medina up to Al Wajh, the harbor. Al Wajh and make a detailed study. The group consisted of a few people along with some equipment for surveying along with his personal camera. Photography did not form part of the official task. The records he kept of the expedition are among the oldest detailed descriptions of the climate and the settlements. [1] His photos from Medina was the first taken in the area. In 1880, he was commissioned to join the Hajj pilgrimage that was traveling from Egypt towards Mecca as treasurer. He was in charge of the safety for the mahmal which is a ritualistic passenger-free litter that was carried to Mecca. Also, he carried cameras, and became the first photographer to capture Mecca and Mecca's Great Mosque, the Kaaba and pilgrim camps in Mina as well as Arafat.

In the 1870s, he received named Bey then two years later he was awarded the superior ranking that was Pasha. At the conclusion the military service, he was promoted to the rank of Liwa which is similar to the rank of Major General. He served as the governor for Arish, an Egyptian town in Arish but returned to Cairo after suffering from sunstroke. The couple was together for 34 years and his wife passed away while accompanying him on the trip to Medina and was interred there. Sadiq passed away from a heart attack in Cairo around 1902.

Photographs

The Kaaba The photo was taken in 1880.

Sadiq utilized the collodion camera that was wet that was created in the late 1850s. It produced negatives using wet glass plates and required an small, portable darkroom. With these negatives, he created albumsen prints which he signed , or later stamping.

The holy sanctuaries in Mecca as well as Medina are among the most sacred places in Islam. In the context of Hajj which is among the five fundamentals of Islam pilgrims participate in ceremonies at Mecca as well as other sites nearby. During his travels between 1861 and 1881, Sadiq captured the interiors and exteriors of various sites along the Hajj pilgrimage route, as well as in Medina. Photographing the Al-Masjid-an-Nabawi (Prophet's mosque) and its surrounding areas in Medina on February 11, 1861, he wrote in his journal that no one has ever taken photos like this before.

He utilized mosque walls and roofs to take panoramic views of cities.  He also took pictures of those who are associated with the holy places. In addition to the Hajj pilgrims circling the Kaaba The Kaaba, he also photographed Shaykh 'Umar Al-Shaibi who is the keeper of the key to the Kaaba and Sharif Shawkat Pasha, guardian of the Prophet's Mosque.

In 1876, his images of Medina were shown in the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. He displayed 12 photographs in an album during his 1881 Third International Conference of Geographers in Venice which was a success, winning the gold medal. In the end, the collection was released under the title Collection de Vues Photographiques de La Mecque et de Medine.

His photos are currently held in collections such as his collection at the Khalili Collection of Hajj and the Arts of Pilgrimage Victoria and Albert Museum, the Reiss Engelhorn Museum as well as the Harvard Fine Arts Library. Its curator Claude Sui describes Sadiq's achievements in photography as important: "[T]he sheer quality of his photos is proof of his skill in this field. It also shows professional standards in his execution of the collodion wet procedure".His photography is a reflection of an artist's understanding of spatial relations and a fervent Muslim's connection to the area in terms of culture, people, and.

Publications

His report on his visit in 1861 to Medina was published later by The Egyptian Military Gazette and later in a book, Summary of the exploration of the Wajh-Madinah Hijaz Route and its Military Cadastral Map.

Other publications include:

• Collection de Vues Photographiques de La Mecque et de Medine, 1881. It consisted of 12 photographs of the stations of the Hajj with four panoramics.
• Mash'al Al-Mahmal ("The Mahmal's Torch"), 1881. Mahmal") 1881.
• Kawkab al-hajj f. sayr al-mahmal bahran wa Sayrihi barran ("The Star of the Hajj on the journeys of the Mahmal by Sea and Land") 1886.
• Dalil al-hajj li'lwarid, the nin Makkah and al-Madinah ("The guide for the Hajj for those arriving at Makkah as well as Madinah from all Direction") 1896.

Each of his books includes photos and written instructions for Hajj pilgrims, based on his frequent trips to the region.  His books in French included a synopsis of his work, but they left the details in his Arabic publications, which meant that for a while, the world outside of Arabic was not aware of his accomplishments.