Islamic Architecture and Middle Eastern Photography: Ground Level and Bird's Eye Views of the Mosque at Mecca, 1926

Mecca Copperplate Photogravure Saudi Arabia Holy Islam Site

Photograph

Gröber, Karl. Two Views of the Mosque at Mecca, 1926. Pair of original copperplate photogravures depicting the Masjid al-Haram (the Sacred or Grand Mosque) in Mecca, Islam's holiest city and the destination of the annual Hajj pilgrimage. The mosque surrounds the Kaaba, toward which Muslims worldwide turn in daily prayer. Published in 1926, the illustrations date from the early period of Saudi rule over Mecca, following the city's conquest by Abdulaziz Ibn Saud in 1924. The two views record the mosque from ground-level and elevated perspectives, preserving photographic documentation of the sacred precinct before the extensive architectural expansions of the later twentieth century.
Gröber, Karl (photographer). Two Views of the Mosque at Mecca. 1926. Two original copperplate photogravures after photographs by Gröber, published in the first edition of a 1926 book containing his text and photographic illustrations. Each sheet measures approximately 8.25" x 10.25", with a printed area of approximately 6.25" x 8.25". The first photogravure presents a ground-level view of the mosque, recording its architecture from within the surrounding urban setting. The second provides a bird's-eye view of the mosque, showing the sacred complex from an elevated perspective. Both illustrations reproduce the tonal gradations and architectural details of the original photographs through the copperplate photogravure process.
The illustrations were published during a decisive period in the modern history of Mecca. Following the collapse of Ottoman authority in the Hejaz during the First World War, the city came under Hashemite rule before its capture by Ibn Saud in 1924. In 1926, Ibn Saud assumed the title King of the Hejaz, incorporating Mecca into the expanding Saudi state. The paired views record the mosque's architectural setting during this transition, preceding the major expansion and redevelopment campaigns undertaken from the mid-twentieth century onward. Both original photogravures are in excellent condition, presenting complementary perspectives of the Grand Mosque as reproduced in 1926.

Item #14423

Price: $325.00