A journey of faith
Once a year about four million faithful Muslims descend on the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia to perform the Hajj, the fifth pillar of Islam. The largest pilgrimage in the world, it is an obligation that must be fulfilled by every able bodied Muslim of financial means at least once in their lifetime.
The sights and sounds of the pilgrimage have only ever been experienced by Muslims as Mecca is closed to everyone else. But for the first time, video cameras have been allowed into the holy precinct to film the faithful performing their rituals.
The film A Journey to Mecca is the result and tells the story of the Hajj through the eyes of Ibn Battuta (played by Chems-Eddine Zinoune), a 14th Century Moroccan traveller who ventured farther than Marco Polo.
Beginning in Tangiers, Morocco, Battuta travelled across North Africa on horseback via Cairo and Damascus to Mecca to perform his first Hajj. He later went on to travel as far as Sri Lanka, Sumatra and China.
The first part of Battuta’s journey is the focus of the film which integrates images of modern-day pilgrims to tell the story of the Hajj with brilliant visual impact.
The film premiered in Sydney at IMAX cinemas with the key help of Afroz Ali of the al-Ghazzali Centre.
“The film on the big screen has such a stunning impact,” said Ali. “Catholic friends said it was amazing and some Muslims in the audience had tears remembering their own pilgrimages.”
There are many messages in the film for both Muslims and non-Muslims, serving to remind Muslims of their duty and faith and teaching non-Muslims about the peaceful practices of Islam.
A Journey to Mecca will screen at IMAX Darling Harbour for three months. Tickets: adults $19.50, child $14.50, concession $16.50.
– By Emma James
