The British Museum has just unveiled the first extensive exhibition dedicated to Hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca all Muslims are compelled to make at least once during their lifetime. Mecca is Islam's holiest city, the site where Prophet Mohammad received his first revelations in the early 7^th century, and host to the Ka'ba, the black cube structure to which Muslims direct their prayers.

"Hajj: Journey to the Heart of Islam" is the third in a series of exhibitions dedicated to sacred journeys, with previous exhibitions showcasing the Egyptian Book of the Dead and medieval Christian pilgrimages. But with "Hajj," the museum is dealing with something as significant to the contemporary world as it was to the historical. According to the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia, over 1,800,000 foreign pilgrims visited Mecca last year, more than doubling the entire city's population. "We realized very quickly that this would be quite a different kind of exhibition for us because the Hajj happens now and has a very long history going back even before Islam," exhibition curator Venetia Porter told ARTINFO. "How do you tell that story across time, and with the present very much there?"

Working in partnership with the King Abdulaziz Public Library Riyadh, Porter has gathered more than 200 pieces related to Hajj, ranging from medieval paintings to ritual implements, and contemporary artworks. She comments on five key objects for ARTINFO.

For images from the exhibition accompanied by quotes from Venetia Porter, click the slide show.