A Pilgrimage to Mecca by the Nawab Sikandar Begum

A Pilgrimage to Mecca by the Nawab Sikandar Begum of Bhopal, G.C.S.I. Thacker, Spink & Co., Calcutta, 1906. 8vo. xi, 205 pp, plates.

The very scarce second edition after the 1870 first edition (last sold at an auction in 1945) of the first ever account of an Islamic woman’s pilgrimage to Mecca. Handsomely bound in publisher’s black morocco, gilt dentelle border to front board, title and ornament to spine, top edge gilt. Begum Nawab Sikandar of Bhopal became the first Muslim woman to publish an account of her pilgrimage to Mecca. In 1863, Sikandar was the first Indian monarch to perform Hajj. She was accompanied by about 1,000 people, mostly women.

In her memoir of her trip, written in Urdu, she wrote that the cities of Mecca and Jeddah were “unclean” and the Arabs and the Turks were “uncivilised” and “possessed no religious knowledge.” Also included in the memoir is an anecdote about her confrontation with Turkish customs officials who wanted to levy duties on everything she brought. A historic and literary gem of British India and unique as a princess’s pilrimage during the colonial rule, this account is celebrated by historians studying the Indian colonial history, the history of Islam, travel writing and women’s history; collector’s copy.

Condition: Very Good-Near fine. Minor wear to edges.

Title:A Pilgrimage to Mecca by the Nawab Sikandar Begum

Publisher: Thacker, Spink & Co., Calcutta

Publication Date: 1906

Binding: Hardcover

Condition: Very Good to Near Fine

Edition: Second