The Representation of Hajj in Rural Egyptian Murals: Symbolism and Community Identity

Abstract:

Visual arts represented Hajj pilgrimage practices throughout history with diverse artistic materials across the Islamic communities, reflecting its deepened spiritual and communal significance. Rural Egyptian societies, especially in Upper Egypt, represent a vibrant artistic model through murals painted on villagers'’ houses and public spaces which offer unique insights into their local cultural expressions of al-Hajj. Despite the richness of their symbolic and social meanings, these Egyptian Hajj mural representations, and their contributions of our local, self-educated local artists – they remain understudied in the scholar landscape. drawing on a personal reading in the visual traditions of art in rural Egypt and focusing on the mural artwork of Eid Al-Salwaway, a self-taught muralist from Kom Ombo, Aswan, this research examines how these mural paintings articulate spiritual devotion, communal values, and local Islamic identities.

The research will employe quantitative visual and cultural analysis methodologies to explore the recurring motifs, symbolic narratives and stylistic characteristics extraordinary to rural Egyptian murals. The research will compare these modern murals to historical representations of al Hajj throughout different manuscripts miniatures and paintings from diverse Islamic regions, the study positions the local Egyptian artistic practices within broader Islamic visual culture.

The findings of the study illustrate that Hajj murals play as powerful tools for enrichment communal identity, introspective deep-seated cultural narratives, religious beliefs, and local artistic traditions. This research subsidizes to broader conversations within the Islamic art studies and visual anthropology, promoting how artistic representations mediate community practices and cultural identity formation in rural Egyptian contexts.