Tracing the history behind the rise of the Islamic world's great pilgrimages to Mecca and Medina, this account proceeds from the earliest traditions to the fall of the Ottoman Empire. From there the discussion turns to the short-lived Hashemite Kingdom and the establishment of the writ of the Saud over the two Holy Cities in 1925. An appreciation of a powerful cultural and religious phenomenon, this beautiful book draws on the firsthand accounts of historians and travelers, many of them eyewitnesses, to breathe life into the scenarios described. A spectacular photo essay by the granddaughter of the late King Faisal, Princess Reem Faisal, is also included.