An unusual view and representation of the holy Ka'aba; the most holy site in the Islamic world. Illustrative representations of this site have been copied in manuscript form for centuries and are commonly aerial views of Mecca from above with the four walls and surrounding hillscapes in view, usually portrayed without people visible in the enclosure. However the present example is unusual because the scene captured is inside the walls of Mecca and portrays the Ka'aba as a gateway, with disproportionately sized figures diminishing under the vast expanse of the eminent building. It is evident that it was painted in the nineteenth century, when the area was under Ottoman rule, and the portrayal of the figures indicates artistry from a European eye.

The descriptive label at the reverse of the painting reads: 'The painting shows a pilgrimage to Mecca. Mecca, the chief holy city of the Muslim world. Its centre of interest is the El Haram, the great mosque which has within it the sacred KAABA surrounded by a vast court said to be capable of holding 30,000 people. The KAABA stands in the centre of the court is about 50ft high, about 40 long and 30ft wide. In the N.E. corner is the Black Stone, oval in shape and about 7 inch in diameter. It is kissed by every Muslim making the pilgrimage. The Kaaba is covered with a cloth of black brocade and replaced every year by a new one sent with (?) ceremony by Cairo. The black brocade carpet is known as The Holy Carpet it's real name being the KISWEH. On being replaced every year by a new one, the KISWEH is taken off and cut into pieces and sold to the pilgrims.'

Oil on board, c. 460 by 590 mm, depicting pilgrims in Mecca gathering for pilgrimage around the Holy Ka'aba; some pigments crackled, the sky and tops of the buildings in the background repainted with some additional retouching to foreground and central buildings, overall bright and attractive example; housed in a modern wooden frame, early 20th-century label to the back with manuscript description of the illustration in English.