Ali Kazuyoshi Nomachi

Nomachi's rich color images include views of the teeming crowds making their annual pilgrimage, or 'hajj;' details of extraordinary Islamic architecture; portraits of faithful worshippers; and aerial and ground-level photographs of desert areas nearby. Accompanying the photographs and numerous archival illustrations, Dr. Seyyed Hossein Nasr's text forms a valuable guide to the spiritual and historical foundations of the Muslim faith.
Dr. Seyyed Hossein Nasr, professor of Islamic studies at George Washington University, has contributed an essay explaining the history and significance of the two cities. "Mecca and its twin city Medina flourish as the heart and sacred Center of the Islamic universe and will continue to do so as long as there are men and women who accept the truth of Lailaha illa'Llah and Muhammadun rasul Allah," he writes.
Nomachi has worked for National Geographic and Life, and his pictures have the information-packed clarity one might expect. There are fascinating images: literally hundreds of thousands of white-robed believers circling the Ka'bah, Mecca's sacred center; men ritually shaving one another's heads; tired families fasting; small children praying. Nomachi's pictures are oddly cool, but they convey the all-encompassing nature of the faith. Mecca the Blessed, Medina the Radiant will be especially thrilling to those Muslims still planning their pilgrimage.
Publisher: Aperture
Hardcover : 192 pages
Language: English
Dimensions: 10.8 x 10.7 x 0.8 inches