Dutch explorer takes first ever photo of Mecca

The first ever photo of Mecca taken by a famous Dutch Orientalist who spied on locals after duping them he was a Muslim convert and gaining access to the holy city, sold at Sotheby's for £212,000. 

Christiaan Snouck-Hurgonje’s 'Mekka' and 'Bilder aus Mekka' are two volumes written during his year-and-half working at the Dutch consulate in Jeddah in the mid-1880s, the Daily Mail reports.

Snouck-Hurgonje's academic background in Islamic scholarship made him an ideal candidate for the Dutch to deploy him to spy on Indonesian nobility residing in the Gulf.

His fascinating images show pilgrims from Indonesia on the road to the holy city, servants, eunuchs and their masters, as well as pilgrims with their camels.

His writings include details on the day-to-day lives of Meccas inhabitants and document the practices of the Indonesian Ulema. 

The Indonesian Ulema - a council of Islamic scholars - was of particular interest to the Dutch East India Company.

Among Muslim people who Snouck-Hurgonje spent time with - both in the Middle East and Indonesia - he was referred to as Abdul Ghaffaar.

Sold photo

Other photos