Mecca (Mohammed)

The second in a trio of prints about the world's three evangelical religions - Bethlehem (birthplace of Jesus), Mecca (birthplace of Mohammed) and Lumbini (birthplace of Buddha). Each of these three "Birthplaces" prints is based on a satellite view of the location combined with a border and a symbol at the top for the religion that began with the birth.

For theMecca print I've used gold for the desert and green because green is the color associated with Mohammed. The white area in the center of the print is the Grand Mosque where all Muslims make a once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimage, called the hajj. The calligraphy in the square at the top of the print is Mohammed's name in Arabic, and the border is calligraphy that says bi'sm Allah ar-rahman ar-rahim, “in the name of Allah, most gracious, most compassionate.”

While I was working on this print, I found out that Mecca is closed to non-Muslims. Interesting that thanks to Google Earth I can view Mecca anyway. I wonder if I've trespassed by fixing my view on the heart of this city for two months straight (which is how long it took me to make this print).