Mahmal
Ceremonial passenger-less litter used in Hajj pilgrimage / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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A mahmal (Arabic: مَحْمَل, romanized: maḥmal) is a ceremonial passenger-less litter that was carried on a camel among caravans of pilgrims on the Hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca which is a sacred duty in Islam. It symbolised the political power of the sultans who sent it, demonstrating their custody of Islam's holy sites. Each mahmal had an intricately embroidered textile cover, or sitr.[1][2] The tradition dates back at least to the 13th century and ended in the mid-20th. There are many descriptions and photographs of mahmals from 19th century observers of the Hajj.[3]