The Khalili Anīs al-Hujjāj (Pilgrims’ Companion) offers a fresh study of Safi ibn Vali Qazwini’s richly illustrated 1676–77 manuscript, recounting his year-long journey from Mughal India to Mecca and Medina. Commissioned by Zeb un-Nisa, daughter of Emperor Aurangzeb, the work belongs to a long tradition of pilgrimage guides, offering practical advice on travel, food, rituals, and places of devotion. This volume highlights the manuscript’s vivid illustrations and text, providing a unique insight into 17th-century pilgrimage, maritime travel, and the culture of the Indian Ocean world.

Qaisra M. Khan is Curator of Hajj and the Arts of Pilgrimage at the Khalili Collection, London. A Cambridge graduate with further studies at SOAS, she has worked at the Museum of Islamic Art, Doha, and the British Museum, where she was Project Curator for Hajj: Journey to the Heart of Islam (2012).

Michael Burns is a translator and researcher of Arabic and Persian with degrees from Oxford and the LSE. Through his practice, Lisān, he works on classical literature, contemporary politics, and poetic translation. He also contributes to cultural projects, particularly on Yemen. Anīs al-Hujjāj is his first full-length published translation.