‘”From the very first moment they realize that the Hajj—the pilgrimage to Mecca—is among the duties of each and every Muslim, the faithful long to go.”

This book presents Ilija Trojanow’s journey from Mumbai to Mecca in the tradition of the rihla, one of the oldest genres of classical Arabic literature, describing the Hajj, the pilgrimage to the holy sites of Islam. Every Muslim, regardless of geographical location, is implored by tradition to undertake the Hajj at least once in their life if they are able. Trojanow, with the help of his friends, donned the ihram, the traditional garb of the pilgrim, and joined the hundreds of thousands of Muslims who each year go on the Hajj. Over the course of a mere three weeks he experienced a tradition dating back over a thousand years. This personal and enlightening account will provide insights not only for Muslims who have yet to embark on the Hajj, but for those who have already made the journey and want to see a different perspective on it. Mumbai to Mecca also presents a unique glimpse into this pivotal tradition for those non-Muslims who remain barred from the most holy Muslim sites.
the pilgrimage to the holy sites of Islam, through the eyes of a Westener, but with the heart of a Muslim.

Ilija Trojanow is a novelist and the author of The Collector of Worlds. He was born in Bulgaria in 1965. After fleeing his homeland, he was granted political asylum in Germany. He spent ten years in Kenya and five years in Mumbai before moving to Cape Town in 2003. Peter Lewis is a translator from the German. 

Ilia Trojanov was born in Bulgaria in 1965. After fleeing his homeland via Yugoslavia and Italy, he was granted political asylum in Germany. He is also the author of Along the Ganges and the novel The Collector of Worlds. Since 2002 Trojanow has been member of the PEN Centre of the Federal Republic of Germany. Among other awards he received the Bertelsmann Literature Prize at the Ingeborg Bachmann competition in Klagenfurt (1995), the Marburg Literature Prize (1996), the Thomas Valentin Prize (1997), the Adelbert von Chamisso Prize (2000) and the fiction prize of the Leipzig Book Fair for his novel The Collector of Worlds (2006).