In this first episode of The Khalili Collections Podcast we're joined by curator Qaisra M. Khan, and translator Michael Burns to discuss their work on The Pilgrim’s Companion: The Khalili Anis al-Hujjaj. By selecting and reading translated excerpts from the text, Michael and Qaisra will discuss what the manuscript reveals about pilgrimage in the 17th century.

Written during the year-long pilgrimage undertaken by the author, Safi ibn Vali Qazwini in 1676–77, the Anis al-Hujjaj (‘Pilgrims’ Companion’) gives advice to prospective pilgrims on every aspect of the journey to Mecca via the Indian Ocean: which ships to choose, how to stay healthy, the places to visit, the rituals to be observed and the people one is likely to encounter. Dedicated to the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb’s daughter, the author writes a wonderfully vivid and colourful account of the journey. This manuscript belongs to a long-established tradition of guides to the Holy Places and provides a fascinating picture of the Indian Ocean and pilgrimage in the 17th century.

Qaisra M. Khan is Curator of Islamic Art at the Khalili Collections, where her focus is on the Arts of Pilgrimage, a subject on which she has lectured and broadcast widely. She has a degree in Law and an MPhil in Oriental Studies from the University of Cambridge and after working for many years in financial consulting, she acquired an MA in Islamic Art from SOAS, University of London. She worked for the Museum of Islamic Art in Qatar and later at the British Museum, co-curating the pioneering Hajj Journey to the Heart of Islam exhibition. Her publications include Hajj and the Arts of Pilgrimage (2022), Essays in Honour of Nasser David Khalili (2023).

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.

The publication is available for purchase through the Kulturalis website.