After Hijrah, 2023
Sound Installation

For centuries, al-Ma‘la cemetery in Makkah al-Mukarramah has been the final resting place for city residents and pilgrims alike, Muslims from many nations and from all walks of life.

After Hijrah is a sound installation inspired by a selection of historic tombstones from the cemetery. Artist Sarah Al Abdali (b. 1989, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia) has conducted rigorous research to uncover the family trees of those commemorated by the chosen tombstones, and used these to script “clouds” of sound narrating episodes of shared human experience. As the visitor pauses to listen, moments of intimacy are created in which stories from the past find new life in the present. This is a particularly personal artwork for Al Abdali, who was able to trace her own ancestors in the course of this project. On a wider level, the “voices” of the exhibited shawahid (“witnesses” in Arabic) testify to the social and religious histories which have formed the unique culture of Makkah.