MECCA, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Altaf Qadri is an award-winning Kashmiri photojournalist based in Dubai, with more than 16 years of experience, including work with The Associated Press. A World Press Photo winner and National Geographic All Roads Fellow, he has covered major global events and conflicts with a focus on social issues and human rights.Here’s what he had to say about this extraordinary photo.Why this photo?Muslims from around the world take part in the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, a multi-day series of rituals that represents one of the five pillars of Islam. The pilgrimage draws millions to the holy city of Mecca and nearby sites, including Mina, Arafat and Muzdalifah.The rites begin with pilgrims circling the Kaaba, Islam’s holiest shrine, at the Grand Mosque in Mecca. This photograph captures a moment during evening prayers, as pilgrims dressed in ihram — simple white, unstitched garments worn by men — prostrate around the Kaaba before continuing their journey to Mina and the plains of Arafat, the spiritual peak of the Hajj. Women pilgrims wear modest attire of their choice. I waited for the synchronized movement of prostration to convey a sense of unity and devotion.
At the Kaaba during Hajj, a photographer captures sese of unity and devotion
MECCA, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Altaf Qadri is an award-winning Kashmiri photojournalist based in Dubai, with more than 16 years of experience, including work with The Associated Press.
TL;DRAI
AP photojournalist Altaf Qadri photographed millions of Hajj pilgrims prostrating around the Kaaba in Mecca, shooting from the Mecca Clock Tower with a Sony A1 and 70-200mm lens after Saudi Ministry of Media accreditation. The image demonstrates how restricted-access photojournalism from elevated vantage points translates collective human scale — geometry and synchronization — into a single compelling frame.
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