The 1952 British Film That Captured the Hajj Journey by Sea
A Rare Narrated Record of the 1952 Hajj
In 1952, a British film crew produced a travelogue titled Makkah the Forbidden City, documenting the journey of pilgrims (hujjaj) to the holy city for Hajj. Unlike an earlier silent film recorded some 24 to 25 years before, this one carried proper narration throughout, describing the scenes as they unfolded.
Makkah Before Its Modern Transformation
The footage shows Makkah as it looked decades before the mosque's major expansions. At the time, the ritual walk between Safa and Marwa (sa'i) took place outside the boundary of the Haram itself, a detail the film captures that later renovations would change.
A Hajj Remembered for a Policy Change
The 1952 Hajj season became notable for another reason. That year, the Saudi government removed a $52 fee that had previously been charged to pilgrims. The change led many more people to book flights, and a surge of pilgrims became stranded in Beirut as a result. The United States Navy responded with an airlift effort known as Operation Hajj Baba to help move them onward.
By Sea, Not by Air
Air travel at the time was mostly reserved for a small number of prominent pilgrims. Most hujjaj, as the film shows, traveled by ship, sailing in from the Mediterranean, through the Suez Canal, and into the Red Sea. Jeddah's port could not yet accommodate large vessels directly, so passengers were ferried ashore on smaller boats.
The Final Stretch to Makkah
From the coast, pilgrims continued on by bus, by camel, and on foot, since the road network of the time offered little else. The film also recounts a pilgrim in his 90s who spent a lifetime saving for this journey, and passed away shortly after completing his Hajj.
A Glimpse of a City Long Gone
As the caravans finally reach Makkah, the film offers a rare look at the city as it stood roughly 70 years ago, well before the scale of its modern growth. Watching it today is a reminder of how enduring the pull of the Hajj has remained across generations.