Egyptian artist paints murals on houses to celebrate haj

CAIRO (Reuters) – Eid Al Salwaawi, 69, paints murals of the rituals of the haj pilgrimage on the walls of a house in Cairo’s Sayeda Zainab neighborhood.

Sometimes he volunteers to paint scenes that celebrate the haj and religious stories and lessons, other times he is paid.

Every year, Muslims travel from around the world to the city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia to complete the haj, one of the five pillars of their faith. This year’s haj will conclude on Sunday.

Salwaawi said the haj scenes he saw on the walls of houses in his home village as a child in northern Aswan captured his imagination. 

“So I draw camel caravans and soldiers wearing traditional hats guarding them,” he said.

He uses simple tools like a handmade palm frond brush and a mixture of paint, vinegar, rosewater, gum Arabic and glue.

One mural depicts women as they embark on the pilgrimage, dressed in bright colors, another shows a caravan carrying the tapestry that covers the Kaaba, the holiest site in Islam. He adorns his works with prayers and Koranic verses.

Each mural takes him between two and three hours.