Pilgrims at the Masjid al-Haram on Hajj in 2008

Package tour to Mecca? How the Hajj became an essential part of the British calendar

21 September 2015

This week, millions of Muslims make the annual pilgrimage to Mecca known as the Hajj. A new study reveals how, in the age of Empire, the spiritual journey became a major feature of British imperial culture, attracting the interest of Queen Victoria, Winston Churchill and others – and resulting in one of the earliest Thomas Cook package tours.

Read More