National Geographic - Inside Mecca [DVD]

This movie's title suggests that it's about Mecca, but in reality it's more about the Hajj, a celebration that completely defines Mecca in any case. It is an hour-long documentary that does a pretty good job of combining a brief historical introduction to the Hajj and the origins of various traditions within the Hajj on the one hand, and a travel diary of three different pilgrims to the Hajj on the other. It follows an American convert to Islam, a South African black Muslim and an Asian Muslim from Malaysia as they prepare for the Hajj and then travel to Mecca to complete the Hajj. The cameras actually follow them through the various stages which provides a very interesting look at a ritual that non-Muslims cannot see personally because of the prohibition against non-Muslims entering Mecca. In some ways, the documentary focuses a bit more on the personal experiences of the pilgrims more than the nuts and bolts of the Hajj itself and as such, it may be hard for a viewer to get a good academic summary of the different parts of the Hajj, but the invaluable part of the film is the view of the actual circumstances on the ground which are sometimes hard to visualize if one studies the Hajj from an academic perspective. It turns out that the Hajj is both a powerful spiritual experience second to almost none and a strenuous physical and mental experience that tests pilgrims' fortitude. One the one hand you can see the heightened emotional response of the pilgrims that finally get to visit the center of their faith during one of the most important rituals of their faith and on the other hand you can see the stress of dealing with a couple million fellow pilgrims and the logistical nightmares it involves. I highly recommend this documentary, at least as a starting point, if you are interesting in learning a bit more about the Hajj and why Mecca is so important to the Muslim faith.

This follows an American female convert to Islam, a Black South African Muslim, and a a South East Asian Muslim through their diverse Hajj experiences, giving a non-Muslim some idea of what the Hajj entails and what it means to a member of the Muslim faith, experiences unique to Muslims, since non-Muslims cannot experience this for themselves.It is sometimes difficult to understand the dialog, but much of the time one can understand enough to get the idea.

I shared this video with my daughter and some friends. The documentary opened our eyes to the difficulties of making the Hajj (journey to mecca). We realized the Hajj is like a religious triathlon. Each step of the journey is shown and the story behind the traditions are explained well. The photography of the city, the mosque, and the Kaaba involved us. I thoroughly enjoyed the video and learned a great deal about the sacrifices of Muslims who make the Hajj. The film was the source of learning and good discussion among my non-Muslim friends.

This is an extremely well done documentary. As a new Muslim, it gave me a brief idea, both physically and spiritually, of what what the pilgrimage will entail for me sometime in the future, God willing. In addition to what the pilgrims go through, it was very interesting to see "behind the scenes" of what the Saudi government does to prepare for the onslaught of millions of people who come from all over the world. My only criticism would be that I wish it were longer.

This was a godd film from National Geographil. A litte droll for the classroom, but overall, with a little editing magic, can be a valuable expose on the Islamic traditions and Religion. The information on the pilgrimage is well done.

Good video. Used it in my 9th grade geography class.

It is not that bad, but I think that they could have made it 10 times better. I know I've been there during Hajj.It goes thru the process really quickly without stoping and explaining each process. It was skimming thru evrything. Maybe they had time constraints! Nevertheless, if someone wants to have an idea of hajj then it is not that bad as I said earlier.

The documentary reveals many of the concealed questions about Hajj rituals and Islam, the quality of the DVD is good, but it's not compatible with a Philips DVD player, I had to watch it on my computer.

Amazing dvd, really amazing, shows real people, from diverse backgrounds, all coming together and uniting, as ONE UMMAH. to pray to ONE almighty God. also shows the rituals that are performed and why they are performed. The science teacher who converts to islam is shown going to do pilgrimage, and at first worries about how people will react to her being, a white muslim, however overcomes that and finds there are people from all over the world, and what she believes is more important than what others think.a great DVD very up to date, in relation to society and people of today, and shows their experiences and makes you feel as though you are actually there with them. recommend this DVD for EVERY muslim, and to non muslims aswell, to experience something very profound, and aid their understanding of islam and the pilgramage to mecca.

Excellent quality thanks

very educative