World Bulletin / News Desk

Nestled between small hills, the landscape of Mecca has been transformed immensely in the past fifty years - barely recognisable from the once small hills, the city now is a mesh between ancient history and modernity. To the dismany of many however, those ancient hills, the old stone brick homes and many of the sites that are inextricably linked to the life of the Prophet Muhammad have been obliterated by mega shopping malls, hotels and apartment blocks.

Entry is forbidden to non-Muslims but Luca Locatelli's ceremonial conversion to Islam by way of marriage to an Indonesian Muslim enabled him to gain entry to the sacred cities and document his minor pilgrimage, called the Umrah, for the New York Times. 

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source: Luca Locatelli for the New York Times