Five Muslim Holy Cities
This example of Indian Muslim poster art with inscriptions in Urdu and Arabic was purchased in Agra in 1967. The shrines depicted from upper left are: Madiinah Munawwarah ('splendid Medina' in Saudi Arabia), Bet al-Muqaddas ('holy house', a title of Jerusalem), Baghdaad Shariif ('eminent Baghdad') and Khaanah Ka'bah ('the Kaaba house' in Mecca) . In the middle is Ajmer Shariif ('eminent Ajmer" in Rajasthan, India). Written on the Ajmer shrine are the words Allah and Muhammad. Over the rose is written Maqaddas Maqaamaat ('holy places'). The rose and crescent moon Islamic symbols are prominent in the poster. At the top of the poster is the number 786, which is the sum of the Arabic letters of the opening phrase of the Qur'an بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم ('in the name of Allah, the merciful, the compassionate'), and the words of the Muslim statement of belief- lâ ilâha illallâh, Muḥammad al-rasûlallâh ('there is no deity but God, and Muhammad is the messenger of God').
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