NICHOLAS ROERICH (1874-1947)
Jabal an-Nour (640m -2,100ft)
Saudi Arabia
In Mohammed on Mount Hira. 1925.Tempera on canvas. 73.6 x 117 cm, Roerich Museum, NYC
The mountain
Jabal an-Nour ( 640 m -2,100 ft) meaning Mountain of the Light or Hill of the Illumination,
is a mountain near Mecca in the Hejazi region of Saudi Arabia. The
mountain houses the grotto or cave of Hira' which holds sacred
significance for Muslims throughout the world, as the Islamic prophet
Muhammad is said to have spent time in this cave meditating, and it is
widely believed that it was here that he received his first revelation,
which consisted of the first five ayats of Surah Al-Alaq from the angel
Jibra'il (as is pronounced in certain Quran recitation schools and some
Arab tribes; also known as Gabriel. It is one of the most popular
tourist attractions in Makkah. Nonetheless one to two hours are needed
to make the strenuous hike to the cave. There are 1750 steps to the top
which, even for a fit individual, can take anywhere between half an hour
and one-and-a-half hours. One physical feature that differentiates
Jabal al-Nour from other mountains and hills is its unusual summit,
which makes it look as if two mountains are on top of each other. The
top of this mountain in the mountainous desert is one of the loneliest
of places. However, the cave within, which faces the direction of the
Kaaba, is even more isolated. While standing in the courtyard back then,
people could only look over the surrounding rocks. Nowadays, people can
see the surrounding rocks as well as buildings that are hundreds of
meters below and hundreds of meters to many kilometers away. Hira is
both without water or vegetation other than a few thorns. Hira is higher
than Thabīr and is crowned by a steep and slippery peak, which Muhammad
with some companions once climbed. Taking 1750 walking steps to reach,
the cave itself is about 3.7 m (12 ft) in length and 1.60 m (5 ft 3 in)
in width. The cave is situated at a height of 270 m (890 ft). During
the season of Ḥajj ('Pilgrimage'), an estimated five thousand visitors
climb to the cave daily to see the place where Muhammad is believed to
have received the first revelation of the Quran on the Night of Power by the angel Jibreel.
The painter
Nicholas Roerich
known also as Nikolai Konstantinovich Rerikh (Никола́й Константи́нович
Ре́рих) is quite an important figure of mountain paintings in the early
20th century. He was a Russian painter, writer, archaeologist,
theosophist, perceived by some in Russia as an enlightener, philosopher,
and public figure. In his youth was he was quite influenced by a
movement in Russian society around the occult and was interested in
hypnosis and other spiritual practices. His paintings are said to have
hypnotic expression. In
2021 - Wandering Vertexes / Mountain paintings
By Francis Rousseau
