Fascinating photographs of Mecca by brilliant Toufic Beyhum

To say that photographer Toufic Beyhum has created an extraordinary body of work would be an understatement. Born in Beirut in the mid 70s, he moved to London when his family was exiled from the country, and developed an interest in photography at a young age. He has since photographed places from Jordan and Namibia to Syria, but most spellbinding of all is his series about Mecca.

“Originally I wanted to go to Mecca for spiritual reasons,” Toufic explained to us. “I had no intentions of taking my camera, but my wife knew that I would regret it, so convinced me to.” Armed with his Hasselblad and five rolls of film, Toufic was then faced with the issue of smuggling his camera onto the site. “I hadn’t realised that photography was prohibited inside the mosque,” he continues, “but I managed to sneak a massive camera into one of the holiest places on earth.”

The resulting images are mesmerising – incomprehensible numbers of visitors swathed in black and white surging over pure white marble in the final step of their pilgrimage. It’s a captivating sight, and one which is not seen all that often by non-Muslims. “I was so glad my wife convinced me to take my camera because photography is the closest way of sharing my experience. I think I managed to capture the reality of Mecca.”