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A hajj certificate showing the Kaaba within the Masjid al-Haram

Hajj: Journey to the Heart of Islam was an exhibition held at the British Museum in London from 26 January to 15 April 2012. It was the world's first major exhibition telling the story, visually and textually, of the hajj: the pilgrimage to Mecca which is one of the five pillars of Islam. Textiles, manuscripts, historical documents, photographs, and art works from many different countries and eras were displayed to illustrate the themes of travel to Mecca, hajj rituals, and the Kaaba (depicted). The exhibition was formally opened by the then Prince Charles and was popular both with Muslims and non-Muslims, attracting nearly 120,000 adult visitors and favourable press reviews. An exhibition catalogue with essays about the hajj was published by the British Museum in 2012, along with a shorter illustrated guide to the hajj. An academic conference, linked to the exhibition, resulted in another book about the topic. (Full article...)

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In the news

Evacuation in Rakhine, Myanmar

Cyclone Mocha strikes Myanmar (evacuation pictured) and Bangladesh, killing more than 80 people.
In the Thai general election, an anti-military-junta coalition led by the Move Forward Party wins a majority in the House of Representatives.
Loreen of Sweden wins the Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Tattoo".
In cycling, Annemiek van Vleuten wins La Vuelta Femenina.
In horse racing, Mage wins the Kentucky Derby.
King Charles III and Queen Camilla are crowned at Westminster Abbey in London.

On this day

May 17: International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia

Anne of Denmark

1590 – Anne of Denmark (pictured) was crowned queen consort of Scotland in a ceremony at Holyrood Abbey in Edinburgh.
1863 – American Civil War: at the Battle of Big Black River Bridge in Mississippi, Union forces under John McClernand defeated a Confederate rearguard, capturing around 1,700 men.
1900 – The first copies of the children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum were printed.
1954 – The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the landmark case Brown v. Board of Education, outlawing racial segregation in public schools because "separate educational facilities are inherently unequal" and therefore unconstitutional.
1987 – An Iraqi jet aircraft fired two Exocet missiles at the American frigate USS Stark leaving 37 personnel of the warship dead and 21 others injured.

Mary, Queen of Hungary (d. 1395)
Chen-Lu Tsou (b. 1923)
Jeannette Piccard (d. 1981)

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Today's featured picture

Samantha Cristoforetti (born 1977) is an Italian European Space Agency astronaut, former Italian Air Force pilot and engineer. She holds the record for the longest uninterrupted spaceflight by a European astronaut (199 days, 16 hours), and she held the record for the longest single space flight by a woman until this was broken by Peggy Whitson in June 2017. She is also the first Italian woman in space. She took command of ISS Expedition 68 on 28 September 2022. This official photographic portrait of Cristoforetti wearing an Extravehicular Mobility Unit spacesuit was taken in 2013.

Photograph credit: NASA

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