Jabal al-Nour
— — the mountain that holds the cave of the first revelation.
Not only on a wall.
“A steep rocky hill rising about 640 metres above the plain east of Mecca. Near the summit, the small cave of Hira is where, in Islamic tradition, the Prophet Muhammad received the first verses of the Qur'an in the year 610. Pilgrims climb the long stepped path through the heat; the city spreads out below toward the Masjid al-Haram and the dark line of the Hijaz beyond. — from the studio
Jabal al-Nour, on ceramic.
Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.
Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.
The place, in three passes.
Jabal al-Nour, the Mountain of Light, rises east of Mecca in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia. Its summit stands at roughly 640 metres above sea level, about four kilometres north-east of the Masjid al-Haram. The mountain is part of the Hijaz range that runs along the eastern shore of the Red Sea. The Hira cave, a small natural opening near the summit, faces toward the Kaaba and is reached by a stone path of about 1,750 steps that climbs roughly 270 metres from the base.
The Hira cave is a small fissure in the dark granite near the summit, about 3.7 metres long and 1.6 metres wide. According to Islamic tradition, the Prophet Muhammad would retreat there for contemplation, and during the month of Ramadan in the year 610 received the first revelation of the Qur'an from the angel Jibril. The cave is not a formal place of worship; it is visited as a site of remembrance. Saudi authorities have periodically discouraged climbing on safety grounds, but the path remains open to pilgrims.
The climb begins from the base parking area off the Ibrahim Al Khalil Road and follows a stepped stone path of roughly 1,750 steps to the summit. Most pilgrims take between one and two hours up; the descent is shorter. Heat and crowding are the principal hazards, especially in the months of Hajj and Umrah; the path is unshaded. The cave entrance is narrow, and pilgrims usually pause at the mouth rather than enter. The view back across Mecca toward the Masjid al-Haram is the reason most climbers turn around slowly.