One Day In The Haram

A day in the life of those who work on Islam's holiest site

One Day In The Haram This reverent doc offers an exceptionally rare glimpse into the Haram, the great Mosque of Mecca, built to house Islam's most holy shrine, the Kaaba. Marshalling pin-sharp footage shot from on high, and sequences shot among worshippers participating in the rituals of hajj or pilgrimage, often in mesmerising slow motion, director Abrar Hussain takes pains to balance the big picture with plenty of minute and fascinating detail.


One Day in the Haram (2017) on IMDb
The Kaaba, the big black cube at the centre of the Haram, is a major focal point – what it represents, how it’s maintained, which prayers are said there, and when. But the excursions to the outer spokes of the Haram, the factories and offices that all service it, the minarets from which calls to prayer are projected, are just as fascinating to explore. Textile fans will be entranced by footage at a factory that makes the black coverings that are embroidered with Qur’anic scripture in special gold thread and wire. A trip to the mosque’s social media office offers an insight into how modern technology is used to service ancient traditions, and that tension between old and new is woven throughout the movie, which is in itself an artefact representative of that duality. ‘One Day In The Haram’ explores the sheer scale of operation here and the passion of the faithful, filmed with respect for their diversity and infinite variety. Director Abrar Hussain spent over a year researching different aspects of the Haram, to bring you the most complete and compelling vision of the Haram ever produced. Packed with knowledge and never before seen footage, this is a film that anyone with even a passing interest in Islam must see.
FULL SYNOPSIS

The Producers


Abrar Hussain - Producer

Abrar Hussain is a British-Muslim filmmaker, writer, producer and director. He was raised in London, UK and studied at Kingston University. Hussain began his production career in 2007 by writing, producing, directing and presenting the Model Mosque show on the Islam Channel. He presented the final of Model Mosque at the Global Peace and Unity event in 2007, in-front of a live audience of 30,000 people. Hussain produced and directed a 2nd show for the Islam Channel titled Faith Off . The Guardian newspaper called it “Britain's first interfaith game show”.

Making The Film


Hussain began the pre-preproduction on One Day in the Haram in June 2015. Initial research included working closely with the Haram media department Al-Reasah Haramain. In an interview with Arab News, Hussain said he "wants to show how successfully the mosque is run, how organized its departments are, and how seriously its workers take their jobs”. As part of the research Hussain conducted detailed analysis of 60 different departments within the Haram, and interviewed many of the employees of these departments, to ascertain which departments and employees would be the best fit for the film.

This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this site you are agreeing to our use of cookies. For more info see our Cookies Policy