Futuh al-Haramayn (Description of the Holy Cities). Author: Muhi al-Din Lari. Dimensions: Text block: 5 15/16 x 3 in. (15.1 x 7.6 cm)Entire page: 7 3/8 x 4 5/16 in. (18.8 x 11 cm). Date: dated A.H. 1089/A.D. 1678.The Futuh al-Haramayn, a guidebook to the Holy Cities of Mecca and Medina written by Muhi al-din Lari, instructs Muslim pilgrims on the rituals of the hajj and lists the religious sites they can visit. Popularly illustrated in Turkey, Iran, and India, its imagery is usually confined to a tight and somewhat dry formula of bird's-eye views of courtyards, buildings, and sites. This Deccani version, however, adds considerable flourish through the curving orange lines of the trees, animated purple mountains concealing hidden grotesques at their rocky edges, and bright palette. Never has this pious route looked quite as cheerful and lush as it does through the hand of this anonymous painter. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.