The Last Tashahud — MOATH ALOFI

The Last Tashahud, 2017

A photographic series that captures desolated mosques scattered along the winding roads leading to the holy city of Medina, Saudi Arabia, it documents mosques built by philanthropists hoping to offer a haven for travelers, both of whom seek to reap the sacramental rewards of these structures.

Pronounced Al-Tashahhud Al-Akheer in Arabic, the title is an Islamic incantation that translates to the last witnessing. Moath emulates the structures’ anachronism, displaced from the contemporary understanding of a house of worship, and only witnessed by travelers and the occasional passerby.