Prayer hat

Producer: Modern Sari Centre

Date: 1993

Accession number: 94.94/11a

Place of collection: 138 Brick Lane, Spitalfields, London E1 [Tower Hamlets]

Measurements: diameter: 140 mm

Muslim men wear this crocheted cap, called a topi, for prayer. Observant Muslims pray five times a day, at sunrise, midday, mid-afternoon, sunset and after dark. Before praying, they wash their hands, feet and face, remove their shoes and cover their heads. When Muslims pray, they face in the direction of Mecca, the sacred city which Mohammed converted to Islam. Mecca in Saudi Arabia is a destination which all Muslims strive to reach at least once in their lives when they undertake the Hajj pilgrimage.