21. Medienworkshop: Pick a pilgrim, play the Hajj

With Tyler Kynn (Central Connecticut State University)

24.05.2023 – 31.05.2023

When? 24th May 2023,

Where? See schedule below

14th May 2023 registration deadline for the Workshop (bjoern.bentlage@lmu.de)

Princess, Soldier, Sufi, Bride: pick a character and join the Hajj Trail - an online game that lets you see and understand in new ways what it meant to make the pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina in the 16th and 17th century. The game - a passion project developed by some tech-savy scholars of the Early Modern Middle East - is based on a rich selection of Ottoman and Arabic sources. The two-part workshop - three if one counts playing the game at home - seeks to explore the potential of digital simulation and gamification for studying and teaching history.
The preparatory session will provide a thematical introduction into the Ottoman era Hajj enterprise and instruct participants on how to play the game, document milestones and prepare notes reflecting on the chosen character's progress and course on the long and arduous caravan journey. Participants then pick their favorite and play the game at their own leasure. The workshop continues about a week later, when we get the chance to compare and discuss each players’ and characters’ experiences, culminating in a public talk with one of the Hajj Trail’s creators, Dr. Tyler Kynn.

Organised by Dr. Björn Bentlage