Magnificent Launch of HIJRAH Exhibition @ King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture

Dr Afshan Malik
Dhahran/ Saudi Arabia

The launch of Hijrah Exhibition in Saudi Arabia attracted large number of dignitaries and  other participants from across the state. The launch took place in architectural masterpiece building of the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra). 90 meters high building demonstrates unity and prosperity of Saudi Kingdom. It has galleries and museums in its lower part, theater and cinema in middle part and library at the top presenting the past the present and the future.

As Pakistani writer and observer, my take while attending the exhibition and talking to the media there was, “Hijrah was the great example of brotherhood between the Muslims. When the Muslims of Makkah reached Madinah, the Ansaar of City welcomed the Mohajireen with open arms and supported them in rehabilitation there. It teaches us a lesson of brotherhood and sisterhood between the Muslims of the World. We learn sacrifice and hospitality from the Hijrah. Unfortunately, we have not learnt from the history as a whole and from Hijrah in particular. This exhibition will certainly go a long way in disseminating the lessons we need to learn by heart from the Hijrah. I highly appreciate the Government of Saudia and the administration of Al-Ithra for holding such a marvelous activity that can be followed by other Muslim countries as well.”

The media in Saudia and around the World attached special importance with the coverage of the event. The exhibition brings together contemporary and Islamic art and combines it with artifacts, film, performance and more for a first-of-its-kind, immersive and multidisciplinary experience. Hijrah: In the Footsteps of the Prophet is open at Ithra’s iconic building for nine months before traveling around the Kingdom, the region and the world.

Dr Ashraf Ehsan Fagih, Head of Programs Division, Al-Ithra Cultural Center, one of the organizers of the exhibition shed light on the effects and objectives of the exhibition. He said, ” We not only display the footsteps of the Prophet (PBUH) during Hijrah but also tell the story through cultural memory because the Muslims generations after generations have thoughts about Hijrah and the pathways the Prophet (PBUH) took in his way and it has been displayed here in visuals, cultural and literary works. Anybody who wants to retrace the foot prints of the Prophet , can have knowledge and information from this exhibition.

The King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) has no doubt done a great job by hosting Hijrah exhibition that is basically a research of the Prophet Mohammad’s ﷺ journey from Makkah to Madinah. The artistic works displayed here take the visitors in the Footsteps of the Prophet. The Muslims do know about Hijrah but not in detail with deep information and the philosophy it carries. The exhibition will definitely enhance their knowledge on the journey that marked the beginning of the Muslim calendar.

Idries Trevathan, Curator of Islamic Art and Culture, Al-Ithra Cultural Center, shared , ” We believe that through this exhibition, the material we have placed here and the art we have displayed here, utilizing the artists and experts from more than 20 other countries, this will provide hopefully a global view that can be better absorbed and consumed by the visitors with the background of this exhibition.”

The Center’s mission is to offer developmental and educational programs in this sector that is considered to be new in the Kingdom; in addition to introducing the visitors to the great art ,contemporary and Islamic and natural science. The overall goal of the center is to achieve a society of innovation, knowledge and creativity in line with Vision 2030.

Curated by Al-Ithra in collaboration with some of the world’s leading authorities on the Hijrah of the Prophet, the exhibition traces the physical route of Prophet Mohammad’s ﷺ journey to explore its historical significance and bring the human story of the Hijrah to the fore.

It is presented in collaboration with partners from key regional and international organizations who have lent pieces, many of which have never been publicly displayed before, to augment key commissioned items for the exhibit.

Abdullah Al Rashid, Director of Ithra, noted,”As one of the most detailed studies ever of the history and topography of the Hijrah, this exhibition exemplifies Al-Ithra’s wider mission to tell the world’s defining stories through art.”

In short, the exhibition helps the visitors to look into the history of Hijrah from different perspectives, including science, physical geography, material culture, theology, art and cultural memory. This exhibition represents significant advances in academic research around the history of Islam while its focus on the human story surrounding the journey and our shared human values will also promote greater understanding, empathy and tolerance.

King Abdul Aziz Center for World Culture’s Initiative, “Ithra,” aims to “make a tangible and positive impact on human development by inspiring a passion for knowledge, creativity, and cross-cultural engagement for the future of the Kingdom” — an ambition that ties into the Kingdom’s efforts to achieve social and cultural development and a knowledge-based economy that addresses all segments of society, focusing on a future generation of innovators and talented people.