To mark the occasion, the King abdulaziz center for World culture (ithra) in dhahran is celebrating the islamic new year Hijrah. (Photos/Ahmed Al-Thani)
DHAHRAN: For the last 1,400 years, the story of the great migration that Prophet Muhammad undertook has been one of the region’s most continuous narratives, a tale that has been fondly repeated by Muslims for centuries.
To mark the occasion, the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) in Dhahran is celebrating the Islamic new year with a new exhibition called Hijrah: In the Footsteps of the Prophet.
While the actual Hijrah is arguably the most important historical event in Islam, this journey from the past remains relevant to this day because of migration and forcible movement.
Many people have had to move from one land to another to escape conflict or find greater freedom. Many have settled in a land that was not their own and establish a new community.
The journey the prophet took between Makkah and Madinah shaped the beginning of Islam and was the launch of a civilization that now includes 1.5 billion Muslims globally.
The 400-kilometer distance between the two holy cities in those eight days has created an immeasurable impact on the social, political, and economic landscape of the Arab Peninsula.
The significance of the Hijrah can be defined as the transition from the practice of Islam as an act of worship to a way of life, and the Ithra exhibition presents that journey to modern audiences.
On the exhibition’s opening night last month, curator Dr. Idries Trevathan offered tours with tidbits and anecdotes to bring the story of the prophet’s journey to life.
He was particularly excited to share insights with non-Muslim visitors to educate and inform them of what the experience was like.
A nasheed that the Ansar chanted for the prophet upon his entrance into Madinah was recited by vocalists in Arabic, English, Urdu, and Indonesian.
Trevathan has been with Ithra over the last eight years and is its expert on Islamic art history. He studied at the Prince’s Foundation School of Traditional Arts and built the center’s Islamic art collection from the ground up.
Historical artifacts and contemporary pieces help to breathe life into an event that took place centuries ago.
Featuring about 70 academics and artists from 20 countries, the inclusive and immersive experience celebrates the journey itself and also commemorates the occasion of the 1444 Hijri New Year.
“This is a very special exhibition because it's three years in the making—we started just before the COVID-19 pandemic. What's been extraordinary about this journey for us is that we were able to bring extraordinary minds together,” Trevathan told Arab News.
This exhibition exemplifies Ithra’s wider mission to tell the world’s defining stories through art, heritage, culture, and research.
Abdullah Al-Rashid, Ithra director
“We started by working closely with Dr. Abdullah Alkadi, who's considered the authority on the Hijrah route, the exact Hijrah route that they took. What's amazing about his work is that he's corrected all previous narrations or previous research on the Hijrah route. When we did some background research, we realized that, despite its importance, no one has ever attempted to do an exhibition on the Hijrah.”
Among the must-see installations are a recreation of the spiderweb, the caves, and even a life-sized replica of the camel upon which the prophet rode into Madinah.
Documentaries and videos are spread throughout the exhibition, with accompanying Arabic and English audio, recounting the route based on narrations.
Using language, poetry, and recordings of the call to prayer, the exhibition offers visitors an opportunity to be transported to the holy lands. Many things on display are being shown publicly for the first time.
“The Hijrah route is inaccessible by car. You literally have to walk it. It goes through meandering little valleys, and it's very rocky. I think a lot of you when you think of Hijrah abroad, people outside Saudi Arabia think of the sand dunes. It's not. It's mountainous and it's a really difficult terrain,” added Trevathan.
Dr. Abdullah Hussein Alkadi, professor of urban and regional planning at Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, is considered an expert for his groundbreaking research on the travel routes that the prophet and his companions took.
The Hijrah route is inaccessible by car. You literally have to walk it. It goes through meandering little valleys, and it’s very rocky.
Dr. Idries Trevathan, Curator
His books are among the most valued in the field, and Trevathan was adamant about including the works of his academic hero. He was thrilled when Alkadi agreed to be part of the project.
“My life has been determined by my quest to study and experience not only the exact route the prophet and his companions took across the desert but also the wider story, life, and legacy of this journey,” Alkadi said.
“It has been a journey that has occupied me for some 40 years and, with this exhibition, we are presenting new research, methodologies, and findings based on extensive fieldwork that will redefine perspectives on this historic migration. The relevance of this story is just as strong today; it serves to demonstrate and remind us of the reasons why people choose to move from one place to another and asserts the right to practice your beliefs.”
The exhibition is presented in collaboration with the National Museum of Saudi Arabia in Riyadh, the House of Islamic Arts in Jeddah, the King Abdulaziz Complex for Endowment Libraries in Madinah, and Turquoise Mountain, a Prince of Wales charity supporting arts and heritage in the Middle East.
Contributors to the exhibition include internationally renowned Saudi artists, well-known photographers, scholars, academics, such as the president of Zaytuna College in Berkeley, which is the first accredited Muslim liberal arts college in the US, and the Turquoise Mountain Institute of Afghan Arts and Architecture in Kabul.
“As one of the most detailed studies ever of the history and topography of the Hijrah, this exhibition exemplifies Ithra’s wider mission to tell the world’s defining stories through art, heritage, culture, and research,” said Ithra director Abdullah Al-Rashid.
“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.”
The exhibition will run at Ithra for nine months. It will then move on to other parts of the Kingdom. It will also head overseas.
Documentation of the path was mainly done by panoramic photography 360. Later, the migration of the Prophet will be digitally documented using 4K drones.
A number of scholars specialized in Islamic history and the Prophet’s biography helped in this investigation, including Professor Mohammed bin Samil Al-Salami and Professor Saad bin Musa Al-Musa, of the Department of History and Islamic Civilization at Umm Al-Qura University in Makkah, and Professor Sulaiman bin Abdullah Al-Suwaiket and Professor Abdul Aziz bin Ibrahim Al-Omari, of the Department of History and Civilization at Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University in Riyadh, who are also members of the scientific committee of the Atlas Biography of the Prophet. Professor Abdullah bin Mustafa Al-Shanqiti, specialized in the landmarks of Madinah and the Prophet’s Biography, also participated in some stages of the project.
Over 100 historical Islamic sites in Madinah to be restored by 2025 arab.news/ydans RIYADH: More than 100 sites in Madinah with connections to the life of the Prophet Muhammad and other important events in Islamic history will be restored and developed as part of a three-year package of projects that was announced by Saudi authorities on Wednesday and will run until 2025.
Unveiled during a ceremony inaugurated by Governor of Madinah Prince Faisal bin Salman, the projects include restorations of the site of the Battle of the (Trench), Al-Faqir well, and Al-Qiblatayn Mosque.
An agreement has also been signed for renovations at Uthman bin Affan well and Sayed Al-Shuhada Square, and work is underway on studies for restoration work at more than 100 other historical Islamic sites in Madinah.
During the ceremony, which was organized by Al-Madinah Region Development Authority, the Saudi Heritage Authority, and the Pilgrims Experience Program, heritage chiefs also announced that eight Islamic historical sites in Madinah have already been restored to their former glory: Al-Ghamama Mosque, Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq Mosque, Umar ibn Al-Khattab Mosque, Al-Saqiya Mosque, Banu Anif Mosque, Al-Rayah Mosque, Ghars Well, and the fort at Arwa bin Al-Zubair Castle.
Tawfiq Al-Rabiah, the minister of Hajj and Umrah and chairman of the Islamic Historical Sites Committee, thanked the governor of Madinah and said the committee is working to turn the desire of the Saudi leadership to preserve Islamic heritage into a reality that can be enjoyed by pilgrims and other visitors.
He added that the “Kingdom seeks, through projects, to rehabilitate and activate historical sites, to open its doors to pilgrims and visitors from all over the world, enabling them to enjoy a rich cultural experience” through which they can explore Islamic historical treasures and learn about authentic Saudi culture.
The eight sites that have been renovated:
Located near the Prophet’s Mosque, it was built by Umar bin Abdul Aziz at a place where the Prophet Muhammad worshipped during Eid and prayed for rain. The site was also used by Uthman bin Affan for the same purpose.
Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq Mosque:
Built using a wonderful architectural style, this is the second of two sites where the Prophet Muhammad performed Eid prayers during his lifetime. First caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq also prayed here during Eid, hence its name. It was built by Umar bin Abdul Aziz.
Umar ibn Al-Khattab Mosque:
Located in Al-Musallah, this mosque was named after Umar ibn Al-Khattab, the second caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate.
The name of this mosque came from its proximity to the Saqia well.
Banu Anif Mosque:
Originally built from basalt and located southwest of Quba Mosque, only about two meters of its walls remained before it was renovated.
A well from which the Prophet Muhammad drew water. He asked that when he died, his body be washed in water from the well before burial.
Built by Caliph Umar bin Abdul Aziz on the site where the Prophet Muhammad prayed while supervising the digging of the trench ahead of the Battle of the (Trench).
The fort at Arwa bin Al-Zubair castle:
A defensive fortress built of volcanic rock, used for military protection.
Renovation work brings Madinah’s Banu Anif Mosque back to life
MADINAH — Banu Anif Mosque here is related to the journey of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) as this archaeological site welcomes visitors to explore its unique features and formations.
Banu Anif Mosque is located 500 meters southwest of the Quba Mosque. The restoration work of the mosque, with an area of 37.5 square meters, has recently been completed, as part of a program supervised by Al Madinah Region Development Authority and the Heritage Commission.
The program aims to develop and rehabilitate several historical and archaeological sites, bringing them back to life to receive visitors, enrich their cultural experience, enabling them to see the historical sites in Al Madinah.
The daylight time is the most suitable to visit the mosque and explore its details and unique unroofed architectural character, where wooden pillars were installed.
This was done taking in consideration space to support walls and let air enter the stone mosque. Lanterns were also hung and the floor of the mosque was covered with white marble.
Madinah is home to many mosques linked to the Prophet Muhammad’s life. Musbeh Mosque, also known as Banu Anif Mosque, is one such place of worship in the holy city where the Prophet (pbuh) prayed when he was visiting the companion Talha Bin Al-Bara.
The mosque is situated in Banu Anif village’s historical area of Al Osbah, where several people who had embraced Islam had gathered before the Prophet (pbuh) when he migrated from Makkah to Madinah.
According to historians, Musbeh Mosque was named as such because Prophet Muhammad prayed in it the morning of the day of Hijrah.
During the reign of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman, the Banu Anif Mosque underwent restoration that preserved the shape of its historic stone building.
It was part of a restoration project that included several historical mosques in the Kingdom in general and Madinah in particular, within the Saudi National Program for the Care of Historic Mosques.
There may be no religious benefits from attending these places.
But those who have knowledge of history, when they stand at this place for a while with their eyes closed, the vision of that era comes to light. It feels like the event is happening right in front of us.
This is unique about these sacred places, that cannot be acquired by watching a video or reading a book.
There are many actions that the Prophet did which may not be a Sunnah for us to perform, yet the Sahabah would replicate those actions out of love for the Prophet and say that they saw the Prophet sit here or touch this or stand here and so on, and only for that reason, they would do the same. And Allah knows best.
This cannot be undone and I am sure it will be greatly appreciated.
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