Exhibition depicting names of Allah a big draw in Madinah

An exhibition, titled The Beautiful Names of Allah, has been an attractive destination for pilgrims visiting Madinah since its opening last November.

Inaugurated by Madinah Emir Prince Faisal Bin Salman, the exhibition displays, on large posters, the names of Allah and their meanings. There are also several TV screens that show alternating scenes of nature along with relevant verses of the Holy Qur'an to indicate the power of Allah.

Khadija, an Algerian pilgrim who came to the Kingdom to perform Umrah with her family, said they visited the exhibition after they saw a poster near a building where the exhibition is taking place. “There is nothing that one can say about all these beautiful pictures and videos except Subhanallah,” said Khadija.

Echoing the same view, Iqbal, a Pakistani father of three, said although he has come to the Kingdom on three different occasions with his family to perform Umrah, this is the first time he has seen such an exhibition.

“We typically go to the Prophet’s Mosque, Mount Uhud and some historic mosques here, but this time we visited this exhibition as a group. We all enjoyed it as it was a new experience for all of us and it’s a nice place where children can learn and take photos.”

The exhibition, located close to the western side of the Prophet’s Mosque, was launched to celebrate Madinah as the cultural capital of the Islamic world.

Pilgrims of all nationalities can visit the exhibition and choose guides that speak Arabic, English, French, Turkish, Urdu or Indonesian. The manager of the exhibition, Raja Al-Jihani, said that the exhibition will remain open for another year and be expanded to accommodate additional sections.

(This article was first published in Saudi Gazette on Feb. 9, 2014)