JEDDAH: Effat University’s female senior students on Monday participated in the first solar energy training program to install a rooftop solar photovoltaic system by Saudi female engineers.
Malak Al-Nory, dean of graduate studies and research, said that the solar energy training program was a joint effort between the university and Altaqaa Alternative Solutions Company, which aims to train students and faculty members to operate a self-sufficient system.
“We’ve had several companies offer to install solar roofs for us, but we wanted our students to experience it firsthand, to partake in designing and installation. We’re looking for many studies to be conducted as an aftermath of this program.”
The installed solar system alongside an electric grid helps generate power for the deanship of graduate studies and research building. The solar energy program cost Effat University SR150,000 ($40,000) to install.
Wajd Al-Mehdar, an electrical engineering student at Effat, expressed her gratitude and enthusiasm to Arab News. “I’m so proud to be part of it — to be given a chance by the university to do something not many girls get to do. There were almost no obstacles as Altaqaa provided us with thorough training sessions along with equipment and information.”
Effat University is the first university in Saudi Arabia that offers women the opportunity to obtain a master’s in energy engineering. It shows Effat’s support for the objectives of Vision 2030 to ascertain “a sustainable non-oil dependent future for the Kingdom,” said Dr. Haifa Jamal Al-Lail, president of Effat University.
Girls go solar in Saudi university
Girls go solar in Saudi university
Makkah museum displays world’s largest Qur’an
MAKKAH: The Holy Qur’an Museum at the Hira Cultural District in Makkah is showcasing a monumental handwritten copy of the Holy Qur’an, recognized as the largest Qur’an of its kind in the world.
The manuscript measures 312 cm by 220 cm and comprises 700 pages, earning the museum recognition from Guinness World Records for displaying the world’s largest Qur’an, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The manuscript is a magnified reproduction of a historic Qur’an dating back to the 16th century, the SPA stated.
The original copy measures 45 cm by 30 cm, with the chapters written primarily in Thuluth script, while Surah Al-Fatiha was penned in Naskh, reflecting the refined artistic choices and calligraphic diversity of the era.
The Qur’an is a unique example of Arabic calligraphy, gilding and bookbinding, showcasing Islamic art through intricate decorations, sun-shaped motifs on the opening folio, and elaborately designed frontispiece and title pages that reflect a high level of artistic mastery.
The manuscript was endowed as a waqf in 1883. Its original version is currently preserved at the King Abdulaziz Complex for Endowment Libraries, serving as a lasting testament to Muslims’ enduring reverence for the Qur’an and the richness of Islamic arts across the centuries.
