JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia’s King Abdulaziz Public Library (KAPL) launched a four-day exhibition of Islamic coins and manuscripts on Wednesday, on the sidelines of a ministerial meeting of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization in the Moroccan capital of Rabat.
The exhibition is being staged in partnership with the Saudi Libraries Authority, the National Committee for Education, Science and Culture, and ICESCO. 
The exhibition, patronized by Saudi Minister of Culture and NCESC chairman Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan, was inaugurated by Dr. Salem bin Mohammed Al-Malik, ICESCO director general. The ceremony was attended by 58 heads of delegations from Islamic countries participating in the ICESCO meeting.
KAPL director Dr. Bandar Al-Mubarak said that the library is exhibiting its “most important manuscripts and coins, revealing aspects of the ancient history of many Islamic countries.”
HIGHLIGHT
Two of the most notable exhibits are a gold dinar produced during the reign of Caliph Abdul Malik bin Marwan in the late 7th century CE and a Makkah dinar — one of the earliest examples of an Arab-produced currency.
The exhibition contains around 50 rare coins from across the Islamic world, including gold, silver, and bronze coins that date back to the Umayyad, Abbasid, Andalusian, Fatimid, Ayyubid, Atabeg, Seljuk, and Mamluk eras.
Two of the most notable exhibits are a gold dinar produced during the reign of Caliph Abdul Malik bin Marwan in the late 7th century CE and a Makkah dinar — one of the earliest examples of an Arab-produced currency.
In addition to the KAPL exhibition, there was also an event highlighting Saudi Coffee — as part of the ongoing Saudi Year of Coffee.
The aim of the ministerial meeting in Rabat is to discuss ways of improving the performance of Islamic countries in the Global Knowledge Index and related indicators, and to share ideas about education, scientific research, technology, and innovation.
