RIYADH: The King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture, also known as Ithra, concluded the activities of the global Hijrah Exhibition this week having welcomed more than 100,000 visitors.
“Hijrah: In the Footsteps of the Prophet” shed light on the Prophet Muhammad’s journey from Makkah to Madinah, which lasted for eight days.
The exhibition traced the course of this journey and examined its social, political, and cultural impact on the world through an immersive multimedia show that continued at the Ithra Center for nine months.
The project reinforces Ithra’s message of enabling local content creation and sharing it with the world.
The exhibition will now embark on a tour to other cities in the Kingdom and the world over a period of several years, starting from The National Museum in Riyadh as its second stop.
Noura Al-Zamil, director of programs at Ithra, explained that the migration exhibition was part of an integrated cultural project, which is the first of its kind to narrate and document the important historical events of the noble Prophet’s migration in an unprecedented and contemporary way.
She added that the project was carried out in cooperation with more than 70 researchers and artists from over 20 countries around the world, who contributed to reviving the migration journey through a multidisciplinary exhibition.
It includes artifacts, manuscripts, contemporary art, film production, a documentary film about the migration path, and a book documenting the historical journey.
Al-Zamil said: “The exhibition is a mobile exhibition that started its activities in the Ithra Center in August with the aim of shedding light on the migration of the Messenger and Prophet Muhammad, may God bless him, through 14 interactive stations.
“Each station is meticulously designed by local and international experts and presented in partnership with several major regional and international organizations and prominent scholars and artists,” she added.
Laila Al-Faddagh, director of the National Museum in Riyadh, said: “We seek in the National Museum to enhance understanding of our culture, our history, and the ancient and diverse civilizations that were established on our land through these exhibitions, which is done in cooperation with other entities such as the Ithra.”
The exhibition opens a door for dialogue and knowledge exchange to create a state of human connection with the content presented and curated.
It also addresses the knowledge gap on the subject of the Prophet’s migration. It addresses the deeply-rooted heritage of the Arabian Peninsula and enhances Saudi Arabia’s local content industry, in addition to providing a rich experience for visitors by making the story of the historical migration of the Prophet Muhammad accessible to the public.
