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 London to host first ever Hajj exhibition
In collaboration and partnership with King Abdulaziz
Public Library, the British Museum here has meticulously finished
all preparations for the opening ceremony of the
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London: Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and
heir apparent to the British throne, opened the exhibition of
“Hajj: Journey to the Heart of Islam” in London’s British Museum
Thursday night.
“I wanted to pay tribute, if I may, to Custodian of the Two Holy
Mosques who, in accordance with Islamic teaching, generously hosts
Hajjis making the pilgrimage to Makkah, providing remarkable
practical and logistic facilities,” Prince Charles said in his
inaugural address.
Prince Charles continued, “This recalls the hospitality shown to
earlier pilgrims by the families of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be
upon him), itself following a noble tradition reaching back to
Abraham who built the original Kaaba.”
“I am sure you will see that, by gathering together a remarkable
collection of treasures from across the world, this exhibition
brings to life the very human stories of the countless generations
who have completed the Hajj through the ages — from Singapore to
Istanbul, from Nanjing to Mombasa. Through the vivid images and
artifacts on display, the exhibition reveals the truly universal
character of the Hajj,” he said.
In his speech at the opening ceremony, Deputy Minister of Foreign
Affairs Prince Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah gave a brief outline of the
efforts made by Saudi Arabia to serve pilgrims, the Saudi Press
Agency reported on Friday.
“In 1925, the area of the Grand Mosque did not exceed 30,000 sq.
meters with a capacity for 100,000 pilgrims. After the expansion
of the Grand Mosque by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King
Abdullah the area exceeded one million sq. meters to accommodate
more than three million pilgrims,” Prince Abdul Aziz said.
King Abdullah also ordered the expansion of Jamrat stone throwing
facility to achieve a capacity of five million pilgrims, Prince
Abdul Aziz said in a speech.
“The king also ordered the establishment of the world’s tallest
watch tower in Makkah and the holy sites train service to
transport more than two million pilgrims in addition to the
establishment of King Abdullah Project for Zam Zam Water to ensure
the purity of Zam Zam water,” Prince Abdul Aziz said.
“The efforts of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia aim at bringing peace
to the whole world through the initiatives of the man of peace,
King Abdullah, and his humanitarian projects that aim at the
service of Hajj and the development of the holy sites in Makkah,”
Prince Abdul Aziz added.
Saudi Ambassador to the United Kingdom Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf
also attended the opening event.
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