The 400-kilometre journey from Mecca to Medina
“In the Footsteps of the Prophet”... An exhibition recounting the migration of the Prophet with contemporary artwork
An artist performs a scene in a work of art in the exhibition.
AFP
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The Saudi exhibition “In the Footsteps of the Prophet” narrates for local and international audiences the migration of the Prophet Muhammad from Mecca to Medina, one of the most pivotal events in the history of Islam, using representational photography and contemporary artwork.
The artworks, displayed in the Ithra Museum in Dhahran, trace the 400-kilometre journey that the Prophet Muhammad made in the desert, in eight days, after persecution intensified in Mecca, 1444 years ago.
The exhibition opened to the public this week and will remain for nine months in the museum built by the oil company Aramco, primarily in the eastern city of Dhahran, before moving on a tour inside the kingdom, and then abroad, with potential destinations in Asia and Europe.
Saudi researcher Abdullah Hussein Al-Qadi, who crossed the migration route himself 60 times, says that most Muslims know the outlines of the migration story, but it has never been presented in such a detailed and comprehensive way, as the exhibition includes various types of collectibles and media, from antiques dating back centuries, To recent footage taken by drones.
As for the non-Muslim audience, the judge hopes that the exhibition will be an opportunity for them to learn about the story of immigration and the “messages of tolerance with immigrants, a topic that can be linked to the present.”
Among the exhibits in the museum are a life-size copy of the Prophet's she-camel, contemporary images from the migration route, and textiles from the Prophet's Mosque in Medina.
Among the participants in the exhibition is the Saudi artist Zahra Al-Ghamdi, who has previously exhibited her works at the Venice Biennale and the British Museum, and displays a work of cloth dipped in clay and clay that restores the spirit of solidarity among the city's residents.
Al-Ghamdi says: "With this work, I wanted to restore the concept of brotherhood, which gives meaning to life."
Islamic history tells that the Prophet Muhammad succeeded in establishing a state in Medina that was based on unprecedented solidarity between the sons of tribes that had a bitter history of wars among them, and on economic interdependence between the residents of Medina, or “Ansar,” fleeing to them from pagan persecution, or “immigrants.”
"This is the exact message of the exhibition, we are all refugees in this world, we are all migrants," said Ashraf Fakih, Head of Programs at Ithra Museum.
The exhibition took three years to prepare and includes works by academics and artists from 20 countries.
The exhibition includes various types of collectibles and media, from centuries-old artifacts to recent drone footage.
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