The history of effulgent Medina presented in photography and calligraphy

According to Arab News, the Letters and Light exhibition is open in Medina. It is dedicated to the history of the holy Muslim city, engraved in calligraphy, painting and photography.

The exhibition, opened by the Emir of Medina, Prince Faisal bin Salman, is located in the Al-Akik district, 7 kilometers from the «haram» zone, near the Prophet's Mosque . Basically, it is allowed to come to Medina for those who are not Muslims (Saudi rules state that non-Muslims are prohibited to visit Mecca, while to visit Medina is just not recommended — IN). The exhibition is dedicated to the proclamation of the city as the capital of Islamic culture in 2013.

The oldest photos of Medina displayed at the exhibition are executed by Egyptian photographer Sadiq Bey in 1880 and by Indian master Mirza in 1881. Moreover, the master has completed the photo-chronology of the city up to 1920. There are also photographs of Western Orientalists and modern Saudi photographers showcased.

The expositions of painting and calligraphy are very different and include works of the past century (for example, some calligraphy samples were brought to the exhibition from the famous British Museum) and some masterpieces executed by contemporary authors. Besides the Saudis the exhibition is attended by representatives of countries such as Egypt, Japan, China, Syria, Morocco, the UAE, Lebanon, Azerbaijan, Turkey and Kuwait. It is worth mentioning the works by Lebanese calligraphy artist Carla Salem, as she combines elements of Arabic and Japanese styles. Many of the images are displayed in three-dimensional technology.

The oldest exhibit of the exhibition is considered to be a Turkish painting of 1825, representing a panorama of Medina by inscriptions written in Arabic script in the old Ottoman Turkish language and denoting certain objects. This panorama presents the Prophet's Mosque with five minarets, houses, mountains and fields surrounding Medina.

The exhibition runs until March 9th.

The old Ottoman Turkish panorama of Medina, 1825 - the oldest exhibit at the exhibition

Source: www.islamnews.ru