Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre, TCA Abu Dhabi organise 'Hajj

The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre is organising an exhibition, titled, 'Hajj: Memories of a Journey', in cooperation with the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority, TCA Abu Dhabi. The exhibition will be held from 20th September 2017 to 19th March 2018, at the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs.

Hajj: Memories of a Journey is being organised in celebration of the centre's 10th anniversary, reflecting on the first prayer congregation held at the Mosque in 2007, the Eid al-Adha prayer. It will feature the pilgrimage of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan in 1979, via archives and televised reports during that period.

The exhibition will also feature reports belonging to the Abu Dhabi Media Corporation, including a television interview with Sheikh Zayed at Mina, where the late ruler spoke about his pilgrimage and experience.

It will also emphasise the experience of pilgrims over the years, using oral histories and some of the earliest photographs and archive materials, illustrating the old routes and paths taken by pilgrims to Makkah from the UAE and the rest of the world, as well as the many challenges they faced during their travels.

Yussuf Al Obaidli, Director-General of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre, said that the mosque has become a major cultural destination that is visited by over five million individuals annually, and was voted in both 2016 and 2017 as one of the best international architectural monuments on the TripAdvisor website. It is also a unique Islamic architecture monument that highlights the noble values of Islam, he added.

Saif Saeed Ghobash, Director-General of TCA Abu Dhabi, explained that the exhibition will highlight the relationship between the UAE and this spiritual journey that represent many important values, such as equality, tolerance, modesty, forgiveness, charity and loyalty to principles, which are the main philosophies of the founding father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan