Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre Organises Cultural Workshops To Enrich Students' Understanding Of Islamic Heritage

The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre recently hosted two cultural workshops at the Mosque Library. These sessions were attended by 39 students from various schools in Abu Dhabi. Organised with the Ministry of Education, these workshops are part of a series of four events for school students scheduled throughout April and May 2025.

Each workshop commenced with a tour of the Mosque Library. Students explored its collections, sections, and services available to visitors. The library, established in 2010, serves as a gateway for researchers and enthusiasts to explore Islamic civilisation's contributions to art and knowledge.

The workshops fall under the "Al Shabab Al Banie" programme, which focuses on youth as the nation's true wealth. This initiative reflects the vision of the late Founding Father, who saw young people as architects of the country's future. The Centre regularly organises educational activities to enrich intellectual and cultural awareness among various age groups.

The workshops covered diverse topics, including reading's role in building linguistic skills and methods to cultivate children's passion for reading. They also discussed criteria for selecting suitable books and examined maps' historical significance, interpretation, and practical uses for navigation.

Students also visited the Light & Peace Museum and Diya – A Universe of Light immersive experience. Here, they explored artefacts that showcase Islamic civilisation's richness and its dialogue with other cultures worldwide. These tours aimed to attract younger audiences and establish the Mosque Library as a cultural haven.

The library houses rare books and manuscripts thanks to His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan's support. H.H. Sheikh Mansour donated nearly 3,000 valuable books in 14 languages, reflecting a commitment to documenting Islamic civilisation's sciences and arts while preserving its legacy.

Preserving Cultural Heritage

A dedicated section within the library features approximately 500 titles of some of the world's rarest books. Among them is "A Description of an Arab Celestial Sphere Inscribed with Kufic Script," printed in 1790 by Simon Assemani and Giuseppe Toaldo. This volume is preserved at the Borgia Museum in Padua.

The library also holds over 50,000 microfilm copies of Arabic manuscripts covering various Islamic sciences like biographies, Hadith studies, and Islamic arts. These resources provide researchers with extensive material to explore further into these fields.

The Centre aims to shape a promising generation by offering an engaging environment that fosters creative thinking. Through these efforts, it seeks to enrich young people's intellectual growth while promoting tolerance, coexistence, and fraternity—values proudly upheld by the United Arab Emirates.

With inputs from WAM