Mosques of the World
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque at twilight.
The most amazing mosques in the world are captured in a photography exhibition inside one of Dubai's mosques to celebrate the season of Hajj. The two-month exhibition, which highlights the importance of Islamic culture, features 32 images of mosques in 15 countries and underlines the beauty and diversity of each place.
Running at Jumeirah Mosque until the end of October, the exhibition is hosted by Dubai Culture and Arts Authority in cooperation with Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Awards (HIPA), and the Sheikh Mohammad Centre for Cultural Understanding (SMCCU).
It began when HIPA launched the Mosques of the World competition on Instagram, where two winners were selected based on the highest number of likes from the general public. This edition’s theme highlights the role of mosques in societies and reveals unique architectural masterpieces. Visitors can learn about the evolution of architecture, designs, and styles from one civilisation to another.
Saeed Al Naboodah, acting director-general of Dubai Culture, said: “Organising this prestigious exhibition strengthens Dubai’s and UAE’s statuses as destinations for cultural exchange between nations and the people, especially as it promotes the values of tolerance, understanding and peace in accordance with the principles of the UAE.”
“The exhibition is part of our vision to establish Dubai as a global, creative, and sustainable city for culture, heritage, arts, and literature. It also supports Dubai Culture’s ‘Art Everywhere’ strategy, which aims to encourage local and global creative talents and promote their artistic work around the city in innovative and creative methods,” Al Naboodah added.
Ali Bin Thalith, HIPA secretary-general, said: “Photography is a powerful medium that allows photographers to speak and communicate with the rest of the world without words. Using that as inspiration, we set out the unique challenge of documenting the beauty of Islamic architecture and mosques to our Instagram community, through the HIPA Instagram Photo Contest.
“The results were inspiring and highlighted the wide array of Islamic architecture found around the world while also underlining the photogenic serenity and appeal of these places of worship. HIPA is delighted to collaborate with Dubai Culture and SMCCU to create this unique visual experience that will no doubt be enjoyed by visitors to the Jumeirah Majlis.”