Hijrah was the most important historical event to shape the beginning of Islam. Now, Hijrah Exhibition: In the Footsteps of the Prophet is celebrating it as the region marks Hijri, or Islamic new year, this weekend.
The exhibition showcases the Prophet Mohammed's migration from Makkah to Madinah over eight days and 400 kilometres.
The exhibit was curated by Ithra’s in-house team, Idries Trevathan and Kumail Al Musaly, while the Prophet's biographer Dr Abdullah Al Kadi contributed with his research and knowledge of the Hijrah route.
It showcases numerous artefacts in collaboration with the National Museum of Saudi Arabia, the House of Islamic Arts, the King Abdulaziz Complex for Waqf Libraries and The Prince of Wales' charity Turquoise Mountain.
“My own life has been determined by my quest to study and experience not only the exact route the Prophet and his companions took across the desert but also the wider story, life and legacy of this journey," says Alkadi.
"It has been a journey that has occupied me for some 40 years and, with this exhibition, we are presenting new research, methodologies and findings based on extensive fieldwork that will redefine perspectives on this historic migration. The relevance of this story is just as strong today; it serves to demonstrate and remind us of the reasons people choose to move from one place to another and asserts the right to practice your beliefs."
An immersive experience
The exhibition looks at the history and legacy of Hijrah from different perspectives, including those of science, physical geography, material culture, theology, art and cultural memory.
Scholars and artists help to narrate and depict the journey through immersive audiovisual works, using text, light, art, theatrical performances and film with academic research and storytelling.
Several collective works have been created by commissioned regional and international artists and numerous documentaries and books are on display that tell the story of Hijrah.
Saudi artist Zahrah Al Ghamdi is showcasing her artwork at the exhibition, for example, and she's used natural materials such as earth, clay, rocks, leather and water to create knot-like structures reflecting "brotherhood ties" that were forged when people came together in Madinah during Hijrah.
“As one of the most detailed studies ever of the history and topography of the Hijrah, this exhibition exemplifies Ithra’s wider mission to tell the world’s defining stories through art, heritage, culture and research,” says Ithra director Abdullah Al-Rashid.
"This exhibition represents significant advances in academic research around the history of Islam, while its focus on the human story surrounding the journey and our shared human values will also promote greater understanding, empathy and tolerance."
Ovidio Salazar, an award-winning director from California, will also be revealing a documentary at Ithra in December. Salazar, who has worked on various Islamic films, was approached by Ithra two years ago to work on a documentary and travelled along the path of Hijra to document the significant journey.
"The theme of migration and refugees is still relevant today, which makes the topic interesting to not just regional but international audiences," he tells The National. "But the vision was bigger" for the exhibition, he says, and he hopes "its rich and immersive nature" engages audiences from across the world.
What is Hijrah?
Hijrah, meaning migration, is a seminal point in Islamic history. It occurred in the year 622, when the Prophet Mohammed and his companion Abu Bakr fled Makkah to Madinah (then Yathrib) upon invitation by the city's leaders and to escape persecution by Makkah's ruling Quraysh tribe.
Fearing for their lives, more Muslims eventually made the similar journey and, as a result, the first Muslim society was born. Madinah also became the stage from which the Prophet Mohammed and followers would return to conquer Makkah in 629.
“The learning here is the unity we want in the world,” Farah Abushullaih, head of Ithra museum, tells The National.
In the exhibition, which was conceived more than three years ago, you see a blend of cultures and contributions, from contemporary art to artefacts incorporated that make "it extremely unique and relative to all”, says Abushullaih.
The universality of the concept was extremely crucial to Ithra, she explains, and says that the important topic was to be handled with extreme sensitivity. “You have to ensure you have the collective consensus of the experts, of those who have studied this for years, who endorsed the content we have and making sure the masses are happy with the story you’re telling,” she says.
The beauty of the exhibition, says Abushullaih, is in the "magical" way it's curated, "the untold stories, the journey’s chronological order, and the way it ties up at the end”.
The future of the exhibition
Hijrah will run for nine months at Ithra. The exhibition will be showcased around the kingdom, the region and the world over a period of five years, according to Ithra officials.
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What: 11th edition of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship
When: December 27-29, 2018
Confirmed: men: Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Kevin Anderson, Dominic Thiem, Hyeon Chung, Karen Khachanov; women: Venus Williams
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The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
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- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
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1,549 - goals scored in Premier League matches by Wenger's teams.
10 - major trophies won.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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