New Museum Typifies Cultural Façade of Madinah

Madinah – Prince Sultan Bin Salman, president of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA), Monday opened the Madinah Museum at the refurbished Hejaz Railway Station here.

Madinah Emir Prince Faisal Bin Salman, Prince Salman Bin Sultan, and Madinah Mayor Khaled Taher were among those who attended the inaugural ceremony. The function was held on the sidelines of the 3rd National Urban Heritage Forum that kicked off in the city on Sunday.

Ali Al-Ghaban, Vice President of SCTA for Antiquities and Museums, said that the commission completed the first phase of the museum at the station, and this represents a cultural façade of Madinah region, which abounds in archeological and Islamic historical sites. “The SCTA has refurbished the buildings of the old Hejaz Railway Station and transformed them into a museum to showcase the rich history of Madinah through the ages ever since the pre-historic period until the present day. The commission had earlier established another museum at the train repair shed to highlight the history of the Hejaz Railway,” he said.

Al-Ghaban said the museum’s first phase consists of 14 halls to showcase exhibits, and they include the lobby of the museum, halls for Madinah’s environment and history of its nature, Madinah before Islam, Madinah during the Prophet’s period, halls of the Prophet’s wives and children, Al-Ansar and Muhajireen, the Prophet’s Mosque, Madinah during the period of Caliphs, Madinah through Islamic ages, Madinah in the period of first Saudi state, Madinah in the second Saudi state, Madinah during the period of King Abdul Aziz, and Madinah heritage.

He said that the second phase of the museum would include construction of building on an area covering 12,000 sq. meters. It will house five halls to showcase artifacts from King Abdul Aziz Library of Madinah, and the Prophet’s Mosque, as well as those related to Madinah through the ages, in addition to a hall for children, and another for Saudi life. There will be digital display of artistic and archeological artifacts representing the history of Madinah and its urban heritage through the ages.

Meanwhile, Prince Sultan Bin Salman said that the projects for the preservation of historical and Islamic sites will be outlined soon now that all significant sites in Makkah and Madinah have been identified, Prince Sultan Bin Salman. In a statement to the Saudi Press Agency on Monday, he said that Islamic history should be told in the right way and should not be left for others to project it in their way. “We have immense Islamic heritage. We should present it to the world accurately. We’re working with the Makkah and Madinah development commissions to preserve these sites,” Prince Sultan said. Some of the sites are Mount Thor, Mount Al-Noor, Mount Uhud, and the Badr Battle site.

The SCTA committee in charge of developing these locations consists of senior Muslim scholars who are consulted on various issues related to the development process. Three agreements have been signed with three universities to train students who will be responsible for educating the general public about the historical sites and their major significance.

Prince Sultan said the SCTA also preserves non-Islamic archeological sites because they are important for telling the real story of how Islam began in the Arabian Peninsula. The scholars have already visited these sites and emphasized their significance for Islamic history. Last month Prince Sultan announced that Umrah pilgrims from 65 countries can benefit from the ambitious ‘Extended Umrah Tourism Program, which will be a joint package of the ministries of Haj, foreign and interior. The integrated system to link Umrah and tourist visas will benefit millions of pilgrims who come to the Kingdom for Umrah every year.