Marking the Year of Cultural Heritage of the Peoples of Russia: Exhibition “Gardens of Islam. The Light of Faith through the Ages” presented at the Museum of Contemporary History in Moscow

Marking the 1100th anniversary of the official adoption of Islam by the peoples of Volga Bulgaria, the exhibition Gardens of Islam. The Light of Faith trough the Ages has opened in the Main Building of the Museum of Contemporary History of Russia.

The exhibition held within the framework of the Year of Cultural Heritage of the Peoples of Russia is designed to reveal through paintings and other exhibits the main milestones of history, major events and figures of Russian Islam. Guests of the Museum of Contemporary History of Russia will have an opportunity to see paintings, printed and handwritten copies of the Quran, books, porcelain, sculpture, Muslim headdresses.

At the centre of the exposition is a series or portraits Mufti of Russia, Imams of the Moscow Cathedral Mosque and other canvases by artists Ildar Akzhigitov, Rustem Khuzin, Leila Khasyanova from the private collection of the Medina Publishing House. For the first time, a completely new series of paintings created to mark the 1100th anniversary of the adoption of Islam and entitled Leaders of the Nation is presented. It features portraits of twelve prominent figures of Russian Islam who had a significant impact on its development.

The exhibition showcases 40 Sacred Mecca stamps made of 999 silver using exclusive technologies at the Moscow Mint of the Ministry of Finance of Russia and provided by the VT Company. They are based on the postage stamps issued by 24 Islamic countries.

The richness of the authentic historiographical tradition of Russian Islam is evident in easel works from the earliest illustrated manuscript of Maqamat al-Hariri. Maqamat is the most famous work of Arabic medieval literature, a genre in rhymed prose with poetic inserts, which tells about the adventures of talented and educated scammers. This is an artistic reconstruction from the list kept in the collections of the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts of the Russian Academy of Sciences, made by the artist Vladimir Zenin.

The exhibition will run until January 15, 2023.