For the first time in more than 1,400 years of Islamic history, Shahid Rassam, an award-winning artist and former UAE expat, will exhibit Surah-e-Rahman cast on canvas with aluminum and gold-plated lettering. The artwork will be on display outside the Pakistani Pavilion beginning January 24.
Abdul Razak Dawood, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Commerce and Investment, Afzaal Mahmood, Pakistan Ambassador to the UAE, senior Expo 2020 officials, diplomats, and corporate executives will also attend the historic event to launch the first-of-its-kind project at the world’s largest trade fair, which will be held in Dubai for the first time in the region.
“This exhibit of the Holy Quran will not only be the biggest in the world but the most unique of its kind. This artefact is unique and innovative from various aspects. Its greatest distinction is that its words aren’t written with colour or ink; instead, the words are cast,” Rassam told Khaleej Times on Wednesday.
He stated that Surah-e-Rahman has 1,585 letters, 352 words, 78 verses, and three rukus that are cast on a high-quality canvas with aluminium and gold-plated words.
“We will be displaying Surah-e-Rahman on six pages. First, two pages have only five lines on each page, while the rest four pages have 10 lines on each page. There are a total of 50 lines in Surah-e-Rahman,” Rassam said.
“With the help of a team of 200 artists, painters, calligraphers, designers and sculptors, I completed this amazing Surah-e-Rahman project in four months,” Rassam said.
Irfan Mustafa, a Dubai-based entrepreneur, and business leader funded the project and persuaded Rassam to present his work at Expo 2020.