April 22 2014, SHARJAH : It is the nature of humanity to strive for making his life serene and simple. And in this attempt, they adopt all possible means to merge and mingle various technologies in order to amicably achieve the goals.

Thus the latest smartphones are equipped with camera, timer, maps, email and biometric features, all of which were independent devices earlier. Politicians put on the attire of Economics and Religion to concentrate the power around them. Writers and artists embrace one another in order to not miss the either.

The recently held ‘1001 Inventions’ exhibition in Sharjah, recognized as the Capital of Islamic Culture for 2014, however, applied the above phenomenon in a wider context to thrust the lost legacy of the golden era of Islam’s cultural and scientific career, chiefly Arabic in nature and content. Organized on the sidelines of the Sharjah Children’s Reading festival, the exhibition treated the visitors to the inventions of a host of bygone inspirational men and women in Muslim Civilization who helped create the foundations of our modern world.

Historical figures including teachers, scientists and doctors were enacted for the young visitors to appreciate the glory of their predecessors. They narrated in both Arabic and English their achievements including that of Lady Fatima al-Fihri, the rich daughter of then king of Fes – Morocco, who founded the University of al-Qarawiyyin in the year 859.

The organizers did not stop there and went a step ahead by inviting Sami Yusuf, the melodious Nasheed heartthrob, to the event and the young ones were allowed to read to their beloved singer. This undoubtedly sent a wave of incredible enthusiasm among the children raising their interest in both legacy and literature. The three disciplines – Music, History and Literature – assembled in beautiful proportion deep in the chamber of their hearts. They took home the melodious words of this Nasheed artist, ‘reading is the coolest thing to do’.

[1001 Inventions exhibitions were part of a global educational campaign reaching over 70 million people around the world with exhibitions, educational programs, festivals, films, books and other media. Moreover, the exhibition hosted in Sharjah was one of the largest ever produced by 1001 Inventions.]                     Photos by Abdul Haseeb