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Exhibition of haj photos opens at National Art Gallery

By Mahtab Bashir

ISLAMABAD: A three-day Iranian Film Festival and photographs exhibition titled “Haj- the Manifestation of Islamic Unity” started at National Art Gallery (NAG), Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA) on Sunday.

Iranian Cultural Consulate, Islamabad in collaboration with PNCA organised the event to mark the Haj as one of the pillars of Islam that is performed in the month of Zhul Hajjah.

Ambassador Islamic Republic of Iran Masha Allah Shakiri inaugurated the photo exhibition. Iranian Cultural Counsellor Saheb Fasool, PNCA Director General Tauqir Nasir, diplomats, students and art lovers attended the function.

Over 60 photographs of different scared places including Khana-e-Kaaba, Masjid-e-Nabvi, Maidan-e-Arafat, Mounts of Safa and Marwah were displayed in the exhibition. Photographs shoed how Muslims of all over the world are connected through a religion and mutual respect and regard for each other.

Over 24 professional photographers from Pakistan and Iran have put on display their exquisite work projecting rituals of Haj. The photographs highlighted Haj as an ancient religious ritual that has been performed through the centuries in one form or another and Muslims from around the globe visit the Holy Land every year.

Pakistani photographers whose work has been short-listed for this exhibition include Farid Shah, Umar Hameed, Azhar Chaudhry, Ahmed Murad, Mahrukh Hassan, Anum Ali, Nawazish Ali, Afsheen Zaman, Fakharuz Zaman Azar, Kashifuz Zaman, Khwaja Muhammad Hussain, Muhammad Ali, Zulfiqar Khan, Muzaffar Iqbal, and Jehangir Khan. The Iranian photographers include Hussain Ismaili, Ujli Qaharmani, Samad Qasmi, Kamalud Din, Sadiq Haideri, Daud Jalil Najad, Abbas Hajipur, Mohsin Sulemani, and Manochar Yagana Dost.

Saheb Fasool said each photographer had shown the rites of Haj in an artistic way, which was a real source of communication in present scenario. “According to Ayatullah Khamini, the great leader of Iran, a nation without strong cultural institutions is like a mute person who could not communicate in any of language,” said Fasool.

Fasool said it was a matter of joy that Iran and Pakistan were enjoying their cultural ties that would surely strengthen their socio-economic relations. He also recited Iqbal’s verses with a message of cooperation, unification and tolerance.

The PNCA DG said the strong relations between Pakistan and Iran were not simply limited to the governmental levels but they were people to people.

He said the photo exhibition and film festival were important, as they would further highlight Iranian culture and society. “Both these ventures will allow people to establish a greater sense of affinity with the people of Iran,” Nasir said.

The Cultural Consulate of Iran also arranged a three-day mini film festival to highlight and introduce Iranian socio-cultural life to the people of Pakistan. On Sunday the first feature film titled ‘Shab’ was screened at the PNCA auditorium with English sub-title.

Directed by Rasul Sadar Aamli, the film is based on the story of a prisoner, who was forced to spend a night in a lockup in the city of Mashad.

Two movies titled ‘Hayat’ and ‘Gumshuda Haqiqat’ would be screened at the same venue on Monday (today) and Tuesday at 6:00 pm respectively.

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