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Sharjah Light Festival: Listen to recitation of Holy Quran as dazzling display unfolds

The spectacle at Holy Quran Academy and Sharjah Mosque is a ‘show for the soul’, residents say

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This year’s Sharjah Light Festival, which is set to end on February 20, is not only a feast for the eyes. For many spectators, it’s also a ‘therapy’, especially when the vibrant hues blend with the recitation of the Holy Quran.

Every night at the Holy Quran Academy and Sharjah Mosque, the dazzling display never fails to touch hearts and uplift moods as the lights move to the rhythms of Quran recitation.

“Since the festival kicked off on February 9, I have been coming here every day with my children,” said Osama Mohamed Sajjad, who was part of the crowd who watches the show at the academy.

“My children and I enjoy the peace and quiet as we watch the lights and listen to the recitation. It gives us a deep sense of relaxation, something that comes from within,” Sajjad said.

The kids also observe the patterns that appear and the stories they tell, he said. The geometry, calligraphy and arabesque patterns pay homage to Islam.

Many visitors from across the Emirates come all the way to the Sharjah Mosque to see the spiral of lights that showcase the beauty of Islamic motifs.

Bathing the mosque in striking colours, the display takes spectators on a journey from the past, as characterised by the shifting sands; the present, which is represented by brighter hues and speedy transitions; and to the future, symbolised by harmonious patterns of simple lines.

Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, chairman of the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority, said the light festival has always put on remarkable shows since it was inaugurated in 2011.

“The festival has become a major tourist attraction in Sharjah, promoting the emirate’s landmarks while highlighting the beauty of the architectural and engineering details of these buildings and monuments. It also presents the unique cultural and architectural heritage of the emirate,” Al Midfa said.

As it tells the stories of the emirate, it uniquely combines history with modern innovations and technology, he added.

"The journey continues as the UAE steps into the future and the next 50 years… In 2022, under the theme ‘Echoes of the Future’, the Sharjah Light Festival takes its place as a symbol of the emirate’s cultural heritage and its present success and prosperity, and a beacon of light for the future,” Al Midfa said.

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