By DPA
Dubai : The glitzy emirate of Dubai, known for its futuristic skyscrapers and extravagant shopping malls, announced a plan to set up a museum to highlight the life and legacy of the Prophet Mohammed, media reports said Wednesday.
The Dubai Authority for Culture and Arts, established only last week to increase the emirate’s cultural profile, unveiled the museum project Tuesday, reported the daily Gulf News.
“The museum will stand as evidence that Dubai is serious about extending bridges not only between the East and the West but between the Islamic nation and the rest of the world as well,” the authority’s head, Sheikh Mayed bin Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, was quoted as saying.
The museum will highlight Mohammed’s life in the seventh century Arabian peninsula and the historic development of Islam as a world religion.
The museum will have a section explaining Muslim pilgrimage, haj, which is one of the pillars of Islam.
Dubai has evolved into a booming cosmopolitan centre for business and tourism.
The tiny emirate, which is part of the oil-rich United Arab Emirates, has also become an icon of extravagance with plans to build the world’s highest sky scraper and biggest man-made island.
To increase its global appeal, it launched an international film festival, which attracts film stars from across the world.