The House of the Koran is the largest and richest museum in the world dedicated to the Holy Book. Islam says that, unlike other divine Books of the Almighty Lord (Taurat / Torah, sent to Musa (Moses), Zabur / Book of Psalms of Daud (David), Injil / Gospel revealed to Isa (Jesus)), the Holy Quran was revealed to Muhamed - the last Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and has not undergone any changes, being protected by the Allmighty for all 1400 years. Islam came to ancient Bahrain (the Persian Gulf Coast from Kuwait to Qatar) during the time of the Prophet Muhammad. Almost 350 years after these events a new branch appeared in Bahrain, the Qarmatians, and many wars commenced. They even stole the sacred Black Stone of Mecca. But a little less than a hundred years later the excitement subsided and the Sunni rulers supported the peaceful teachings of the Shiite Imams. In the thirteenth century Bahrain even housed its own scolar. Visitors can attend the Beit al Qur'an complex on Saturdays from 9 am to 12 pm and on Wednesdays from 4 pm to 6 pm. The complex's exterior designed on the old fashion mosque typical for the 12th-century. There are a mosque, a library, an auditorium, a madrasa, and a museum which is spread in ten exhibition halls. The library holds over 50,000 books and manuscripts mostly on Islam. They are written in Arabic, English, and French. The Al Hayat Museum exhibit rare Qur'anic manuscripts dating back to the beginning of Islam civilization. There are manuscripts from Mecca and Medina, Damascus and Baghdad. A rare manuscript of the Qur'an, printed in Germany in 1694 also exhibited there. In 955 in Switzerland Qur'an was translated to Latin. This world's oldest translation of the Qur'an is also part of unique exhibition. Photo Simplified Pixabay License
What do you know about Bahrain? Did you know that the official symbol of the kingdom of Bahrain, the flag of Bahrain was approved on February 17, 2002? Did you know that the most ancient Epos of human civilization mentions the land of Dilmun - ancient Bahrain? Did you know that 97% of the European trade of pearls of Gulf was coming from Bahrain? Did you know that Bahrain was conquered by Portugals? Do you know how is the sea pure in Bahrain? Or how is the souq tasty and colorful in Manama? Or how did Hindians, Persians, Christians, and Jews arrive in Bahrain? Or how is majestic the House of Koran? You definitely will know it using this self-guided tour, but, let us start with the flag. The flag of Bahrain was red as a reminder of the colors of the Muslim Kharijites. In 1820, the white vertical stripe appeared on the flag, symbolizing a truce reached with Great Britain. In 1933, in order to be distinguishable from the similar flags of the region, a white stripe was limited by a zigzagged line. Since 2002, the five white triangles were depicted on a flag symbolizing the five pillars of Islam. Are you ready to explore Bahrain by one day? Let's go and do not forget to taste the delicious Chicken Machboos! Photo Simplified Pixabay License
Don't be afraid to get lost in new places!
