Dubai Expo: Pakistani-Canadian artist’s work attracts huge crowds

ISLAMABAD: People in large numbers have started visiting the Pakistan Pavilion at Dubai Expo 2020 to see what is said be the ‘world’s largest Holy Quran’ designed by a Pakistani-Canadian artist Shahid Rassam.

Surah Ar-Rahman, a chapter of the Islamic scripture which has been cast on a high-quality canvas with aluminum and gold-plated script, was unveiled at the pavilion on January 24 by Commerce Chief Abdul Razak Dawood and its envoy to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Afzaal Mahmood.

The 49-year-old artist said the portion of the Holy Quran will continue to be exhibited at the event until its end on March 31, Arab News reported. “I did not expect the Quran to become the highlight at the expo,” Rassam, who is currently visiting Dubai to promote the project, said. He noted that writing the whole scripture in such a huge size was going to be a multimillion-dollar project since it would require 200 kilograms of gold and 2,000 kilograms of aluminum to cast around 80,000 words on 550 pages.

“This will be a gigantic multimillion-dollar project requiring the support of the governments of Pakistan and the UAE,” he continued. Rassam informed his financial team was working on assessing the exact amount required to cast the entire Holy Quran in aluminum and gold. He said the installation was unique and innovative in several ways, adding it had 1,585 letters, 352 words and 78 verses which were spread over six pages. Rassam said the text required 15 kilograms of aluminum and more than one kilogram of gold on the special canvas.