The depository of learning and knowledge are
libraries for they contained volumes of texts, books, and resources that span
hundred of years. There are fine libraries around the world that boost both
architectural impression and large collections – one of these famous libraries
is the Library of Sheikh Zayed Mosque Center. This state-of-the-art modern
library sits at the largest mosque of the United Arab Emirates, and aims to
preserve Islamic and Arabic art, architecture, science, and other areas of
knowledge to engage with international and intercultural knowledge for global
competitiveness of the Abu Dhabi region.
According
to Veal (2002), “libraries are often neglected in discussion of the arts,”
which reduced their tourism significance. Yet, libraries received sizable funds
from government for the improvement of arts and culture. The problem is the
exclusion of libraries from tourist attractions that will reap their cultural
significance. For the reversal of this effect, libraries should be considered
as significant elements of tourism of a region or country. It must be noted
that with the inclusion of libraries to the tourism industry, the primary goal
of education and learning is not eclipsed or eroded, rather enhanced and
developed to become the composite core of culture and arts, learning and
education, and international interaction.
The
intellectual role of libraries became the prime mover of shaping libraries into
tourist attractions. Famous libraries include: American Library of Congress
(Washington, USA), Sonsovino Library (Venice, Italy), George Peabody Library
(Maryland, USA), Library of Benedictine Monastery (Admont, Austria), Library of
Parliament (Ottawa, Canada), and Trinity College Library (Dublin,
Ireland). These libraries have direct
roles in cementing the tourism industry of their respective region.
The
purpose of this research is to understand how the Library of Shiekh Zayed
Mosque Center can be reshaped into a tourist attraction, both domestic and
international tourism markets. With the precedents of other libraries around
the world that have been promoted as tourist attractions, the possibility of
making the Mosque library into a tourism asset is possibly achievable. As much
as the study evaluates the tourism potential of the library, it is also
essential to know how the Grand Mosque can attract tourists, together with the
library, to add strength to Abu Dhabi's tourism industry.
For
the exposition of the Grand Mosque's and the Library's tourism potential, this
research reviews the historical importance of mosques, the Islamic cultural
attachment directed toward mosques, and the intellectual role of mosques. Using
this rationale, the research will draw the elements that influence the vitality
of making the Library of Sheikh Zayed Mosque Center as a tourist attraction.
In
this study, the researchers will be able to justify their desire to make the
Library a tourist attraction, which, personally, also attracted their
attentions every time they pass by it. As much as the study is personal to the
researchers, it will also be useful to members of the academe who are looking
for resources about the Library of Sheikh Zayed Mosque Center; for members of
the tourism department who can use the research to improve their regard to the
Library; and for tourists who haven't yet understood the historical, cultural,
and social importance of the Library.
II.
Literature Review
With
the construction of several tourism projects across the United Arab Emirates,
the region has quickly become the leading tourism hub of the world (Graham,
et.al., 2010, p. 300). The intensification and strengthening of the UAE's
tourism industry is in consonance to the region's aim of economic
diversification. In fact, being dubbed as the Manhattan of the East, Abu Dhabi
is expected to add 20, 000 hotel rooms to cater 240, 000 business tourists and
another three million leisure tourists by 2015 (Abed, et.al, 2006). With these
figures of Abu Dhabi's tourism industry, the region can be considered a top
tourism destination with its rich cultural and historical, business and
education attractions.
At
the top of Abu Dhabi's attractions is the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, which has
its own modern and advanced library. The Library in itself is an addition to
the education and learning attractions that can be found in Abu Dhabi, these
include: the Arabian Wildlife Park, the Al Ain Zoo, the Abu Dhabi Falcon
Hospital, the Al Ain Oasis, and the Emirates National Auto Museum. As a
historical landmark of the city, the Library at the Mosque is also an addition
to the historical attractions of the region,
including the Heritage Village, Al
Maqtaa Fort, the Hili Archaeological Garden, the Al Qattara Arts Center,
and the Al Ain National Museum.
In
essence, the Library of Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Center is not just the
expression of education and learning of the region, but it also speaks volume
of the historical and cultural aspects of the region resounded by the aim of
the the library which is the preservation of resources and materials that have
links to the rich Islamic culture of the region. With this environment, the
Library can be an additional asset both to the educational and learning
attractions of the region, and to the cultural and historical landmarks the Abu
Dhabi.
The
advantage of promoting the Library as a tourist destination is its place. By
itself, the Grand Mosque is a towering landmark and tourist attraction. That
alone is a denominator that can easily promote the Library. The Mosque is the representation of the
Islamic civilization and culture – and the Library is the curator of this
culture and civilization.
Mosques
have a significant place to the lives of Muslims. For Muslim countries, every
neighborhood has its own mosques; while for other regions, a single mosque
served a considerable community of Muslims. In essence, mosques do not just
served as a place of worship, but it is also an avenue of learning and
education, social celebration, and community interaction.
Religiously,
mosques or “masjid” are places of worship, which can be traced to the
word “sajada” which means to prostrate (Gilliat-Ray, 2010). These places
are wholly dedicated to prayer and worship, as described by the demands of
Qur'an. Coming to mosques means total
surrender and submission of the human being to God. In this standpoint, mosques
become the apex of worship to Allah with the completeness of prostration. In
the history of Islam, mosques exist at the heart of Islam communities and
neighborhoods for the performance of prayers and to perform rites for the
worshiping community.
However,
with the turn of civilization, mosques served more than just a place of
worship, but as the main arena of learning and education. Mainly, the goal of
mosques is to promote reading among members of the Islamic community, which can
be traced to the encouragement of the Qur'an to read as part of teaching man
what he does not know. From this standpoint, the transition of mosques into
arena of learning and education is deeply rooted on the act of worship as
commanded by Qur'an. As a result, mosques became centers of learning as Islam
leaders become also educators and teachers.
As
more and more young people go to mosques to learn, the place becomes the center
of interaction of among people. In here they start to exchange thoughts and
behaviors. Finding communion of learning inside the mosque, people began to
interact inside the building and engage into social activities. It helps Muslim communities to keep in touch with
each other and build a close-knit relationship with one another. As celebration
are being done inside mosques, people also engage in exchange of ideas and
thoughts that are essential to learning. The idea of making mosques as social
arenas build the learning interaction among members of communities which
resulted to increased of educational and learning potentials of mosques more than
just a mere center for reading of Qur'an.
With
these exchanges of ideas and knowledge, mosques became depository of learning
and education. From this structure of learning interaction, the creation of
mosques into libraries came into view. From the very start, there was only one
book found in these libraries: the Qur'an, which will be the main book for the
promotion of reading in the Muslim community. With the advancement of
civilization, the need of putting accounts of Prophet Muhammad into paper than just
memorization defined writing them done into records. From this start, libraries
grew in collection as more books were published and more historical accounts
must be preserved. With this rise, the mosques have become libraries and
centers of learning where people go to for their education than just for the
act of worship.
If
one visits Muslim cities or nations, it would be impossible to miss visiting
mosques. Both international and local tourists would go to mosques to take
pictures of the stunning architecture and archaeological potential of mosques.
International tourists, on the other hand, are always attracted to wearing
Abaya that when they wear it they would start taking pictures and posing as
Muslims inside mosques. These experiences are great to international tourists
who are strangers to these customs. Aside from these experiences, mosques are
considered tourism assets because of their historical importance, which
transcends cultural knowledge. And the aspect of Library within the mosque adds
education on the rich history of mosques and the culture that surround them.
The
visual appearance of mosques is the first element that attracts tourists to
visit them. In this scale, mosques can be compared to other global tourist
destinations such as the Taj Mahal or the rich religious architectures of
Western Europe. The architectural element of mosques that fits with the
religious language of the region is a visual representation of the religious
language of these structures. Second to the mosques aspect of tourism
importance is the history associated with the structure. For instance, the
Great Mosque remains a visited place not just because of its architecture, but
also to its rich history which can be seen on its walls and elaborate arts
(Rasdi, 1998).
The
cultural importance of mosques is directly linked to its religious importance.
The primacy of worship in these mosques add color to the reason why people
visit these structures. Within the Arab region, mosques are everywhere as the
expression of reverence and worship of the Muslim people. Throughout the region
alone, there are famous mosques that attract thousands of tourists every year,
these include: Imam Mosque, Isfahan; Faisal Mosque, Islamabad; Al Fateh Grand
Mosque, Doha. People flock to these mosques for the reason of worship. In the
same manner, Western tourists visit these mosques to get in touch with the
Islamic culture that is as rich as the Western culture. These engagements
provided Western tourists a deep knowledge of the culture of Muslims from the
viewpoint of its own land.
With
the introduction of mosques into the tourism assets of the region, tourism
industry flourished which also provided the necessary foreign currency for
international trade. On the aspect of Western tourists, they would go to
mosques for reason of learning and education, not for worship. To this context,
libraries inside the mosques come into perfect potential. Of course, there are
local tourist guides that can educate tourists about the culture of the region,
but libraries serve as the complete expression and preservation of history and
culture, which can add learning and knowledge to Western tourists.
At
the top of this understanding is through intensive library collection. The
collection of the library attracts tourists who are not just their for leisure,
but for learning. Instead of just attracting leisure tourists, mosques with
libraries attract foreign students who want to study the region's culture and
history. Only through libraries can mosques serve the needs of tourists to
learn more. In essence, libraries make mosques more than just a religious and
leisure tourists destination, but also as an educational tourism asset.
Sheik
Zayed Grand Mosque was built as the final resting place and as a token of honor
to the former UAE President Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan for this domestic
achievements and international recognition. According to the Oxford Business
Group (2009), “Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Mosque is a reminder of the importance of
culture, values, and learning.” It expresses the very person of its benefactor;
and the center opens its doors to people of different culture and background
the way Sheikh Zayed opened his understanding of the global world.
In
itself, the architecture of the mosque is the “fusion of architectural styles
and exhibits a cosmopolitan confluence of designs, suppliers and materials
(ibid)” making it an exciting place of worship, education, international
culture exchange and interaction. Right now, this mosque is considered the top
tourist destination of Abu Dhabi region.
Upon
visiting the mosque, visitors get in touch with the culture of the region. They
need to wear traditional dresses that are worn by the Emirati. These include
the kandoora for men and the abaya for women who prefer to wear
the national dress in public. The peculiar etiquette being followed within the
Emirate attracts tourists who want to experience how to become an Emirati.
In
addition to the mosque, tourists can also get a glimpse of the rich Abu Dhabi
culture with the Library. The exclusivity of the culture of the Islamic
community within the region is different in the Library. Intercultural dialogue
and interaction, cooperation, and international interconnections are values
encouraged in the Library. As a result, more and more educational international
tourists visit the Library and the mosque.
As
the center depository of knowledge in Abu Dhabi, the Library's collections have
been strengthened and supported by the government to acquire thousands of
resources focused on the history of the region, Islamic arts ,and architecture,
as well as languages. These collections of history and art resources attract
students from abroad who are doing researches on the Muslim and Islamic culture
– and this is a great advantage to the tourism industry. As much as history and
culture resources can be found in the Library, there are also collections of
diverse knowledge and topics of arts and sciences, which is greatly important
to make the Library a comprehensive avenue of learning for the domestic and
international audience.
Being
prepared for its tourism potential, the Library has a valuable start-of-the-art resources and
communications to answer queries of visitors. As a result, the Library is an
optimal environment for someone conducting research on topics involving
culture, history and arts.
The
Library's importance to tourism can be deeply attributed to its educational
impact. Right now, educational tourism gains tremendous appreciation in
economic scale as more people travel to different places to get in touch with
culture and history rather than just reading them and getting in touch with
them through books and other resources (Ritchie, et.al., 2003). And from this perspective, the Library of
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Center finds its place as a tourism asset for Abu
Dhabi.
The
recent development of Abu Dhabi's tourism industry has catapulted several of
its historical landmarks and cultural pride to the international scene.
Currently, the emirate is pursuing improvements on the tourism industry by
developing key vertical markets such as transportation, hotel and
accommodation, and especially its tourist attractions. The promising pasture of
tourism will be the emirate's road to diversifying its economy and strengthen
its global reputation as the Manhattan of the East.
With
this development, Sheikh Zayed Mosque Center received tremendous support. With
the funding from the emirate's government, it is impossible for the Center,
together with its library, to advance in terms of tourism potential. The
Library continually improves itself both in collection size and usefulness. The
primary target of the Library is to increase engagement with local tourists
through massive education and learning collection. It aims to become the
leading knowledge depository in the Arab region to capture the cast educational
tourism of other Arab nations. Of course, the Library also aims to become a
global player at par with the American Library of Congress. With its exclusive
collections of Islamic and Muslim cultural heritage, the Library aims to become
the premier resource within the subject.
Yet,
with the competition of the global tourism industry, Abu Dhabi must maintain a
unique point that will make it standout among other tourist destinations. And
the Library of Sheikh Zayed Mosque Center is a great opportunity to explore the
education tourism industry to compliment the business and leisure tourism
sectors.
