Spirit of Islam Exhibition opens at ADMA-OPCO Headquarters Abu Dhabi today 28th Jan. 2009 (WAM) The ‘Spirit of Islam’ exhibition, showcasing unique masterpieces of Islamic calligraphy and rare banknotes and coins is now open at Abu Dhabi Marine Operating Company (ADMA-OPCO) Headquarters.

The exhibition, titled ‘Arabic Calligraphy and Islamic Money’ offers a wealth of insight that will take visitors into the heart of Islam to expose them to some of the most exciting works of two of the leading calligraphers in the Islamic world.

The Two artists who are displaying their works are Mr. Mohamed Mandi from UAE and Mr. Khalifa El Shemi from Egypt, specailise in the integration of Arabic letter into their paintings using their unique talents in a variety of creative ways. Mr. Mandi and Mr. El Shemi have distinguished careers in Arabic calligraphy and this Islamic design. They have produced traditional artistic accolades including designing of logos, and were commissioned on a number of occasions to provide designs for banknotes.

In conjunction with Arabic calligraphy, the exhibition features a rich collection of Arabic coins and Islamic banknotes from the personal collections of two leading local figures in this field – Mr. Abdullah bin Jasim Al Matiri, renowned numismatist who has a collection of over 13,000 coins, and Mr. Mansour Al Marzouqi, an ADMA-OPCO employee and a banknote expert with a collection of notes comprising 1500 items from all over the world. The exhibition was opened on Tuesday by Mr. Ali Rashid Al-Jarwan, ADMA-OPCO General Manager. The opening ceremony was attended by dignitaries, Shareholders and representatives from ADNOC Group of Companies as well as ADMA-OPCO employees. The exhibition is organised as part of ADMA-OPCO’s endeavour to present unique and rare historical artifacts that exist in the Islamic world to people of different cultural backgrounds. “This exhibition forms part of our activities in our Corporate Social Responsibility, exposing our employees and the public to an exciting aspect of Islamic culture,” said Mr. Jarwan while opening the exhibition.

The exhibits include a wide range of Islamic calligraphy paintings and portraits of public figures. It also includes a rich collection of banknotes and old coins from all countries of the Islamic world dating back to more than two thousand years. The exhibition is open to the general public from 7am to 3pm until February 5th, 2009