The Moons of Forgiveness Display in Dubai Mall

There is something magical about Arabian calligraphy, I’ve always stopped and admired a beautifully written letter in Arabic for as long as I could remember, and there are many different fonts, each spectacular in it’s own way. When I was last in Dubai I was walking around in Dubai Mall when I saw a spectacular sight that made me stop and pay attention.

Big round discs, all shining and engraved, connected to one another but what seems to be melting metal. On closer inspection, you realise that the melting metal is actually Arabic letters, moving from one disc to another and taking the other letters with them. They didn’t seem like random collection of letters either, it’s like they are telling some sort of story or text. So beautiful, so creative, and very different indeed!

I got closer to the panel where the story of those discs was engraved. The artistic display was labelled “Moons of Forgiveness” by a talented Emarati artist and sculptor Mattar Bin Lahej. The discs are supposed to represent the moon in the different phases of the lunar month, 9 in total, specifically the month of Ramadan which is the month of forgiveness, hence the moons of forgiveness. The letters are those from Surat Al-Ikhlas in the Holy Quran.

It took me about an hour, standing in the waterfall atrium of Dubai’s mall, admiring the different moons and the beautiful calligraphy while taking pictures. There were so many details to take note of, wherever you look there is a new beautiful angel to admire. Many people were around the moons taking pictures even though they’ve been there for over almost the entire month of Ramadan.

I’m not sure if the Moons of Forgiveness are still on display in Dubai Mall but if they are and you happen to be in Dubai you must go check them out. They are more beautiful in real life. How beautiful masha2 Allah, the moons were spectacular!