23/03/2022
Malta’s Maimūnah Stone will be on display for the next three months at the Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This is the first time that the unique tombstone is being exhibited in a foreign museum and the first exchange of a cultural artefact between Malta and the United Arab Emirates.
Last December, a replica of the Maimūnah Stone was presented by Heritage Malta to be exhibited during the Dubai Expo. This was one of the initial outcomes of the first memorandum of understanding concluded between Malta and the UAE with the aim of promoting cooperation in the fields of culture, research and professional exchanges.
The Maimūnah Stone is one of the most important Islamic artefacts from the Arab period in Malta and dates back to 1174 AD. Its surface is beautifully carved in Kufic script citing a memorial prayer about the passing of a young Muslim woman named Maimūnah, together with Qur’anic verses on the subject of death. According to oral tradition, the tombstone – the only one of its kind in the Maltese Islands – was found in an area between Xewkija and Ta’ Sannat, Gozo. The location is still known as Ta’ Majmuna.
In her remarks at the exhibition’s inauguration, Malta’s Ambassador to the UAE, Maria Camilleri Calleja, said that the Maimūnah Stone is representative of an era when Malta and a good part of the Western Mediterranean were part of the Berber Emirate known as Al Moaheddin (the people who believe in one God). However, today it is putting on a different kind of attire: one as the centre piece of a relationship between two museums, two peoples and two countries. The Embassy is pleased to have had the opportunity to work with two professional bodies as are Heritage Malta and the Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization, where the Maimūnah Stone will stand as an ambassador for the strong bonds of intercultural and interfaith understanding that exist between the two countries.
Joyce Dimech, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry for the National Heritage, the Arts and Local Government, underlined the importance of the MOU between Malta and the UAE in the field of culture and heritage, since it opens up a myriad of possibilities for cooperation in the near- and long-term future. She stressed that culture is an important aspect in the dialogue between different countries, and the Ministry pledges to give its full support to future collaborations.
Heritage Malta’s Chief Executive Officer, Noel Zammit, said that the agency is striving to make the national collection accessible not only to the local public but also to international audiences, and the exhibition in Sharjah is a case in point. Such initiatives help to understand the multicultural value of our artefacts and enrich our knowledge of these treasures, while providing a perfect example of how different national entities can work together to further enrich each other’s national identity.
The Maimūnah Stone will be exhibited at the Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization until the end of June.
