ISLAMABAD: After more than two weeks of preparation, the Lok Virsa museum has revealed a new diorama at its museum dedicated to Sufi saints and their shrines.

The Hall of Sufis and Shrines captures the atmosphere of these memorials and depicts traditions and cultural practices surrounding them.

According to Lok Virsa, Sindh and Punjab are famous for a number of shrines. Many Sufi saints from Persia (later Iran), Central Asia and Afghanistan taught Sufism in this region.

“They played an important part in spreading Islam all over the region, preserving the inner spirit of the new religion.

“The word Sufi is derived from the Arabic word safa, meaning purity,” an official said while explaining Sufi traditions.

Minister for Federal Education Shafqat Mahmood announced that the display was open at a ceremony at Lok Virsa.

The organisers said that Sufi traditions and the diverse range of beliefs and practices of being one with God have existed in shrines that dot the landscape of the country and serve as a meeting place for the rich and the poor, the rulers and the ruled.

They serve as a humanising force in society at cultural and spiritual levels, they added.

The Hall of Sufis and Shrines has a white and blue colour scheme, decorated with Islamic motifs and patterns that make visitors feel like they are entering a real shrine.

The aesthetic works well for the exhibit, such as the depiction of the distribution of langar and offerings and shrines, complete with descriptions, musical phrases and poetry. Various rituals that take place at shrines are also depicted, and statues of dhol players, dancers, soothsayers and children have been established.

Published in Dawn, October 31st, 2019