By Norhayati Mohd Akhir
PUTRAJAYA, Nov 7 (Bernama) — Her Majesty Raja Zarith Sofiah, Queen of Malaysia, today graced the special exhibition ‘1001 Inventions: The Enduring Legacies of Muslim Civilisation’, organised as part of the five-day Putrajaya Festival of Ideas (FOI) 2025, which concludes tomorrow.
Her Majesty’s arrival at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC) at 10.15 am was welcomed by Deputy Higher Education Minister Datuk Mustapha Sakmud.
Raja Zarith Sofiah spent about an hour at the pavilion, which showcases the contributions of the Islamic world and other civilisations to the development of global science and technology.
Sharing Her Majesty’s thoughts with Bernama, Higher Education director-general Datuk Prof Dr Azlinda Azman said the Queen was thrilled and impressed by the university’s innovative approach in transforming book illustrations into an engaging exhibition.
“Her Majesty expressed hope that the exhibition would be held in Kuala Lumpur next year.
“The Queen also said that she would source books and hand them to us (the Higher Education Department), allowing us to hold such exhibitions on a larger scale in the future,” she said.
Azlinda said the pavilion, spanning 285 square metres, was transformed into an inspiring exhibition space that reflected the creativity and talent of students from six local higher education institutions (IPTs), namely Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Universiti Malaysia Perlis, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn, and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia.
According to her, the exhibition seeks to raise visitors’ awareness of innovations that have existed since ancient times.
“Muslims in earlier times developed a variety of innovations in daily life. If these are not highlighted, others might replicate them and claim them as their own,” she said.
More than 200 exhibitors, including local IPTs, government agencies, and international participants from China, the United Kingdom, and ASEAN member countries, participated in the exhibition.
Yesterday, Her Majesty delivered a royal address when officiating the second edition of FOI, themed “MADANI: Melakar Masa Depan, Merealisasikan Idea”.
In her royal address, Raja Zarith Sofia expressed hope that Putrajaya FOI would continue to serve as a platform for wisdom to be shared and carried forward faithfully, guiding knowledge seekers, leaders, and inspiring all who serve.
Putrajaya FOI 2025, running from Nov 4 to 8, is expected to draw nearly 500,000 on-site visitors and around two million, including 1.5 million joining virtually from around the world.
Now in its second year, Putrajaya FOI 2025 serves not only as a platform for exchanging ideas but also as a premier forum for transforming knowledge and creativity into solutions that advance public welfare and national development.
The festival, organised by the Ministry of Higher Education, will conclude with a closing ceremony officiated by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim later today.
–BERNAMA
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