ID :
40441
Tue, 01/13/2009 - 16:23
Auther :

ISLAMIC CIVILISATION PARK DRAWS TOURISTS TO TERENGGANU

KUALA TERENGGANU (Malaysia), Jan 13 (Bernama) -- A visit to Malaysia's east coast state of Terengganu will not be complete without a tour of the Islamic Civilisation Park in Pulau (Island) Wan Man here.

It will be an opportunity for visitors to see the wonders of the Islamic
world, for sprawled on the 23-hectare site on the island, one of many dotting
Terengganu River, are scaled-down replicas of many of Islam's greatest mosques,
minarets and palaces from around the world.

There are 21 monuments of Islamic architecture on the island, including the
Dome of The Rock in Palestine, the Grand Mosque in Mecca, the Al-Hambra Citadel
in Spain, the Taj Mahal in India, the Kalyan Minaret in Uzbekistan, the Samarra
Mosque in Iraq, the Mohd Ali Mosque in Egypt, the Qairawan Mosque in Tunisia,
the Allepo Citadel in Syria and the Kul Syarif Mosque in Russia.

There is also Malaysia's own icon, the Crystal Mosque. The state-of-the-art
mosque, made of crystal shine glass with steel foundation, is the first of its
kind in the world.

A visitor, Mohd Fairus Lizam Mohd Zaid, 29, said his visit to the park
provided him a better insight on the development of Islamic civilisation.

Terengganu Tourism director Suhaimi Abu Hassan Shari said the Islamic
Civilisation Park had attracted 1.6 million visitors since it opened in February
last year.

Meanwhile, Terengganu Malaysian Hotels Association secretary Shahrir Naelis
Amir, who is also the manager of Felda Residence, said a travel package on
"Islamic Culture in Terengganu" which included visits to the Islamic
Civilisation Park and the Crystal Mosque would be introduced for visitors,
especially from Asia and Europe.

He saw better prospects for Terengganu's travel industry with the promotion
of more tourism products and also with the upgrading of the Sultan Mahmud
Airport here.

"I'm made to understand that there will be two or three direct flights from
Asian and European countries to Terengganu in the near future," he told Bernama.


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