By Waqar Naseem Wamiq

RIYADH — The Embassy of Poland has showcased an exhibition in connection with the ongoing Europe month on “The Tradition and Contemporaneity of Tatars — The Polish Muslims” at the residence of the Poland Ambassador Jan Stanisław Bury here.

The exhibition contains historic photos and details about the Polish Muslims commonly known as the Tatars, as well as their artwork and calligraphic works were also featured at the exhibition that attracted many of the visitors.

Ambassador Bury welcomed the distinguished guests at his residence in a short but graceful ceremony. First Secretary Marcin Styszynski and senior embassy officials were also present on the occasion.

Indian Ambassador Ahmad Javed, Czech Republic’s DHM Jaromir Janev and many others from the international diplomatic community and prominent Saudis attended the exhibition and showed their deep interest in the exhibition.

“It’s a good way to express the history in photos and in fine details. I am so amazed to experience this exhibition and I learnt some interesting facts about the brilliant history of the Polish Muslims,” said by one of the visitors.

The Polish Tatars are the most numerous and consolidated group of Polish Muslims. The name Tatar was given by Slavonic people to one of the Turkish-Mongolian tribes who were descendants of the armies of Genghis Khan.

During the next century the princes of Lithuania established the first Tatarian settlements on the territory of the Lithuanian Principality, soon to be unified with the Kingdom of Poland.

The Muslim community in Poland has established close contacts with Arab countries, including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In 1988 a delegation of the World Muslim League visited the regions populated by Polish Muslim Tatars.

In 1992, Sheikh Mohammad Al Aboudi, who led the delegation, published his book in Riyadh. In 2000 the first Polish Muslim graduated from the Faculty of Islamic Law in Al-Madinah.