MADINAH: If you own a Quran or read the holy book at mosques and surau, there is every chance that it might have come from the world-famous King Fahd Quran Printing Plant here.
The sprawling facility produces 10 million copies of the holy book annually, and distributes many of them globally as gifts.
The Malaysian media team that visited the plant yesterday witnessed the production of the Quran that come in 26 editions, sizes and calligraphy.
The plant also prints translations in different languages to complement its original Arabic version.
More than 265 million copies of the Quran have been printed at the King Fahd Quran Printing Plant since its inception in 1984.
Copies of the holy book are distributed to Masjidil Haram in Mecca and Masjid Nabawi here.
They are also gifted to mosques all around the world, to pilgrims upon completion of their haj and visitors to the complex.
The 1,700 workers at the plant also produce the Quran in different formats, including cassettes, MP3s and computer software.
The complex, which has stringent security measures, also dedicates itself to furthering Quranic studies and sciences.
Also on display at the plant are various editions of the Quran published at the complex since 1984. Another must-visit site here is the Dar Al-Madinah Museum.
It chronicles Prophet Muhammad’s hijrah (migration) from Mecca to Madinah.
Through the exhibits, visitors gain an understanding of the Prophet’s journey with the use of miniature models depicting routes taken during the migration, battles the prophet was involved in and even the burial site of the Prophet, a tomb at Masjid Nabawi.
Museum manager Sulaiman Mohd Sulaiman Hafiz, who led the tour, encouraged pilgrims to visit the museum to understand the history of Islam better. -- By Yushaimi Yahaya in Madinah