Balai Khazanah Islam Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, Prime Minister’s Office in collaboration with the Universiti Brunei Darussalam Botanical Research Centre (UBD BRC) of the Institute for Biodiversity and Environmental Research (IBER), UBD held a symposium on 4th November 2024.
Titled “Symposium on Plants in Islamic Civilisation”, the symposium was held at the Balai Khazanah Islam Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah. Present as the Guest of Honor to officiate the symposium was Yang Mulia Dr Hajah May Fa’ezah Binti Haji Ahmad Ariffin, Permanent Secretary (Economy, Trade and Industry), Ministry of Finance and Economy. Also in attendance was Dr Hazri Haji Kifle, Vice-Chancellor of UBD and senior government officials.
Dr Hussein bin Haji Taha, Director of IBER, UBD delivered his welcoming remarks, where he highlighted that the symposium is part of the ongoing collaborative efforts between Balai Khazanah Islam Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah and UBD in research and academic cooperation.
The Guest of Honour also launched and toured the symposium’s exhibition which showcased a series of botanical artworks and research posters produced by UBD BRC and Balai Khazanah Islam Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah. The Guest of Honour was also given a tour of the Herbal Garden at the Balai Khazanah Islam Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, which features plants that are of important ethnobotanical value. The Guest of Honour also planted a tree sapling to commemorate the event.
A plenary session was delivered during the opening ceremony followed by seminar presentations by speakers from Balai Khazanah Islam Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah and IBER. The symposium papers highlighted the vital role of plants in Islamic civilisation across areas such as agriculture, medicine, culture and faith. The symposium also provided a platform for engagement and knowledge sharing on the intersection between plant science and Islamic civilization.
The symposium was attended by participants that include government agencies and educational institutions, who had the opportunity to visit the galleries at the Balai Khazanah Islam Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah and the UBD BRC botanical garden in UBD.