NEW YORK – Offering American children a closer look into Islamic culture, Children’s Museum of Manhattan has opened “America to Zanzibar” exhibit, inviting kids to explore Muslim cultures across the world.

“New York City’s Muslim residents make up a vital part of our city’s rich and diverse communities and we’re proud to have this exhibit in one of our city’s important cultural resources,” New York Mayor Bill de Blasio told Religious News Service on Tuesday, February 24.

“With America to Zanzibar, children will have the chance to learn about Muslim cultures in an engaging and thoughtful way.”

In a culmination of five-year work, the exhibit, “America to Zanzibar”, was inaugurated earlier this month on a 3,000-square-foot area.

The interactive exhibit invites kids to explore Muslim cultures by designing buildings inspired by Islamic architecture.

Children can also walk through a pretend Muslim-American home furnished with art and other objects donated by Muslim families and climb a life-size camel in a pretend journey across the desert.

The exhibit is funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art, among others.

After a yearlong stay in New York during which it will host festivals and live performances, the exhibit is planned to travel across the country.

“America to Zanzibar” is the fourth in the museum’s Global Cultures Exhibition Series. Previous exhibits explored ancient Greece, China and Japan.

New York is home to some 800,000 Muslims, about ten percent of the city’s population.

There are about 100 mosques throughout New York’s five boroughs.