Roads of Arabia: Archeological Treasures of Saudi Arabia’ exhibition, a joint initiative of Saudi Aramco’s King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture and the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH), was inaugurated yesterday at the National Museum of Korea in Seoul.
The exhibition was inaugurated by HRH Prince Sultan bin Salman Al Saud, President of the SCTH, H.E. Khalid A. Al Falih, Minister of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources and Chairman of Saudi Aramco, and H.E. Yoo Il-ho, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Strategy and Finance, H.E. Song Soo-keun, Acting Minister and First Vice Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Korea, and was attended by several diplomats, business people and cultural dignitaries.
Before South Korea, the exhibition was on display for three months in Beijing, China where it attracted over 170,000 visitors at the famous halls of the National Museum of China. In Korea, ‘Roads of Arabia’ is expected to be on display for approximately four months.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Al Falih said: “With ‘Roads of Arabia,’ we bring to Korea a sort of cultural map, artifacts that are priceless not only because of their historic and artistic value, but because they tell the story of the people of the Arabian Peninsula. Across the globe, roads have connected people, ideas, art and culture. In fact, our two nations represent two peninsulas and two peoples, connecting the East and the West.” Al Falih added: “As part of Vision 2030, Saudi Aramco is strengthening its focus of building bridges of trade, commerce and partnerships with the Republic of Korea. And through Roads of Arabia, we are also helping pave new roads of culture and people-to-people contacts — all of which are essential for true prosperity.”
Featuring important archaeological relics illustrating the depth of the Arab civilization and its history of more than one million years, the exhibition features more than 466 archaeological pieces selected from the National Museum in Riyadh, the King Saud University Museum, and other museums. The artifacts cover the prehistoric and pre-Islamic periods, the early, middle, and late Arabian kingdoms and civilizations, and the Islamic period until the establishment of the Kingdom throughout its three stages until the reign of King Abdulaziz, some of which are displayed for the first time.
The exhibition was displayed in Saudi Arabia in December 2016 as part of the inauguration of the Dhahran-based King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture, when the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman Bin Abdulaziz launched the Asian tour of the Archaeological Masterpieces of Saudi Arabia Exhibition.