RIYADH: Saudi archaeological masterpieces through the ages, popularly known as the “Roads of Arabia” exhibition, which is to be staged this year in Beijing, will play crucial role in cultural cooperation benefiting the Kingdom from Chinese experience with sunken antiquities, rock arts and archaeological training.

“The Roads of Arabia exhibition, which will be organized by the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTNH) at the Chinese National Museum in Beijing later this year, will be one of the most important cooperation programs between the Kingdom and China in the field of antiquities,” Ali Al-Ghabban, vice president of SCTNH and supervisor of the Custodian of Two Holy Mosques Project for Caring for the Kingdom’s Cultural Heritage, said here recently.
“This will cover a number of areas including benefiting from Chinese experience with sunken antiquities and rock arts, in addition to exchanging exhibitions and training under the cultural cooperation agreement signed by the two parties,” he said.
The agreement was signed in Riyadh by the two countries during the Chinese president’s visit.
Al-Ghabban noted that China pays great attention to its cultural heritage as it has thousands of important sites and a deep-rooted civilization dating back 5,000 years.
“The Kingdom seeks to benefit from international experiences in the areas of antiquities and cultural heritage, and we look forward to benefitting from the distinguished experience of China, especially in the areas of rock arts and sunken antiquities, handicrafts, and in training areas and rehabilitation of historic sites,” Al-Ghabban said.
The “Roads of Arabia” exhibition will showcase a number of Chinese products that were imported from China before the Islamic era, during early Islamic times and Abbasid and Omayyad eras.
“Roads of Arabia” was launched in 2010. Since then it has been hosted by 10 international museums in Europe and the US.
The exhibition was first shown at the Louvre Museum in Paris (July 13, 2010). It then moved to La Caixa Foundation in Spain, the Hermitage Museum in Russia, Pergamon Museum in Berlin and then to the US.
In the US, the “Roads of Arabia” journey started with the Arthur M. Sackler Museum at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., followed by the Carnegie Museums in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri, and finally to the Asian Art Museum, San Francisco.