São Paulo – In 2012, Brazil should host the exhibition “Roads of Arabia – Archaeology and History of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” comprising 350 rare items that illustrate the diversity of cultures and civilizations that inhabited the Arabian Peninsula. Presently, the exhibition is on display at the Louvre Museum, in Paris.
The Saudi proposal to the Brazilian government was made last week by Ali Al-Ghabban, vice president of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities, who met last Wednesday (28th) with the Brazilian minister of Culture, Juca Ferreira. At the meeting, according to information from the ministry’s website, Ferreira claimed that Brazil has keen interest in hosting the exhibit, as part of cultural exchange relations. Thus far, only the possibility of taking the exhibition to the Brazilian capital, Brasília, has been discussed, but other cities should host it as well.
“Roads of Arabia” is believed to be the largest exhibition of Saudi antiquities. The items, dating from the 6th century BC to the current period, range from Neolithic funerary stelae to large statues of kings (6th to 4th century BC), silver tableware and even jewellery that used to be placed in the tombs. The exhibition also underscores the region’s role as the cradle of Islam, with items that evoke the pilgrimage routes.
During the meeting between Ferreira and Al-Ghabban, the minister proposed that lectures and Saudi cultural expressions be held in the inaugural week of the exhibition, as a means for drawing the Brazilians’ interest in the culture. Alongside the minister, the meeting was attended by the president of the Institute for National Artistic and Historical Heritage (Iphan), Luiz Fernando de Almeida.
The Saudi exhibition left the country for the first time this year. The exhibition, which covers an area of 1,600 square metres at the Louvre, is featured in Paris since July 14th, and will continue until September 27th, when it should leave for Barcelona, Spain. In 2011, the exhibition will feature in three cities in the United States.
According to the ministry, Al-Ghabban praised Brazilian culture and stated that it will be an honour to have the exhibition come to Brazil. The Saudi is heading a delegation from the Arab country that is attending the 34th Session of the Unesco World Heritage Committee, which will continue up until Tuesday (3rd) in Brasília.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
