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BEIJING: An exhibition entitled “Roads of Arabia: Archaeological Treasures of ��������Ƶ” was inaugurated Monday at the National Museum of China in Beijing.
The exhibition is a joint initiative of Saudi Aramco’s King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture and the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTNH).
The inauguration was attended by Prince Sultan bin Salman Al-Saud, president of the SCTNH, China’s Culture Minister Luo Shugang, Nasser A. Al-Nafisee, Saudi Aramco vice president of corporate affairs, and several diplomatic and cultural dignitaries.
The exhibition includes more than 400 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, the Islamic period, and the Saudi Kingdom until the reign of King Abdulaziz. Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Al-Nafisee said due to its location on the old Silk Road, the Arabian Peninsula has always held special importance for the Chinese people.
“Commercial and cultural exchanges between our ancestors played an important role in shaping the world as we know today,” he said.
“This dynamic relationship continues today, and ��������Ƶ, represented by Saudi Aramco, is China’s primary energy supplier, contributing to China’s economic development and prosperity.”
He added: “Our historically close ties are not confined to the supply of crude oil or the exchange of commodities only, but extends to our common aspirations in connection to the Silk Road Economic Belt and the overall development of the Chinese and Saudi peoples, who are our most precious resource.”
The exhibition was displayed in ��������Ƶ last month as part of the inauguration of the Dhahran-based King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture.
It will reside at the National Museum of China for three months, then travel to South Korea and Japan.
Saudi Aramco is sponsoring the exhibition’s Asian tour, which is part of the Kingdom’s efforts to bolster ties and enhance cultural communication with the Far East.
It came as result of the visit to China and Japan earlier this year by Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The preservation of the Kingdom’s heritage as outlined in Vision 2030. With support from the SCTNH under the Archaeological Relics Recovery Project, Saudi Aramco helped recover many archaeological relics discovered by the company’s former expatriate employees.