Saturday 10 July 2010

Routes d'Arabie: roads of Arabia - Louvre Museum











The Louvre Museum hosts a large exhibition on Saudi Arabia, with the title : Roads of Arabia, from the 14th of july to 27th of Septembre.
With a historical backgrounds of Saudi Arabia as a crossroads to many civilizations pre-islamic and after the emergence of Islam, the exhibition will show what was left as evidence of these passages. From the Antique period to the incense caravans to the development of different parts of Saudi Arabia and several oasis's until the Islamic era to the pelgrimage roads and sacred locations.

For the small story behind the important exhibition, the newspaper "Le Monde" titled today: "King Abdallah of Saudi Arabia sulks France" (le Roi d'Arabie boude la France) and the paper gives a geopolitical explanation of why the King will not attend the opening of the "Routes d'Arabies" as a way to express his unease with the French president.
If "le Monde" is correct in its assessment, art and culture can be used as tool for nations' interest or disinterest!

Louvre Museum link
Le Monde link

5 comments:

Virginia Dixon said...

i'm so glad the louvre made this exhibit. you would have liked the museum of natural history's exhibit on the silk road...

sarah said...

The exhibition will open wiht a big party on the 12th, and it will open its doors to the public on the 14th.
You are talking about an exhibit on the silk road and the museum of natural history, which city, wich country?
I would have loved to see it!

sarah said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
waleed shaalan said...

Interesting that Saudi Arabia doesn't have exhibitions about France showing how the Western World isn't so bad after all.

sarah said...

Yes of course, Saudi Arabia should have an exhibition on France and about their history and their glory...
But on the other hand, Abu Dhabi is building museums with the collaboration with the Louvre, Gugenhiem etc... that should do the trick, No?