AlUla, Wonder of Arabia Exhibition Opens in Beijing

Beijing, China – ninth January, 2024: The ‘AlUla, Wonder of Arabia’ exhibition held its grand opening ceremony on the Meridian Gate – West Wing in the Palace Museum, at Beijing’s UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Forbidden City.

Promising a journey like no different via AlUla’s 7,000 years of successive civilisations and 200,000 years of shared human historical past, the exhibition is a collaboration between the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU), the Palace Museum and the French Agency for AlUla Development (AFALULA). It options a whole bunch of thrilling artefacts on show, some for the very first time.

Previously held on the Arab World Institute in Paris from October 2019 to March 2020, this new version of ‘AlUla, Wonder of Arabia’ was curated by archaeologists Dr. Laïla Nehmé, Senior Research Fellow at CNRS, and Dr. Abdulrahman Alsuhaibani, Executive Director of Archaeology, Conservation and Collections at RCU.

Dr. Alsuhaibani defined that in its second version, this exhibition won’t solely show AlUla’s spectacular pure surroundings, uncommon archaeological artefacts, and its wealthy cultural heritage, however notably among the many 236 reveals, round 50 objects have by no means been displayed earlier than. This extraordinary, multilayered showcase will take the Palace Museum’s guests on an epic journey via the historical past and legacy of AlUla, unveiling just lately excavated cultural relics and historic animal bones from ‘mustatils’ courting to the prehistoric period which have contributed to a greater understanding of that period.

Apart from the newly exhibited artefacts, the exhibition showcases varied uncommon sculptures, pottery, rock work, inscriptions, bronze relics, immersive multimedia, and works by famend photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand, presenting the spectacular pure magnificence and wealthy cultural heritage of AlUla.

Through the expertly curated chronological format of the exhibition, guests can seamlessly discover the geographical intricacies and environmental settings that facilitated the earliest human settlements in AlUla. Visitors transfer from one area to a different, following a chronological and thematic format, with stops on the 4 major heritage websites in the AlUla Valley: Dadan, Hegra, Qurh, and Old Town, exploring in every cease many secrets and techniques on the traditional civilisations that inhabited these websites via time.

The Dadan ruins have revealed a big quantity of crafted sculptures and artworks, and guests can witness the prosperity of the Dadan and Lihayanite dynasties via these works. The UNESCO World Heritage Site Hegra is an historic metropolis famend for its stone-carved facades of tombs and well-preserved funerary monuments.

The exhibition additionally serves as a reminder of the legacy of commerce that after related the Arabian Peninsula with China. AlUla lies alongside the traditional Incense Road and later routes of pilgrimage to Makkah, and its historic significance as a buying and selling hub evident from the myriad of caravans that traversed the panorama. These routes enabled the transport of Chinese silk and ceramics to the Arabian Peninsula, and Arabian frankincense amongst different valuable items, to China. Subsequently, AlUla emerged as an important hub the place merchants, pilgrims and travellers converged, abandoning a mosaic of cultural and business trade.

Abdulrahman Altrairi, Chief of Communications and PR, of the Royal Commission for AlUla, stated: “AlUla, an excellent cultural gem in the northwest of Saudi Arabia, has traditionally been a convergence level for varied civilisations. The growth of AlUla is now an vital half of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 plan. We are delighted to current AlUla’s enduring historic and cultural treasures to a Chinese viewers. This exhibit will improve AlUla’s worldwide prominence, solidify its standing as a house to a wealthy historical past and cultural heritage, and lay the foundations for enhanced exchanges between China and Saudi Arabia in archaeology, tradition, tourism, and the humanities.”

Lou Wei, Executive Vice President of the Palace Museum stated: “China and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are located on reverse ends of the Asian continent. Historically, it was the joint efforts and participation of folks from East and West Asia that created the Silk Road, connecting quite a few international locations and areas in Asia, Africa, and Europe, thereby fostering cultural exchanges throughout an enormous space. The Palace Museum has lengthy aimed to make use of cultural relics that showcase historical past and excellent historic cultures, to advertise mutual understanding and exchanges between totally different civilisations. Hosting the ‘AlUla, Wonder of Arabia’ exhibition will additional deepen cultural exchanges and cooperation between China and overseas cultures, making a major contribution to selling people-to-people connectivity alongside the Belt and Road Initiative and constructing a group with a shared future for humanity.”

Simond de Galbert, First secretary of the French Embassy in China, stated: “By selecting for its exhibition the Forbidden City, one of essentially the most visited UNESCO World Heritage websites, AlUla confirms as soon as once more its ambition to share with a world viewers the huge extent of its dazzling heritage. China’s internet hosting of ‘AlUla, Wonder of Arabia’ is a brand new and prestigious launch pad for the exhibition’s journey to the remainder of the world.’

The opening ceremony was held in the presence of H.E Abdulrahman Alharbi, the Saudi ambassador to China, H.E Hussain bin Ibrahim Alhammadi, the UAE ambassador to China, with representatives from the Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and French embassies, the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU), the Palace Museum, the French Agency for AlUla Development (AFALULA), together with media representatives and company from the fields of archaeology, artwork, tradition, and nature.

AlUla is a ‘dwelling museum’ mixing nature, historical past, and tradition. It has gained growing consideration in current years as an rising vacationer hotspot. Welcoming guests since 2020, AlUla is pushed by modernity while remaining rooted in its historic tradition and staying true to its wealthy heritage. AlUla gives a variety of luxurious lodging, eating and retail in addition to gorgeous heritage websites, landscapes and journey and wellness actions. Saudi Arabia was granted Approved Destination Status (ADS) by China in September 2023, which offers quite a few conveniences for Chinese vacationers visiting the Kingdom and lays a strong basis for extra guests to discover AlUla.

Visitors to Beijing’s Forbidden City can attend ‘AlUla: Wonder of Arabia’ exhibition from sixth of January till twenty second of March, 2024 on the Palace Museum. Interested audiences are invited to go to the web site at www.dpm.org.cn for extra info and to make a reservation.