(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) The 100 objects on display most of which are lent from the british museum may be viewed for 100 days until august 1 when they will return to london.
a granite statue of the egyptian pharaoh ramses ii discovered on egypt’s elephantine island at the temple of khnum in about 1280 bce (before common era) has left the british museum in london and is now exhibited here at manarat al saadiyat art gallery.
the fascinating collection of artworks from antiquity will be exhibited at manarat al saadiyat in abu dhabi. — supplied photo
the statue along with a fascinating collection of art works from antiquity is part of a history of the world in 100 objects exhibition which will open to the public on wednesday.
meant to reflect the artworks to be seen in the future zayed national museum which will open in 2016 the exhibition was put together by the abu dhabi tourism and culture authority (adtca) and the british museum.
the 100 objects on display most of which are lent from the british museum may be viewed for 100 days until august 1 when they will return to london.
“a history of the world in 100 objects celebrates human ingenuity placing the things we make and use in the spotlight. the exhibition has a global scope helping visitors to see the similarities that connect human beings across time and place. the objects we use today express something about the world in the present moment just as the objects used by our ancestors tell us about the cultures of the past” said becky allen the british museum curator of a history of the world in 100 objects.
much of the history visitors will get to discover through the exhibited objects is from the ancient times. although all corners of the world are represented the orient remains the focus.
there is for example a lifelike cast bronze hand from yemen made between 100 and 300 ce or the royal game of ur also known as the game of 20 squares found in the royal tombs of ur in southern iraq by sir leonard woolley in the 1920s and estimated to be around 4500 years old.
also on display is the miniature of a mughal prince a 17.8cm high painting found in india around 1650 ce a bird-shaped pestle from papua new guinea dated 6000 – 2000 bce and the oxus zoroastrian figures two small statues made of gold found around 500–400 bce near the oxus river on the border of tajikistan and afghanistan.
the tour of the ancient world ends with a jump into the contemporary world the last section featuring present time practical objects such as credit card a purple shirt a sun powered night lamp and even a car invented by an emirati student reem al marzouqi. her foot-controlled vehicle made in 2013 was created to help disabled drivers.
“navigating an unparalleled collection of historic objects that provides visitors with an opportunity to learn more about where we came from and ultimately who we are a history of the world in 100 objects places the cultural significance of the uae and the arab world in general within the context of human history” mentioned salama al shamsi project manager at zayed national museum.
the exhibition will pre-open tonight at 6.30pm with a lecture by the director of the british museum neil macgregor who will explore a range of objects showcased in the exhibition and examine their unique power to convey a story and forge global connections.
later on there will be workshops tours and seminars derived from the objects in the exhibition.
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