Doha: The recent reopening of permanent galleries of the National Museum of Qatar (NMoQ) also marked the unveiling of Splendours of the Ancient East: Antiquities from The Al Sabah Collection, an exhibition which celebrates the close historical and cultural links between Qatar and Kuwait.

Hosted at NMoQ’s Temporary Exhibition Gallery, the exhibition features more than 170 objects which provide an overview of the artistic and material culture of the ancient world, while also revealing new insights into the roots of Islamic art. 

The objects on show are part of the collection of H E Sheikh Nasser Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah and H E Sheikha Hussa Sabah Al Salem Al Sabah of Kuwait. Formed between the mid-1970s and the present day, the collection is said to be one of the most comprehensive and distinguished in the world.

Visitors to the exhibition are glutted with a treasure trove of objects spanning from the third millennium BCE until the fifth century CE. The exhibition is divided into four distinct sections starting with a segment on the Bronze Age followed by Iron Age through to the Hellenistic Age concluding with the Late Antiquity with particular focus on the Sasanians and South Arabians.

For this exhibition the selected objects made of wide ranging precious materials of such exquisite craftsmanship include jewellery, household furnishings, anthropomorphic and zoomorphic figurines and ritual objects, decorative elements, and carved gemstones and seals.

Among the fascinating objects showcased are important bronzes, ranging from Early Dynastic Mesopotamian offering stands and South Arabian figural sculptures to a large figure of a Sasanian lady.

A beaker formerly owned by the Assyrian king Esarhaddon, and later by a provincial Elamite king; some zoomorphic pouring vessels probably made in the late 7th century or early 6th century BCE in western Iran; and exquisite examples of Hellenistic silver ware, many with Dionysian imagery are among the silver vessels on display.

The collection is distinguished by jewellery pieces such as a Bronze Age gold scorpion necklace set with hardstones, and earrings and appliqués made of gold and set with hardstones from eastern Iran and Central Asia dating from the Hellenistic period and later.

Videos which provide details and stories behind some of the most important pieces on display help enhance the visitors’ understanding of the collection and their significance.

The exhibition runs until January 3 and is open for public viewing during NMoQ’s opening hours from 9am to 7pm from Saturday to Thursday and from 1.30pm to 7pm on Friday. Tickets to the exhibition can be booked at Qatar Museums’ website.

SOURCE: THEPENINSULAQATAR