INTERNATIONAL
RELEASE:
TDIC
PRESENTS:
“Splendours of
Mesopotamia”
Under the patronage of HH Sheikh Mohammad Bin Zayed al Nahyan,
Crown prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy supreme commander of the UAE armed
forces
29th March – 27th
JUNE
2011
Manarat Al Saadiyat, Abu Dhabi
Free
entry
Abu Dhabi: Tourism Development & Investment Company (TDIC),
master developer of the Saadiyat Cultural District, presents Splendours of
Mesopotomia, an
exhibition
of more than 200 ancient treasures revealing the history of Mesopotamia. This is
the first of three exhibitions organised in Abu Dhabi that are dedicated to the
Zayed National Museum
narrative.
Under the patronage of HH Sheikh Mohammad Bin Zayed al Nahyan,
Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces,
the exhibition,
through
its 200 objects, introduces Mesopotamia as the great crossroads where art and
literature flourished and where the first long-distance communication and trade
took place.
Ancient works from the British Museum’s iconic Middle
East collection will be in dialogue with objects loaned from the Al Ain National
Museum to showcase
civilisations
that played a part in the evolution of the nation’s longstanding heritage.
The Zayed National Museum will be a testament to the life and
values of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, founder of the United Arab
Emirates, as well
as
the long history of the region and its connections to the world. Following the
unveiling of Lord Norman Foster’s design for the Museum last November, Splendours of Mesopotamia is the first
insight into the
themes
the museum will examine when it
opens.
“The late Sheikh Zayed was instrumental in the discovery
of the major archaeological sites in the United Arab Emirates that fundamentally
rewrote the history of
the
region and its connections with the wider world, including ancient
Mesopotamia,” said HE Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Chairman of
TDIC.
“Splendours of Mesopotamia celebrates the origins
of the region, the history of Abu Dhabi and the significant advancements made in
the Mesopotamian era. It
is
also one of many efforts in Abu Dhabi to prepare for the opening of the Saadiyat
Cultural District museums,” he
said.
Splendours of Mesopotamia covers the period from 3000
BCE and the three great centres of Mesopotamian civilisation: Sumer, Assyria and
Babylon. The first
section
on Sumer examines the early development of Mesopotamia, the growth of society
and its contact with the wider world in the Third Millennium BCE. Objects
excavated from the Hafeet and Umm an-Nar cultures, based in Abu Dhabi and
contemporaneous of Sumer,
will
demonstrate the close trade links between Sumer and the Gulf region. The
artefacts also convey the quality and skill of the craftsmanship and the
importance of trade of raw materials throughout the
region.
Assyria in the First Millennium BCE was the greatest of the
Mesopotamian empires, ruling over most of the Middle East. The life and times of
this section feature
archaeological
discoveries from the great cities of Nimrud and Nineveh. A grand array of
objects featuring colossal stone relief sculptures from the palaces of their
greatest kings shows the important roles of the civilisation and its rulers,
exploring the organisation,
administration,
size and growth of the empire.
The final element of the exhibition, Babylon – seen as
the leading cultural centre of Mesopotamia – is also
documented through a wealth of
objects
that will illustrate the history of the empire and its position as a cultural
capital.
- ends
–
Press
Relations
Contact:
Regional
Amanda
Buckley
Wajih Halawa
+971 50 708 0232/ +971 50 100
9207
International Damian Chandler
+44 20 7936 1273
Notes
to
editors:
Saadiyat Cultural
District
Tourism Development & Investment Company (TDIC) is a master
developer of key cultural, residential and tourism destinations in Abu Dhabi.
The principal goal of its cultural programme, up to and
including the creation of the Saadiyat Cultural District - the world’s
largest single concentration of
premier
cultural institutions - is to establish an international platform in the UAE for
arts and
culture.
Unprecedented in scale and scope, the Saadiyat Cultural
District will include museums such as Zayed National Museum, Louvre Abu Dhabi
and the Guggenheim Abu
Dhabi.
Education is essential to create opportunities for the local
and regional community. TDIC’s mission is to engage the community in the
capital’s urban, cultural
and
artistic development and help build professional skills and knowledge in the
community through a dialogue with representatives from the world’s leading
cultural
organisations.
Alongside the Saadiyat Cultural District project, TDIC presents
a diversified programme of art exhibitions, events and talks to further engage
audiences in the
arts
including public discussions with many of the world’s greatest artists,
curators, scholars and museum
leaders.
Already, TDIC has shown a series of path-breaking exhibitions:
the first Middle East showing of the great Nasser D. Khalili collection of
Islamic arts, the first
Middle
East retrospective of the work of Pablo Picasso, and the first comprehensive
survey exhibition of the contemporary art of the United Arab Emirates.
Other exhibitions held to great acclaim are Talking Art: Louvre
Abu Dhabi; The Guggenheim: The Making of a Museum – embracing 50
masterpieces from the Solomon R.
Guggenheim
Foundation collection; Disorientation II: The Rise and Fall of Arab Cities in
collaboration with the Sharjah Art Foundation; the first edition of Abu Dhabi
Art in collaboration with Abu Dhabi Authority for Arts and Heritage (ADACH); and
most recently, A
Story
of Islamic Embroidery in Nomadic and Urban Traditions - a collection of majestic
embroideries from Central Asia and North
Africa.
As part of the ongoing cultural programming dedicated to
developing awareness and understanding of art and culture prior to the launch of
the Saadiyat Cultural
District;
Manarat Al Saadiyat was launched to bring the vision of the island alive.
Located on Saadiyat Island, this artistic venue will house international
exhibitions from around the world. The first phase of the building included Arts
Abu Dhabi Gallery, a
permanent
space for exhibitions and educational programmes organised by
TDIC.
Zayed National
Museum
The Zayed National Museum tells the story of the late Sheikh
Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, his unification of the United Arab Emirates, the
long history of the
region
and its cultural connections across the world. The museum will provide a fitting
testament to the life and times of this towering national figure, to his
inspired vision and to the legacy he left behind. The museum has been founded on
behalf of Emiratis
and
people everywhere, to provide a forum for discussion, learning and inspiration
for the entire Arab region. The British Museum serves as a consulting partner to
the Zayed National Museum’s operating body. The 12,000 square metre
(130,000 square foot)
museum
will feature galleries, an education centre, theatre, shops, café and visitor
services area. Since the design unveil in November 2010, significant work has
already been accomplished onsite, including the piling work which is complete.
The tender for the
main
contract will be issued by the end of the first quarter and TDIC hopes to
announce the winning contractor in the third quarter of 2011. The sub-structure
(concrete) will be completed in the second quarter of 2011 and the project will
be operational in
2014.
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