Travelling exhibition, organised by the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage. From 2010 to 2018, in 13 Museums in Europe, USA, and Asia.

Pergamon Museum in Berlin
26 January - 9 April 2012
Organized together with the Museum of Islamic Art, Berlin

'Roads of Arabia' presents spectacular artefacts from prehistory and early history, as well as from ancient Saudi Arabia: finds of earliest bifaces, 6000 year-old anthropomorphic stela, monumental egyptianized colossal statues, enchanting works in glass and metal dating from Roman antiquity, as well as objects from the ceramic revolution that took place in the Islamic early period.

Chronologically arranged and presented to form an indoor archaeological landcape covering a terrain of 1300 square metres, the show makes archaeology an immediate experience and offers visitors a unique panorama of the cultural history of the Arabian Peninsula. The exhibition includes spectacular objects from the Kaaba itself and the city of Mecca.

In addition to the exhibits loaned by Saudi Arabia, numerous objects from the National Museums in Berlin, the Berlin State Library, the Tübingen University Library, and private lenders make up the more than 400 unique archaeological and cultural history artefacts. Additionally, an important presentation is made in one of the exhibition rooms by other Berlin institutions. The substantial contributions to knowledge made by means of German research projects in Saudi Arabia by the Orient Department at the German Archaeological Institute, the Centre for the Modern Orient, and the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences are presented as examples of international scientific cooperation in which these institutions are involved.

More about:
Introductory text, Prof. Ali Al-Ghabban and Dr. Stefan Weber