The archaeological treasures of Saudi Arabia, in Barcelona

Barcelona (ACN).- More than 300 antiquity pieces from Saudi Arabia can now be seen in Barcelona in a new exposition that, for the first time in Europe, brings together some of the most beautiful and unknown treasures of the Arabian civilisation. The show, named 'Arabian Route: Archaeological treasures of Saudi Arabia' is an initiative of 'La Caixa', in collaboration with the Museum of Louvre and the Tourism and Antiquities Comission from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Visitors can discover the history of Saudi Arabian treasures from the antiquity until the present as well as exploring the relations between the country and its neighbours. Besides this, the trade and pilgrimage routes are also analysed. The exposition can be seen in CaixaForum Barcelona until the 6^th of February.

The 322 antiquity pieces on show at the 'Arabian Route' have been discovered recently by archaeologists in more than one thousand excavation sites. This is the first time that some of them can be seen abroad. The Barcelona exposition is therefore a unique opportunity for both visitors and archaeology lovers to discover the secrets treasures of Saudi Arabia.

The commissioner of the exposition, Ali Ibrahim Al-Ghabban, explained that the show intends to challenge the beliefs that some Europeans hold about Saudi Arabia, and familiarise them with its culture. 'People believe that Arabia is just a desert land, and that all Arabs in Saudi Arabia are nomads', said Al-Ghabban to the CNA. 'This is not true', he added. 'We want to change this belief and show people that Arabia is a very important civilisation, that has had a very important participation in the human civilisation, and also very important archaeological sites', the commissioner said.

The treasures that can be seen in the exposition were discovered quite recently. During the 19^th century, archaeologists explored the Egyptian, Mesopotamian and the Eastern Mediterranean civilisations extensively, but did not pay much attention to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The country attracted the interest of archaeologists mainly during the 70's. Since then, up to ten thousand sites have been discovered in the different regions and provinces of the Kingdom.

The show was inaugurated by the Saudi Arabian Prince bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, the Spanish Prince Felipe, the Catalan President, José Montilla, and Barcelona's mayor, Jordi Hereu. CaixaForum and the Tourism and Antiquities Comission from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia expect to collaborate again in the future with new expositions in Barcelona, Lleida, Madrid, Girona or Palma.