BY FARIHA ESHRAT
The Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH) and the National Museum of Korea in Seoul have collaborated to present an exhibition featuring Korean history and culture in the National Museum in Riyadh. The exhibition is named “Korean history and culture: An enchanting journey to the Korean civilization,” and is running from December 18th until March 7th 2019. It showcases numerous exhibits from the Korean National Museum, including rare artifacts representing Korean folklore, Korean archaeology and civilization. It also includes 250 archeological artifacts in relation to the Kingdom and the Middle East to showcase the items.
The exhibition in Riyadh is the first in the Middle East on Korean culture and history, and it consists of five parts; the prehistoric era, the Bronze and Iron Ages, ancient kingdoms from 18 BC, the Goryeo Dynasty and the Joseon Dynasty. Amongst the exhibit are valuable archaeological finds like East Asia’s first Acheulean stone hand axe and Neolithic comb-pattern pottery and gold jewelry excavated from the ancient capital of Silla.
Korean ambassador Byung Wook JO is pleased to have such cooperations in the field of culture and archaeology depicting the rich and ancient culture of Korea and making it available to the Saudi public. The exhibition is part of a series of cultural exchanges between Korea and Saudi Arabia that started with the “Roads of Arabia” exhibition organized in the capital city Seoul in May 2017. The “Roads of Arabia Masterpieces of Antiquities in Saudi Arabia Across the Ages” exhibition was a huge success that attracted thousands of Koreans to Saudi history and culture. The Korean Embassy and SCTH are delighted to see this Korean culture and history exhibition in Riyadh be equally successful.
