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US Deal to Boost Kingdom’s Heritage Development Drive
Saudi Arabia plans to forge world-class institutions with the aim of training Saudi youth to develop and maintain museums, said Prince Sultan bin Salman, president of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA).
Prince Sultan’s statement came after he signed a memorandum of understanding for cooperation in museum matters with Thomas P. Campbell, director of Metropolitan Museum of Arts in New York — the largest art museum in the Western Hemisphere.
The prince said that the MoU also covered organizing touring exhibitions and joint exhibitions, the borrowing of exhibits to be showcased in the Metropolitan Museum and the Kingdom’s museums.
The prince was authorized by the Council of Ministers to sign the MoU.
High-ranking officials including Abdullah Al-Moallami, permanent Saudi representative at the UN, Joseph Westfall, US Ambassador to the Kingdom, Khaled Al-Sharif, Saudi Consul in New York, and Ali Al-Ghebban, SCTA vice-president, attended the event.
“We strive continuously to develop the King Abdullah Project for Urban Heritage, which considers the development of national museums a significant part of the Kingdom’s heritage development program,” the prince said in a statement after signing the MoU.
“The development of museums is important in relation to keeping pace with the aspirations of the state, the citizens who look forward to a major shift in the entire national heritage and attention to all its aspects, its preservation and the awareness of its significance as a part of the Kingdom’s cultural heritage,” he said.
The project is in line with Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah’s vision and who has kindly agreed to give his name to the undertaking, said Prince Sultan.
The prince said the King Abdullah Project for Urban Heritage aims to undertake the construction of new museums in the Kingdom including large specialized museums, in addition to developing the existing museums and heritage locations.
He said several agreements have been signed with world class establishments such as the Louvre and British Museums and more will be signed with other museums with the aim of training Saudi youth to develop and maintain museums.
Thomas Campbell said his museum took extreme care to maintain strong ties with the countries and cultures that have made valuable contributions to human culture and civilizations including the Arabian Peninsula which served as a passage for the movement of cultures and is a source of civilizations.
“The MoU with the Kingdom is significant as it will lay down the basics of learning, training and exchange of expertise,” Campbell said.
“During the next five years, specialists from the Kingdom will arrive in the Metropolitan Museum to work with us in training, understanding and learning the best practices in the science of museums. Our officials, in turn will travel to the Kingdom to explore archaeological and aesthetic work locations to collaborate in exhibitions and other matters of common interest,” he said.
The prince also visited the headquarters of the Geographical Society (National Geographic) in Washington on Wednesday.
Arab News