We can sum up the “Roads of Arabia: Archaeology and History of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia” exhibit in one word: wow. “The many surprising discoveries on display in “Roads of Arabia” open a window onto the culture … of this ancient civilization like never before,” Gary Tinterow, director of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston says via press materials.” Tinterow goes on to call the exhibit “truly unparalleled.”
Drawing on recently discovered archaeological finds that date from prehistoric times to 1932 and the birth of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the exhibit is a collection of more than 300 artifacts that tell of the region’s rich and, in some ways, largely unknown historic past. Among the items on display is a gold funerary mask dating to the 1st century B.C.
The ancient trade routes that crossed the Arabian Peninsula, and later, pilgrimage roads to Mecca, meant the region had a constant influx of travelers and traders for hundreds of years, many of who brought new crafts and arts with them.
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 12:15 to 7 p.m. Sundays. Through March 9. Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 1001 Bissonnet. For information, call 713-639-7300. $20 to $23.
Tuesdays-Sundays. Starts: Dec. 19. Continues through March 9, 2013
This article appears in Dec 26, 2013 – Jan 1, 2014.