Prince Sultan Bin Salman, president of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTNH), opened the "Roads of Arabia: Archeological Treasures of Saudi Arabia" exhibition at the National Museum of China in Beijing on Tuesday. Several dignitaries, including Chinese Minister of Culture Luo Shugang, and Saudi Aramco Vice President Nasser A. Al-Nafisee attended the opening ceremony. The exhibition is a joint initiative of Saudi Aramco's King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture and SCTNH. Featuring important archaeological relics illustrating the depth of the Arab civilization and its history of more than one million years, the exhibition includes more than 400 archaeological pieces selected from the National Museum in Riyadh, the King Saud University Museum, and other museums, according to an Aramco statement. The artifacts cover the prehistoric and pre-Islamic periods, the early, middle, and late Arabian kingdoms and civilizations, and the Islamic period until the establishment of the Kingdom throughout its three stages until the reign of King Abdulaziz. In his inaugural speech, Prince Sultan said that the exhibition is a meeting point of the world's two great cultures. "Saudi Arabia is not only an oil exporter but a nation based on a rich legacy and civilization." He cited the Kingdom's high status at the religious, political, economic and civilizational levels. Prince Sultan said the purpose of the exhibition is to brief Chinese people on some highlights of the history of their partner, Saudi Arabia. In his speech, Nasser Al-Nafisee highlighted the depth of the Saudi Arabian Peninsula's heritage. He said that, located on the old Silk Road, the Arabian Peninsula always held special importance for the Chinese people. "Commercial and cultural exchanges between our ancestors played an important role in shaping the world as we know today," he said. "This dynamic relationship continues today, and Saudi Arabia, represented by Saudi Aramco, is China's primary energy supplier, contributing to China's economic development and prosperity. Our historically-close ties are not confined to the supply of crude oil or the exchange of commodities only but extends to our common aspirations in connection to the Silk Road Economic Belt and the overall development of the Chinese and Saudi peoples, who are our most precious resource." The exhibition was displayed in Saudi Arabia in November as part of the inauguration of the Dhahran-based King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture, when Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman launched the Asian tour of the Archaeological Masterpieces of Saudi Arabia Exhibition. The exhibition will continue for three months at the Beijing museum, and then will travel to South Korea and Japan. Saudi Aramco is sponsoring the Exhibition's Asian tour. The exhibition's Asian tour is in line with the Kingdom's efforts to bolster ties and enhance cultural communication with the Far East. It came as result of the visit to China and Japan earlier this year by Deputy Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, second deputy premier and minister of defense.
