RIYADH, 17 January — Prince Faisal ibn Abdullah ibn Muhammad, head of the National Guard in the Western Region and chairman of Saudi Equestrian and Archery Federation, opened a high-profile equestrian exhibition at the King Abdul Aziz Library's Murabba branch here last night. The nine-day exhibition features the origin and history of horsemanship in Saudi Arabia.
Earlier, Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and commander of the National Guard, received at his palace Prince Faisal ibn Abdullah and Prince Ahmad ibn Salman, chairman of the Saudi Research & Marketing Group and deputy chairman of the exhibition's organizing committee, as well as directors of museums in America and Europe who came to take part in the exhibition.
Prince Abdullah received from Prince Faisal and Prince Ahmad two copies of the encyclopedic book "Furusiyya" (Equestrian) in Arabic and English.
The opening ceremony was attended by members of the royal family, high-ranking officials and diplomats. Prince Ahmad ibn Salman, Prince Sultan ibn Salman, secretary-general of the Higher Tourism Authority; Khaled Al-Maeena, editor in chief of Arab News; and Dr. Fahd Al-Tayash, director general of the Saudi Research and Publishing Company, were among those present. The event was also attended by 33 officials from equestrian organizations in 12 countries.
Prince Faisal also released the two-volume work on the equestrian heritage, “Furusiyya”, last night. Speaking on the occasion, Prince Faisal thanked Prince Ahmad for his support in realizing various equestrian projects. “I would like to extend my greetings to this assembly of dignitaries tonight, for which we have patiently waited for the last seven years. By releasing 'Furusiyya', ... I can say that a part of the dream has come true,” Prince Faisal said.
“Over the years we have had dreams and aspirations for establishing the equestrian federation that will preserve our age-old heritage. The legacy, extending over 5,000 years since man domesticated this noble creature, shaped up the mode of life for mankind and positively affected man’s future and existence in this universe,” the prince said.
The late King Abdul Aziz, he said, had set an outstanding example of Arabian equestrian heritage for the whole of Arabia. “The late king is to be remembered throughout the history of mankind as the last man who used the power of the horse against the 'horsepower', won Arabia and established its safe and secure geopolitical borders,” he added.
Prince Faisal said this great history had been the main incentive for organizing an exhibition on the country's equestrian heritage, its history and impact on mankind and civilization. There are 80 pieces of rare artifacts on display at the exhibition.
On the monumental work released yesterday, Dr. David Alexander, a professor of Islamic art who supervised the publication of the book, said this was the first work of its kind in the world published in English as well as in Arabic. The 224-page first volume has four articles written by Saudi scholars. The 288-page second volume, according to Alexander, is a catalogue of the exhibition and is divided into seven chapters. It contains details of the artifacts in different museums around the world. The book, printed in Austria by the King Abdul Aziz Public Library, will cost SR2,250 in the local market.
An emblem depicting a horse and a pigeon shaped in white stone was also unveiled on the occasion in the courtyard of the library's Murabba branch.
