JEDDAH, 11 October 2005 — Mohammed Jameel, chairman of Abdul Latif Jameel Group (ALJ), recently opened the “Palace and Mosque” exhibition at the Setagaya Museum in Tokyo. The exhibition, which will run until Dec. 4, includes treasures of Islamic art from the 8th to the 19th centuries.

The exhibits come from different parts of the Islamic world including Egypt, Turkey, Iran, Spain and the Central Asian republics. The aim of the two-monthlong show is to promote a wider understanding of Islamic culture.

The works are from the Victoria and Albert (V&A) Museum in London which has one of the finest collections of Islamic art in the world. ALJ has given the V&A a substantial donation to transform its Islamic Middle East Gallery. The new gallery will be named the Jameel Gallery of Islamic Art and dedicated to the memory of Abdul Latif Jameel, the late founder of the group, and his wife Nafeesa. “Palace and Mosque” serves as a witness to the ability of the V&A’s collections to communicate the richness and depth of past Islamic cultures.

“We are very much interested in world cultures and wanted to strengthen understanding between them,” Jameel told the opening ceremony. “We feel happy for having helped the V&A show its Islamic art treasures to a large number of people, especially in Japan, where such a large-scale exhibition is being held for the first time,” he said.

The exhibits include a seven-meter-high minbar or podium with exquisite ivory ornamentation and the famous “Chelsea carpet” which is more than five and a half meters long. There are 120 selected objects such as glassware, lusterware, decorative tiles, ivory work, metal work, textiles; all were used to decorate mosques and palaces and represent both sacred and secular culture.

The exhibition is a gift from ALJ to the Japanese people reflecting their long- standing relationship. ALJ is the largest single distributor of Japanese Toyota and Lexus cars in the world and its business empire is spread over Saudi Arabia, the Middle East, Africa, the UK, France, Germany, Japan and China.

Tim Stanley, senior curator, Middle Eastern collections at the V&A, said, “We are extremely happy for having got a chance to hold exhibitions in the United States and Japan, thanks to the support of Jameel,” he said. “We are also happy with the artworks being displayed at Setagaya,” he said, adding that it would give the Japanese an opportunity to know more about Islamic culture.” He said that the idea of holding Islamic art shows in major world cities was the brainchild of Jameel. “We have been successful in translating his idea into reality,” he said.

From April to September this year, the exhibition was at the Kimbell Art Museum (KAM), Fort Worth, Texas. It was first exhibited at the National Gallery of Art in Washington from July 18, 2004 to Feb. 6, 2005. So far more than 200,000 art lovers have visited the exhibition. After two months in Japan, it will go to the Millennium Galleries in Sheffield, England from Jan. 14 to April 6, 2006 before returning to V&A.