"A high-ranking delegation will accompany Prince Saud," said Osama Nugali, a spokesman of the Foreign Ministry. He said Prince Sultan ibn Salman, chief of the Supreme Commission for Tourism and Antiquities, is already in France.

Apart from providing a fascinating insight into Arabia, the exhibition will also change the stereotypical image of the Kingdom.

The exhibition intends to trace the different cultures of Arabia, from prehistory to the edge of the modern world. The exhibits — around 300 — were found in recent excavations and reveal a bright and prosperous civilization.