“It’s a unique exhibition and we are honored to become the first international museum to host it,” the Saudi Press Agency quoted Andre-Salvani as saying. “The Arabian Peninsula has played a significant role in world history and civilization.”

She described ‘Roads to Arabia’ as the largest exhibition of Saudi antiquities. “For the first time, we are able to see how the various civilizations developed in the Kingdom in the past.”

Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal and his French counterpart Bernard Kouchner opened the Louvre exhibition on July 13. It showcases 350 rare artifacts showing different cultures and civilizations that have inhabited the Arabian Peninsula.

The show is the outcome of a 2004 accord between the Louvre and the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA). As part of the agreement, an exhibition of masterpieces of Islamic art from the Louvre was staged at the National Museum in Riyadh in 2006.

Several colossal statues in red sandstone at the show apparently represent the rulers of the ancient Arabian kingdom of Lihyan, which played an important part in the caravan trade. Major archaeological finds were also made in the east of Saudi Arabia.

The exhibition, which also highlights the country’s role as the cradle of Islam, showcases a gold-plated door of the Holy Kaaba, which was given by an Ottoman ruler in the 17th century. The door was replaced around 1940, but kept by the Riyadh Museum. The final part of the exhibition is devoted to King Abdul Aziz, the founder of Saudi Arabia, and artifacts from the Saudi era.

Andre-Salvani, curator at the Louvre, emphasized Saudi Arabia’s strategic position on the ancient route of trade caravans and its close links with ancient civilizations.

“The ancient caravans were passing by this land. Later that route was used by pilgrims coming to the holy places in the Kingdom,” she pointed out.

She said the organizers of the exhibition selected the artifacts on the basis of different historic periods and civilizations that inhabited in the peninsula.

“Ships of trade caravans used to stop at the ports of Arabian Peninsula, which saw the development of first markets in the region,” she pointed out.

Andre-Salvani said she had visited the Kingdom several times and it covered Madain Saleh and other historical sites. “I have seen a lot of antiquities in Saudi Arabia. Some of them date back to more than 2,000 years,” she added.

According to her, a large piece of stone with Arabic engravings is one of the exhibition’s major attractions. “It’s a historic document,” she said, adding that it dates back to more than 6,000 years. She expected a large number of people would visit the show, especially during September. “This is the first time we are opening an exhibition in the summer,” she added.