Prince Sultan bin Salman, chairman of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA), and Russian Minister of Culture Alexander Avdeyev will open it Monday at St. Petersburg's Hermitage museum. The exhibition, entitled “Arabian Routes — Saudi Archeological Masterpieces Through the Ages” will feature 347 pieces.

“Saudi Arabia’s rich heritage has surprised the world, and the exhibition reflects the growing global interest in the Kingdom’s cultural dimension,” said Prince Sultan. “The world is now very happy to see this great cultural driving force of the Kingdom.” 

He said the exhibition would display only a part of the Kingdom’s heritage in order to highlight the Kingdom’s cultural strength and the importance of its religion. In Paris and Barcelona, the traveling exhibition attracted 100,000 visitors to each of the venues.

In St Petersburg, it will be accompanied by a number of cultural events, including lectures on the Kingdom's heritage and culture, a photography and documentary film exhibition and traditional dances from various parts of the Kingdom.

Prince Sultan visited the exhibition along with a number of Russian and Saudi officials on Saturday to see the final preparations. He held a meeting with Mikhail Borisovich Piotrovsky, director of the Hermitage, and discussed prospects of strengthening the ties between it and the SCTA.

Piotrovsky said it was a great opportunity for his museum to host such a major exhibition of antiquities from the Kingdom. He called them “unique”. 

“This exhibition is important not only for its visitors but also for archeologists who look forward to discovering yet more about the history and heritage of the Arabian peninsula,” he said.

Piotrovsky also commended the Kingdom’s cultural diversity. He said an understanding of the world's cultures would not be complete without fully taking into account the history of Arabian peninsula.

“This exhibition is a gift to the whole world,” he said.

Prince Sultan said he valued the cooperation with the Hermitage. He highlighted the importance of the Islamic culture and civilization, which was “a great historical turning point” in the history of humanity.

“Studies on Islamic culture could not be complete without understanding its springboard, the Arabian Peninsula,” he said.

The SCTA chairman stressed the role of the exhibition in enhancing Saudi-Russian cultural relations.

The exhibition contains pieces that cover various periods of history, beginning from the Stone Age through to the foundation of the Saudi kingdom.

The relics arrived at the Hermitage recently from the La Caixa Foundation museum in Barcelona where they had been on display until Feb. 20.