It was revealed in St. Petersburg by Prince Sultan bin Salman, chairman of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities.

He was addressing a press conference after opening a Saudi heritage exhibition at Hermitage Museum along with Russian Minister of Culture Alexander Avdeyev.

The exhibition featuring Saudi archaeological feat aims at highlighting the Kingdom’s cultural dimension apart from its religious, economic and political dimensions, he said.

Prince Sultan said the Kingdom’s cultural dimension has been unknown to the world for quite a long time. “We want to project that dimension through this exhibition,” he told reporters. The exhibition, entitled "Arabian Routes — Saudi Archeological Masterpieces Through the Ages" features 347 pieces.

He disclosed plans to enhance the younger generation’s awareness about their country’s heritage. The awareness program will be carried out in association with the Ministry of Education.

He thanked Hermitage Museum authorities for hosting the exhibition. “We’ll display some pieces of antiquities in Hermitage at the National Museum in Riyadh next year. We also want to establish cooperation in training and exchanging expertise in the areas of museum, antiquities and archeological excavations,” he said.

Prince Sultan said 18 international teams are currently engaged in excavations in the Kingdom, adding that they work along with Saudi experts. “We would like to see a Russian archeological team in the Kingdom very soon.”

He described Saudi Arabia as an open museum replete with archeological sites such as Madain Saleh, which has been registered with UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. “There are several archeological sites related to the Islamic history. The SCTA is currently working to develop these sites,” he said.

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. The exhibition earlier visited Paris and Barcelona, drawing 100,000 visitors to each of the venues.

The exhibition 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.

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.