It is expected to be displayed at five museums in the US within a period of two years, beginning from the end of this year, said a statement issued by the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA).
More than 160,000 people have visited the exhibition in Berlin, which was jointly opened by SCTA chief Prince Sultan bin Salman and Mayor of Berlin Klaus Wowereit.
The exhibition contains about 400 antiquities collected from the National Museum in Riyadh, King Saud University Museum, King Abdul Aziz Foundation and a number of other museums in the Kingdom. The pieces cover the history of the Kingdom from the Stone Age to the present time.
Michael Eissenhauer, director general of the Pergamon Museum, said it was one of the most successful exhibitions hosted by his organization. “A large number of people visited the show because of its historic value,” he pointed out.
German and other media had given wide publicity to the exhibition, and some newspapers published articles of archaeologists explaining some of the antiquities displayed at the show. “This was one of the reasons for the high number of visitors.”
The exhibition, which unveils the archaeological richness and historical heritage, had earlier traveled to France, Spain and Russia, drawing more than a million people.
The exhibition was first held in the Louvre Museum in October 2010 before shifting to the Caixa Forum in Barcelona and the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg in Russia. “Through these exhibitions, we want to show to the people the greatness of our Islamic religion, which respects all other divinely religions and embodies a message of peace and justice to the entire world,” Prince Sultan said while opening the Berlin show.
