Middle East

Again In Sana’a: Festival For Tourism And Cultural Heritage

“Again In Sana’a: Festival For Tourism And Cultural Heritage”

by Tamjid Alkohali via “National Yemen”

“The Glory Lights Association held the Festival of Tourism and Cultural Heritage in Al-Sabeen Park, sponsored by the Ministry of Tourism and the Tourism Promotion Board under the slogan “with our unity and dialogue we salute our heritage and the glory of our tourism.” The festival aimed to activate domestic tourism and recognize Yemeni habits and traditions.

The Festival was opened by Culture Minister Kassim Salaam who expressed his happiness at holding the festival, wishing to increase the cultural events in Yemen in order to emphasize the people’s belief in the unity of its land, heritage, history, and fate.

The Director General of Environment in the Tourism Ministry explained that the Festival aims to raise awareness of the importance of Yemeni heritage and coincides with the awareness of the outputs of the National Dialogue Conference.

The responsible of festival Afaf Hammoud said that the festival aims to encourage people to visit the internal tourist areas in Yemen instead of traveling abroad for tourism because Yemen isn’t less important and beautiful than any other country.

One of the festival’s visitors said the festival revealed that Yemen is rich in tourism and tourist sites, adding that tourism is a means for cultural and civilizational communication as well as for community cohesion.

The festival included a number of cultural and artistic events in addition to displays of handicraft products, textiles, and photographs at the provincial level. . . . “

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“TRADITIONAL HERITAGE HOUSE IN SANA’A PLUNDERED AS YEMENI HERITAGE COMES UNDER INCREASING THREAT”

by Amal Al-Yarisi via “Yemen Times“

“Arwa Othman, head of the Traditional Heritage House in Sana’a, spent two years collecting traditional artifacts to fill the museum. She was devastated when it was robbed earlier last month. The padlocks were broken and glass windows were smashed. Important collectibles were found scattered around the house and precious silver items were missing, along with rare traditional clothes.

Established in 2004, Othman says the museum is one of a kind and contained important pieces of Yemen’s rich heritage. Museums in Hadramout, Seyoun, and Al-Dhale have also been robbed in the past, Othman said.

“On May 16, I was surprised to find the house robbed by unknown individuals. Some other collectibles were tampered with. So far, we have not identified who did it,” said Othman. The problem of robberies is particularly acute at the moment, given that the government’s hands are full in dealing with multiple crises and it cannot pay much attention to matters of heritage. What happened to the Traditional Heritage House is a case in point.

Othman said the house is a cultural entity that was formed to help safeguard the spiritual and material heritage of Yemen. She said she aims to preserve it and make it accessible to researchers.

Othman has been interested in Yemen’s history since she was a teenager. She used to save her allowance and buy traditional collectibles. “Every time my family gave me YR50 ($0.23), I headed to the market in Taiz where I was living. I used to buy many old items,” Othman recalled. . . . .”

10 Art Galleries to Visit in Bahrain

“10 Art Galleries to Visit in Bahrain”

via “Time Out Bahrain“

Albareh Art Gallery Gallery
This gallery and café exhibits paintings, sculptures and photography by a wide range of regional artists. Talks and workshops too.
Open Sat 9am-4pm; Sun-Thu 7am-2pm. Off Sheikh Isa Avenue, behind the Carlton Hotel, Adliya, http://www.albareh.com (17 717 707).

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Anamil
Private gallery which shows the owner’s work from furnishings to clothing as well as paintings and also regularly stages the work of up and coming artists.
Budaiya behind the Post Office off Bani Jamra turn (17 162 155).

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Bahrain Arts Society
Gallery, members’ club, etching room, classrooms and studio. The society holds regular exhibitions, workshops and courses throughout the year.
Beside Lanterns on the Burgerland roundabout off the Budaiya Highway (17 590 551).

Coming Exhibition: Afghan Rugs ~ The Contemporary Art of Central Asia

“Afghan Rugs ~ The Contemporary Art of Central Asia”

Who: BOCA Museum of Art

When: May 3, 2014 – July 27, 2014 (Tues-Fri. 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.; Sat.-Sun. 12 p.m.-5 p.m.)

Where:

BOCA Museum of Art
501 Plaza Real, Boca Raton, FL 33432
In Mizner Park

How Much:

Adults ($8) Seniors 65+ ($6) Students ($5) Children 12- (Free)

More Information: Here.

“The international exhibition, Afghan Rugs: The Contemporary Art of Central Asia, features over 40 rugs from a private European collection, traveling for the first time to museums in North America. Selected for their exceptional quality and stunning imagery, the rugs in this exhibition represent a unique category in decorative arts. They constitute some of the most powerful visual inventions of the late 20th century and are skillfully crafted with hand-spun and dyed, tightly knotted wool.

These exquisitely woven works of art are designed with thoroughly untraditional motifs. Approximately half of the rugs—some produced well before the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979—feature cityscapes, portraits, landscapes, and world maps, framed by tanks and helicopters. Other rugs in the include weapons and fighting scenes made by weavers in Afghanistan, or in the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan. No matter the central imagery, each rug is traditionally bounded by an intricately framed and detailed border design offering incredible works of art to be enjoyed on the floor as well as the wall.”

Ancient Gold Necklace

Ornament for the neck of a robegold, turquoise, garnet, pyrites, 29.1 cm lTillya Tepe, 1st century CENational Museum of Afghanistan Ornamentation Designed to Lay Over the Neckline of a Robe
Gemstones and Inlay include: Gold, Turquoise, Garnet, Pyrites
Tillya Tepe (Afghanistan), 1st century AD/CE
National Museum of Afghanistan (Currently on Exhibition at the Art Gallery of New South Wales)