Vatican artefacts celebrating Muslim cultures to be shown

Manal Ataya, Dr Ulrike Al Khamisi announcing details of the exhibition in Sharjah A unique, unprecedented exhibition from the Vatican featuring artefacts and material culture of Muslim communities the world over will open its doors to the public at the Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilisation tomorrow. The exhibition , entitled: "So that you might know each other - the world of Islam from North Africa to China and beyond" is the result of an unparalleled collaboration between Sharjah Museums Department and the Vatican Museums and is intended to promote intercultural and interfaith understanding and dialogue.
The 70 first time exhibits have been selected, researched and curated jointly by Sharjah and Vatican curators drawing from the Vatican Ethnological Museum's vast collection of over 40,000 artefacts from the Americas, Africa, Asia and Australasia. The exhibition marks the first time in the Vatican collections' 300-year history that their objects have travelled to the Muslim world.
"So that you might know each other" marks Sharjah Museums Department's contribution to the launch of Sharjah's celebrations as the Capital of Islamic Culture 2014 and will last until June 14th.
A rich and varied education programme runs alongside the exhibition, aimed at families, community groups and students and more information can be found at the Sharjah Museums website.
Source: WAM