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Dr Abdulrahman Alsuhaibani
The history doesn't belong just to us, it belongs to the human. It is a shared human history that all of us are responsible to preserve it.
VO
This interview is part of Visionary Realms, an audio series produced by FT Longitude in partnership with The Royal Commission for AlUla.
Meg Wright
It was Henry Ford who famously said, "Every object tells a story." Visit any museum in the world today and you will find cultural artefacts rich with living stories from the past, waiting to be uncovered for generations to come. Take for example, the ancient Saudi Arabian region of AlUla, which has supported human life for thousands of years, and is now inviting visitors to witness this legacy and share in cultural exchange.
Hello and welcome to Visionary Realms, a series that explores new visions for community development, tourism and heritage preservation. Each episode we take a close-up look at a community or region that is drawing on lessons from the past to build for a sustainable future.
I'm your host, Meg Wright. And in this episode we're off to AlUla, China and France as we take a look at how artefacts from the past can guide cultural exchange in the present. So how can history and culture lay the foundations for lasting cross-cultural ties? Joining me to discuss this is Dr Abdulrahman Alsuhaibani, vice president of culture at the Royal Commission for AlUla. Abdulrahman, thank you for joining me.
Dr Abdulrahman Alsuhaibani
It's actually my pleasure to be with you today. Thank you so much.
Meg Wright
AlUla is a city with a very rich history and a vibrant legacy, which continues to this day. Could you start by giving us an overview of the cultural landscape of the region?
Dr Abdulrahman Alsuhaibani
AlUla is located in the northwest of Saudi Arabia, 1,100 kilometres away from the capital Riyadh. And AlUla was once a strategic destination for caravans crossing the Arabian Peninsula. AlUla was a crossroad for civilizations and the archaeological excavations we are carrying out now in AlUla have revealed traces of virtually every major period from prehistory to the present day in the form of cultural monuments, historic relics and unique artefacts.
Actually, AlUla's cultural landscape is unique, complex and now being discovered by the world at large as the Royal Commission for AlUla developsed the world's largest living museum. The Royal Commission for AlUla now, which we call RCU, is now setting a new benchmark for global cultural conservation and celebration by documenting, protecting and uplifting AlUla's cultural sites, monuments and landmarks where history, tangible and intangible, has thrived for centuries.
Through careful conservation, architectural restoration, cultural regeneration, and the sharing of the knowledge and expertise, we are trying to create in AlUla a new cultural landscape that balances development and preservation. In AlJadidah, for example, a new art district is being established where we have venues such as galleries opening to the public to host local and international talent alike. AlUla is delivering cultural opportunities for its community of residents and visitors, providing a holistic environment that thrives at the intersections of culture and opportunities for sustainable growth.
Meg Wright
I'm wondering if you could share with our listeners what it means to be the world's largest living museum. That sounds very interesting.
Dr Abdulrahman Alsuhaibani
Yes. Once we say the largest living museum, we mean by that the number of the archaeological sites we have and the number of inscriptions, the number of the rock arts we have here in AlUla. Just to give your audience an idea about the richness of the history in AlUla, today we have recorded more than 30,000 archaeological sites within just AlUla. Not KSA (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia), just in AlUla. So if you collect and you gather all of those archaeological sites with their context, AlUla actually is a living museum. Once you are in AlUla, you are in a museum because you are between the pages of the history.
Meg Wright
Wow, that's really fascinating. Thank you very much for sharing. What role then has cultural exchange played in the history of AlUla and what historical connection did AlUla have with other civilizations?
Dr Abdulrahman Alsuhaibani
A good question. The AlUla region was traversed by several major trade and pilgrimage roads that linked the Levant and the Egypt with the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. These included, actually, the Syrian and Egyptian roads as well. Through history, many different people have left their mark in AlUla. For millennia, AlUla has been home to Dadanites, Lihyanites, Nabataeans, Sabaeans, Minoans, Egyptian, Romans and Arabs. Hegra, which is the first [World Heritage] site in Saudi Arabia, has been named in the UNESCO, as it was a vibrant Nabataean city which dominated the historic Incense Route.
AlUla was also a hub for diverse cultural ideas. Evidence exists of interactions and trade extending as far as China. With the China, for example, merchants who brought porcelain, medicines and silk to Arabia with incense for sure, ivory, while other valuables travelled in the opposite directions. The excavations, for example, in Qurh, which is an important Islamic site, made clear actually that there was some interaction with China at the beginning of the Islamic period. Among the largest ancient cities in the Arabian Peninsula, Qurh, is one of AlUla's main heritage sites with Dadan, Hegra and the Old Town.
Meg Wright
That's quite a rich tapestry there. To bring all of that together could you tell us more about AlUla's Wonder of Arabia exhibition then, and the message behind it? How does it start to tell the story of AlUla's heritage and these connections that it has to broader human history?
Dr Abdulrahman Alsuhaibani
This exhibition, I consider it as one of my babies actually. I love this project and I am proud, actually, of what we are doing now in this project because I believe it changed a lot of the thoughts of people about the history of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in general and AlUla as well.
This exhibition was first hosted in Paris at the Institut du Monde Arabe from October 2019 to March 2020 just before the COVID crisis, and the first time for the exhibition to be outside of AlUla. It's time at the Paris Museum [then] Beijing's Forbidden City, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site,. iIt showcased AlUla's 7,000 years of successive civilizations and 200,000 years of our shared human history captured within the rich past of Northwest Arabia. Among 235 objects were 50 never-before-displayed items, providing visitors with a remarkable window into the ancient world, its culture and achievement. The exhibition showcased rare sculptures, pottery, rock painting, inscriptions and bronze objects and the natural beauty of AlUla and the cultural heritage, of course, of AlUla.
The exhibition told the story of how human history is connected through trade, culture, knowledge sharing and much more. Actually it showed how ancient civilizations had much in common and how we can continue to learn from each other in our modern world. As a new landmark in cultural relations between nations, China's hosting of AlUla: Wonder of Arabia can be a launchpad for the exhibition's next journey to a new destination and a new audience.
Meg Wright
It strikes me too, the rich history of AlUla gave you so much material to draw on. How did you go about selecting which artefacts to display for the exhibition?
Dr Abdulrahman Alsuhaibani
In this exhibition, I work as co-curator with my dear colleague, Dr. Laïla Nehmé from CNRS in France. And through the narrative we try to choose the right objects actually for the display in line with the space allocated for the exhibition. But of course, there are a number of criteria that we rely on.
Number one is the artistic beauty of the object, as the visitor undoubtedly wants to see beautiful objects in addition to its deep history. Second one, which is the historical importance of the object as there are some pieces and objects that played an important role actually in the history, such as some inscriptions, for example, that provide us with names of kings or tell us about specific historical events. These are for sure among the selected pieces.
Last but not least, the technical condition of the object. Whether it is in a condition that allows the object to travel and to be displayed as our mission actually focused on the preservation of our heritage and then sharing it.
Meg Wright
You've mentioned already, as well, the exhibition was presented in two very distinct cultural backdrops, so most recently in China and prior to that in France. How did French and Chinese cultural perspectives shape your approach to curating those pieces? And were you able to craft a narrative that resonated with audiences in both those locations?
Dr Abdulrahman Alsuhaibani
What linked each edition of AlUla: Wonder of Arabia from Paris to Beijing was actually the opportunity for RCU to showcase AlUla to new audiences for the very first time. The audience in France and China were able actually to take a first step into exploring the deep-rooted histories, civilizations, and the stories that have shaped our life, heritage and culture in AlUla through the centuries. These men and women, boys and girls saw firsthand superb examples of artefacts of immense histories and cultural value, including spectacular statues from the Lihyanite civilizations, which I love.
At its heart AlUla: Wonder of Arabia represents the immense benefits and importance of cultural diplomacy in today's world. Its Paris and Beijing editions served to bolster RCU's long-standing cultural strategy that is comprehensively regenerating AlUla as a leading global destination for culturally curious tourists, leading academic experts, and those with a passion for our world's shared heritage.
Meg Wright
At this moment in time, why do you think it's important to focus on these sorts of cultural exchanges and dialogues?
Dr Abdulrahman Alsuhaibani
I am an archaeologist. And I believe all of those cultural events are the bridge to connect the people to each other. So those cultural events, even whether exhibitions, conferences, whatever is the easiest and the fastest road to connect the civilizations. What we are trying to do today is to get back to our nature in the first millennium BC, for example, where AlUla was the place and the hub of multiple civilizations, as I mentioned. Where the people lived in peace in that time,. S so through conversations, whatever they did in that time. What we are trying to do now is showcasing this, making and proving that the cultural events are the bridge to connect the people of the globe.
Actually this exhibition is really in the bottom of my heart because what I saw is the reaction of the audience once they saw the exhibition. You know that some of the people, they don't know about the history of KSA. And they think that the history began within Islam in our times, but the fact is that we have a long, long and deep history in AlUla and in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. So it was really an opportunity and a great platform to allow those people to understand how rich the history is in this area. It's changed a lot of, actually, the thoughts of those visitors. So I am proud about the feedback we get. Because as I said, the history doesn't belong just to us, it belongs to the human. It is a shared human history that all of us are responsible to preserve it.
Meg Wright
And finally, Abdulrahman, a question we ask all our guests on this programme, what advice would you give to other cultural institutions and leaders that are looking to nurture a vibrant cultural space and foster cultural exchanges like these in their own community?
Dr Abdulrahman Alsuhaibani
First, rely on the authenticity in the content and support this with material evidence to strengthen the content. Second, rely on raising awarenesses of local communities and cooperating with them, because in the end, they are the end user, as we say, of this content and they are the protector of this content.
And here I can provide you an example of what we are doing here in AlUla, for example. In AlUla, the local community is a pillar. We have a business model of engagement with the local community. We have the storytellers, we call them Rawi and this is the translation of the storyteller in Arabic. All of those Rawis are the people who are going with all of the tourists while they are in the activated archaeological sites like Dadan for example. Those are actually from AlUla. They tookalk some education about the history and they know now how to speak to the visitors. So they took the information from the archaeologists and then they deliver those messages to the visitors. All of them are from the local community. We are not just trying to give them jobs, which is important for sure, but also they feel that they are part of this project, they feel proud of their history, and then they become the first protectors of this history.
Third, the partnership, as I mentioned. The partnership, I think with the best international entities to ensure quality and transfer knowledge to the next generation, those are the three components that if I had an advice for the cultural entities to adapt in their work.
Meg Wright
Thank you very much. I think very powerful advice and note to end on. Dr Abdulrahman Alsuhaibani, thank you very much for joining us on Visionary Realms.
Dr Abdulrahman Alsuhaibani
Thank you so much, Meg, and it was really my pleasure, and I hope the audience will enjoy this.