The trade between communities, peoples and civilisations across Arabia in ancient times and the shared bonds that unite them is explored and explained in the new exhibition, ‘The Echo of Caravans: Pre-Islamic Civilization Sites in Saudi Arabia.’
 
Organised by Sharjah Museums Authority (SMA), the exhibit will be hosted by the Sharjah Archaeology Museum from October 17, 2018 to January 31, 2019.
 
Featuring 50 wonderfully preserved artefacts provided by the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage, the exhibit ‘The Echo of Caravans’ will highlight the similarities, links and shared customs of the people who called the deserts of Arabia home.
 
‘The Echo of Caravans’ represents the first time many of the objects from Saudi Arabia have been shown on public display. It is also the first SMA has worked closely with the Saudi Commission on an exhibit of this scale and importance.
 
The 50 rare artefacts from Saudi Arabia on display at the Sharjah Archaeology Museum were all discovered across three important locations; the cities of Najran, Al Ula, and Tayma.
 
Large hubs of population and key trade routes, these three cities were bustling with people, merchants and travellers. Each served as an important stopping off point for caravans of camels loaded with frankincense, pottery and a host of other commodities.
 
Travellers on the ancient trade routes would pass through Najran, in south Arabia, on their way to Al Ula. The city of Al Ula acted as a link between the towns and cities in the south and the major cultural centres further north. Traders, meanwhile, would travel to the city of Tayma on their way to Mesopotamia.
 
Among the artefacts on display are small, wonderfully intricate bronze statues of goats and camels, a sandstone altar with a bull’s head carved on one side, a bronze door key, incense burners, small busts and statues and a variety of different types of ceramic lamps and pots.
 
Along site the artifacts from Saudi Arabia 5 objects from Sharjah Archaeology museum Collection will be display in the exhibition. The artifacts were all found in Mleiha, Muwaileh and Jabal Al Buhais. These three locations are some of the most important archaeologic sites in Sharjah and the UAE.
 
When shown alongside the artifacts from Saudi Arabia, the Sharjah artefacts, which date from the period of 2,000BC to 300AD, reveal the similar customs, behaviours and lifestyles of the people who lived across Arabia.
 
Visitors to the “The Echo of Caravans” exhibition will discover how people living hundreds of kilometres apart were able to communicate with each other thanks to the complex network of trade routes that connected villages, cities and major centres of commerce across the Arabian Peninsula.
 
The exhibition will explore the impact this communication had on the lives of people and how the trade in goods and objects, sustained communities long before the invention of coins.
 
Manal Ataya, Director General of Sharjah Museums Authority, said: “The ancient routes that crossed back and forth through the deserts and mountains of Arabia were the vital arteries of trade which societies and people across the Peninsula depended on.
 
“‘The Echo of Caravans’ explores how this network of trade linked different societies together and developed a shared and lasting cultural bonds between communities that thrived despite the distances.”
 
Jamal Bin Saad Omer, Vice President of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage, said: “’The Echo of Caravans’ shows just how well-connected the cities and communities of the Arabia were thanks to a highly developed network of trade routes.
 
“The artifacts on display, many of which are being shown in public for the first time, reveal an advanced society and culture that valued items of remarkable craftsmanship and great beauty. These artifacts served a variety of purposes and each held a special importance to its owner.”

Website: http://www.sharjahmuseums.ae