The Ministry of Antiquities organised a new temporary exhibition in Suez, under the name Gems of Islamic Civilisation, with the aim of letting as many citizens as possible discover the Egyptian heritage that is only available to Cairo’s inhabitants. The exhibition, taking place in the Suez National Museum, showcases 51 Islamic relics which reflect the history of the civilisation and its achievements.
The exhibition follows the strategy that outgoing minister of antiquities Khaled El-Anany established, which is organising several temporary exhibitions inside Egypt and abroad, with the aim of introducing Egypt’s ancient civilisation to as many people as possible. For two months, Suez residents will get to see some artefacts that will see light for the first time, and get to know each displayed relic and how people of the Islamic era used it.
Elham Salah, head of the museums’ sector at the Ministry of Antiquities, said that the exhibition is part of the ministry’s long-term plan of establishing several temporary exhibitions in several Egyptian museums of different governorates in order to display various Egyptian artefacts that are in storage or were recently discovered, according to state-owned media outlet EgyNews.
The exhibitions include artefacts that were used in homes, including pottery from different Islamic eras. The displays differ in shape and size, each with a description for its use.
The exhibition is the second temporary exhibition in the Suez National Museum, after Beauty Icon Over the Centuries took place last April. The first temporary exhibition showcased the tools Egyptian women used in taking care of their beauty over the years. The ancient relics showcased the steps and tools Egyptian women used to care for their skin, hair, and makeup over the centuries.
The temporary exhibitions strategy started to ramp up in the last year, with the direct supervision of El-Anany.
The first exhibition showcasing Egyptian artefacts in a foreign country, as part of the new policy, kicked off in Toronto, Canada in March, displaying the heritage and monuments of the Egyptian Fatimid era, and another displaying the artefacts of the cities of Thonis-Heracleion and Canopus, which were discovered under water after being lost for 1,000 years before they were found accidentally, while a third exhibition will soon be inaugurated for jewellery from ancient Egyptian eras. Tutankhamun is one of the most famous temporary exhibitions El-Anany inaugurated earlier this year. It opened in Los Angeles in March.
The exhibition showcased 166 objects belonging to Tutankhamun, which were transferred from the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities in Cairo, including alabaster pots, wooden boxes, and statues of the pharaoh. According to the museum, all of the 3,500 tickets for the first day of the exhibition were sold out, which led the museum to extend its opening for three additional hours after the official working hours, as regulations forbid hosting more than 100 persons inside the museum at a time.
