"Looking back to a rich history of the Middle Ages, medieval collections are an integral part of many Arab Museums. This is especially true for the Arab countries in Northern Africa and the Near East: From Morocco to Iraq there exist plenty of large and small, state owned and private museums presenting exhibitions on their medieval past. However, the landscape of Arab Museums is rapidly changing in recent years. This is especially true for the Gulf states where large museum project were launched within the last decade such as the Louvre Abu Dhabi or the Islamic Museum in Sharjah.
The tandem project explores the question how “the Middle Ages” were presented in these different Museums in the Arab world contrasting countries with an ‘own’ medieval history (i.e. were the Middle Ages are an integral part of the history) with countries that extensively collect and present medieval artefacts from other parts of the world (such as the Louvre Abu Dhabi). What is to be understood as the “Middle Ages” seen from arab eyes? And how would they be presented in Arab Museums in different countries?
At the same time the Tandem sheds light on the current situation of medieval collections in Syrian Museums. With the help of Tandem partner Ammar Abdulrahman it will be possible to invite representatives of Syrian museums to the National Museum in Beirut (Lebanon) to discuss the problems of destruction and preservation and the challenges that museums face in (post)war Syria."
2019-11-05