Sheikha Hussa Sabah al-Salem al-Sabah, Director General of Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah left the country today on a cultural visit to the State of Qatar, accompanied by a group of employees and volunteers. The group will visit the Qatar National Museum, the National Library, and the Museum of Islamic Art. The trip was organized to promote cultural understanding and cooperation in the future
Sheikha Hussah Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah left the country yesterday to visit Macao in order to attend an international exchange platform, Global Tourism Economy Forum (GTEF) that promotes sustainable development of the global tourism industry. The Director-General of Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah will participate in a paper on Cultural Diplomacy. She is accompanied by H.E. Mr. Samih Hayat, Ambassador of the State of Kuwait to the China and H.E Mr. Salah Al-Seif, Consul of the State of Kuwait in Hong Kong. For 2019 ETOA has partnered up with GTEF to provide European tourism suppliers the opportunity to forge new relationships with the Chinese trade. Held in Macao, this annual program has been established as an international platform to promote exchange and discussions for sustainable development of the global tourism industry
At the invitation of the First Lady of Armenia Mrs. Nouneh Sarkissian, Sheikha Hussa Sabah al-Salem al-Sabah, accompanied by H.E . Ambassador Sarmen Baghdasarian and a delegation from Kuwait, left this morning to Yerevan. The delegation includes Secretary-General of the National Council for Culture, Arts, and Letters (NCCAL), Mr. Kamel AbdulJalil, NCCAL Assistant Secretary-General Dr. Tahani alAdwani; a group of Dar al Athar al-Islamiyyah ( DAI ) Steering Committee Members, including Sheikha Moudhi S. al-Sabah, Mr. Bader al Baijan, Mrs, Khaireyah Husain, Prof. Faisal Alkhanderi, Prof. Abdulhadi al-Ajmi, and from The al-Sabah Collection, Curator Salam Kaoukji, Director of Education Dr. Susan Day, MD of Gulf Museum Consultancy, Mrs. Katherine Baker, and Director of Dar al-Funoon in Kuwait, Ms. Lucy Topalian. The purpose of the trip is to meet with officials in Armenia to discuss the hosting of an exhibition from DAI in Yerevan. During their visit, officials from Kuwait and Armenia agreed to start an exchange of Cultural activities between the two countries starting by hosting an Armenian cultural week in Kuwait in December this year to be followed by an exhibition from Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah to be exhibited in Yerevan in June 2020.
Guests from Kuwait for the inauguration of the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies building at Oxford University included Sheikh Dr. Mohammad Sabah Salem al-Sabah, member of the Board of Trustees of the centre, to his left is Sheikha Altaf Salem Ali al-Sabah, President of al-Sadu House and Sheikha Hussa Sabah Salem al-Sabah, Director-General of Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah. Sheikha Hussah Sabah al-Salem al-Sabah leaves this morning to London to attend the 15th Anniversary of the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies at Oxford University, UK, as a special envoy of H.H. The Amir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahamd al-Jaber al-Sabah. The Al-Sabah Collection May 17th 2017
The International Alliance for the Protection of Heritage in Coflict Area (ALIPH) is a multi- stakeholder international institution duly formed as la non- profit foundation under the laws of Switzerland. It’s aim is to attract, leverage, manage, and invest resaurces for the implantation of preventive and emergency protection programmes for cultural property in danger of destruction, damage or looting on account of armed conflict, and to contribute to the rehabilitation of such property. The first meeting of the Foundation Board of ALIPH on 5th May 2017 in Geneva, Switzerland will include Sheikha Hussa Sabah Salem al-Sabah as representative of the State of Kuwait. The Board is headed by the representative of France, Mr. Jack Lang, the President of L’Institut du Monde Arabe and has representatives from the UAE, founding countries, KSA, Morocco, private donors, foundations, and American and European museums. The Scientific Committee consists of president-director of the Louvre, deputy Tourism and Antiquities Minister of Iraq, the CEO of the Royal Archive of Morocco, president and CEO of the World Monuments Fund, the director of the National Museum of Mali, director of programmes and partnerships of the International Council of Museums( ICOM), director of the Musée d’art et d’histoire officielle Genève. Sheikha Hussa, to her right Mr. Jack Lang, former Minister of Culture in France and President of L’Institut du Monde Arabe, Mr. Jean-Claude Gandur, Mr. Markus Hilgert, Director of Near East Department at the Pergamon Museum, Berlin and Mr. Guy Arendt, Minister of Culture, Luxembourg. To her left stands Mr. Mohammad bn Mubarak, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority, Mr. Mehdi Qotbi, President of the Foundation of Museums in Morocco, and Dr. Ali al-Ghabban, Vice-President, the Authority of of Culture and Tourism in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. May 5th 2017
The visit of Sheikha Hussa al-Sabah to USA started with a visit to Columbia University in New York to attend the 2017 Maan Madina Lecture held on April 20,2017. This fund was established in 2015 by Dr. Marilyn Jenkins-Madina, Curator Emerita of Islamic Art at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. The fund is named after the memory of her husband, the late Maan Z. Madina ( 1926-2013). Professor Madina joined the Columbia University Department of Middle Eastern and Asian Languages and Cultures in 1958. The Lecture was presented by Salim Tamari, Professor of Sociology( Emeritus) at Birzeit University and Adjunct Professor at the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies, Georgetown University. Prof. Tamari is widely considered to be the foremost historical sociologist of Palestine. His Lecture was entitled ” A Luminary of the Arab Cultural Renaissance: Mohammad Kurd Ali and the Divided Syrian Intelligensia, 1880-1920″ The lecturer was introduced by Timothy Mitchell, Professor and Chair, Department of Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies. Caption: a group picture from left to right: Prof. Mitchell, Dr. Jenkins-Madina, Sheikha Hussa, Prof. Tamari, and Dana Madinah. April 30th 2017
MIT Corporation Visiting Committee for the Department of Architecture . April 26th, 2017. To the right of Sheikha Hussa is Prof. Regina Leibinger, to her left are Ms. Sheila P. Lemke and Prof. Ellen Dunham-Jones. Standing, left too right; Mr. R. Gregory Turner( Chair Corporation Member), Mr. James R. Loewenberg, Mr. Young k. Park, Dr. Jean-Jacques Degroof, Mr. Ronald A. Williams, and Mr. Vrajesh Y. Modi.
Saturday 31st March, a small group of art lovers arrived to the capital city of the Nabataeans, Petra. We were received by Dr. Zeyad al-Salameen, Associate Professor of Nabataean Archaelogy at al-Hussein Bin Talal University and the Chairholder of the UNESCO Chair on Heritage and Sustainable Tourism.
الشيخة حصة الصباح و الشيخة مي آل خليفة تفتتحان معرض الدكتور عبد العزيز مرزوق في جمهورية مصر العربية. عادت الشيخة حصة صباح السالم الصباح، المشرف العام لدار الآثار الاسلامية للبلاد بعد زيارة للقاهرة لحضور افتتاح معرض اقيم في بيت السناري التاريخي تكريما لذكري استاذ الحضارة الإسلامية الدكتور المرحوم عبدالعزيز مرزوق . و كانت ضيفة الشرف في هذه الاحتفالية الشيخة مي بنت محمد بن ابراهيم آل خليفة من مملكة البحرين . February 19th 2017
Under the auspices of HH Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, the Amir of Kuwait along with the presence of the Minister of Information, HE Sheikh Salman al-Sabah and a number of Ministers of Culture in the Islamic World, an honorary award was given this evening to Sheikha Hussah al-Sabah, Director-General of Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah for her contribution in the field of Islamic art. The award was presented by the representative of IESCO, Dr. Obaid al-Hajri and Director-General of NCCAL, Mr. Ali Al- Youha, to Sheikha Dana Nasser al-Sabah, representing Sheikha Hussah. Dr. Obaid al-Hajri representative of IESCO and Mr. Ali al- Yuha, Director-General of NCCAL, presented the award of The Islamic Education, Science, and Culture Organision( IESCO) to Sheikha Dana Nasser al-Sabah on behalf of her mother Sheikha Hussah Sabah al-Salem al-Sabah and Mr. Abdulkareem al-Ghadban on behalf of Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah, in the ceremony held last time to celebrate the end of the year where Kuwait was the Capital of Islamic Culture 2016. December 22nd 2016
Sheikha Hussah Sabah al-Salem al-Sabah has been named to the MIT Department of Architecture Visiting Committee. She was a presidential nominee for the position and will serve a four-year term. MIT’s visiting committees consist of distinguished professionals, including scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs, executives, and educators” and function as advisory groups to the university, offering advice and insight on the relevant academic program. November 21st 2016
These are some impressions captured by Sheikha Hussa al-Sabah during her visit to the exhibition Jerusalem 1000-1400 : Every People Under Heaven which opened recently at the Met museum in New York . This exhibition illuminates the key role the Holy City played in shaping the art of the period between the 11th and 15th centuries. Jerusalem remained a constant source of inspiration that resulted in art of great beauty. It’s the first exhibition that unravel the various cultural traditions and aesthetic stands that enriched the medieval city. November 12th 2016
Sheikha Hussah Sabah al-Salem al-Sabah, Director-General of Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah, will start this week a trip to USA. She will be giving a talk on ( Art: Kuwaiti Experience in connecting Cultures ) at Arizona State University organised by the Council for Arabic and Islamic Studies. NYC is Sheikha Hussah’s next stop to attend the quarterly meeting of The Met Board of Trustees, where she’s been a member since 2010. November 4th 2016
Sheikha Hussah al-Sabah received the curator of Aga Khan Museum in Toronto Dr. Filiz Cakir Phillip to discuss a future exhibition for The al-Sabah Collection in the Aga Khan museum in summer 2017. October 25th 2016
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Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah’s Director General Sheikha Hussah Sabah al-Salem al-Sabah’s point of view during the press conference at the opening of Al Fann: Art from the Islamic Civilization exhibition at the Scuderie del Quirinale in Rome. July 26th 2015
Professor Halit Erem (far right) is the director general of Research Centre for Islamic History, Art, and Culture (ICICA), which is located in Istanbul, Turkey. The institution is the first subsidiary organ of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). This weekend, the OIC is hosting a conference at the Sheraton Hotel in Kuwait City. Whilst attending the conference, Professor Erem took the opportunity to visit Her Excellency Sheikha Hussah Sabah al-Salem al-Sabah. May 28th 2015
بدعوة من قسم التاريخ في كلية الآداب ( جامعة الكويت)، وتحت رعاية مدير جامعة الكويت بالإنابة الدكتورة حياة الحجي، انطلق مؤتمر “مبارك الكبير مؤسس الكويت الحديثة” إحياءً للذكرى المئوية الأولى لوفاته،وبحضور كريم من الشيخة حصة صباح السالم الصباح ( المشرف العام في دار الآثار الإسلامية) لجلساته المتتالية والتي حفلت بعدد رائع من الأوراق البحثية التي قدّمتها نخبة من أساتذة قسم التاريخ،لتلامس في جوانبها المختلفة أبرز وأهم ملامح عصر الشيخ مبارك الكبير، شارك في تقديم الأوراق البحثية لهذه الاحتفالية الأساتذة، د.عبدالهادي العجمي رئيس قسم التاريخ والمنظم لهذا المؤتمر وكذلك أ.د فيصل الكندري عميد كلية الآداب بالإنابة ، بالإضافة لكونهم أيضا من أعضاء المجلس التأسيسي لأصدقاء “الدار”، كما شارك زملاؤهم من القسم وهم ؛ د.موسى الغضبان،د.ذياب الحامد،د.أحمد القناعي،د.سلطان الأصقة،د.خالد الباطني،د.عمر أبا الخيل،د.عبدالله الهاجري،د.حمد القحطاني،ا.نور الحبشي، بعدد متنوع من الأوراق البحثية التي صبّت كلها ضمن أساس الاحتفالية وأضاءت جوانبها المتعددة بالمعرفة. April 19th 2015
Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah’s Director General Sheikha Hussah Sabah al-Salem al-Sabah meets the former President of the United States of America George H. W. Bush and his wife, the former First Lady, Barbara Bush for the second time when visiting their home state of Texas for the opening of Arts of Islamic Lands: Selections from The al-Sabah Collection at the Museum of Fine Art, Houston. February 3rd 2015
Director General Sheikha Hussah Sabah al-Salem al-Sabah speaking at the opening of the expanded installation of Arts of Islamic Lands: Selections from The al-Sabah Collection at the Museum of Fine Arts (Houston). “Since its inception in 1983, part of our vision for the Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah has been the sharing of works of art from The al-Sabah Collection with the public, in and out of Kuwait,” said Sheikha Hussah. “These objects are tangible products of artists and artisans from Islamic lands, representing more than 13 centuries of art, history and culture. The expansion of the Arts of Islamic Lands: Selections from The al-Sabah Collection, Kuwait exhibition at the museum represents Gary Tinterow’s vision for the Museum of Fine Art, Houston. His efforts reflect his recognition that there is a community that deserves to be represented in the museum and an audience that is open to learning more about the art and culture of the Islamic world. With more than two hundred objects from The al-Sabah Collection on display at the MFAH, the museum is where our visions meet.” February 1st 2015
On January 11 2015, Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah’s Director General Sheikha Hussah Sabah al-Salem al-Sabah will leave Kuwait to attend the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Board of Trustees meeting in New York City. As an Honorary Trustee and the first Arab and Muslim woman to be named to this prestigious body, she will not only be representing art and culture in the Middle East, but will also be discussing several issues related to the museum and its latest developments and achievements.
Members of the board who attended the meeting of UNDP Kuwait Advisory Board with UNDP team. The Advisory Board consists of: Dr. Mubashar Sheikh, Sheikha Hussah Al-Sabah, Dr. Ahmad Beshara, Sheikha Al-Azain Al-Sabah, Ms. Amal Al-Sayar, Dr. Bader Mal Allah, Mr. Fouzi Y. Al-Hunaif, Dr. Ghanim Al Najjar, Mr. Hashem Al-Refai, Sheikha Intisar Al-Sabah, Amb. Jasem Al-Mubaraki, Mr. Mazen Al-Nahedh, Dr. Ma’soumah Al-Mubarak, Dr. Moudi Al-Hemoud, Dr. Naji Al-Mutairi, Mr. Nizar Al-Adsani, M. Rabah Al-Rabah, HE Dr. Yaaqoub Al-Sane’ December 22nd 2014
Sheikha Hussah Sabah al-Salem al-Sabah began her tenure as co-chair of Kuwait’s UNDP Advisory Board this morning. In both her capacity as director general of the Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah and as co-owner of The al-Sabah Collection, Sheikha Hussah has had a long and fruitful relationship with the UNDP. She is pleased to serve on this board, as the UNDP is an organisation that respects Kuwait’s national character and strives to ensure that its programmes are not only consistent with it, but also promotes Kuwait’s history, traditions and values. December 18th 2014
A dear friend and Curator at the Hermitage Museum Dr. Anatoly Ivanov (in the middle) helped select 120 objects from the Hermitage Islamic art collection that were displayed by Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah in 1990 under the title of ‘Masterpieces of Islamic Art in the Hermitage Museum’. Accordingly, DAI sent few months later 120 pièces of the al-Sabah Collection to the Hermitage under the title ‘Islamic Art and Patronage:Treasures from Kuwait’. December 9th 2014
At the official ceremony celebrating the 250th Anniversary of the Hermitage Museum, the guests were treated to an operatic performance at the Hermitage Theatre and a ceremonious gala dinner. At dinner, Sheikha Hussah was joined at the table by an old friend and past lecturer at Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah Professor Vitaly Naumkin, the President of the Orienalists’ Institute of the Academy of Science in Russia. December 8th 2014
On December 7th 2014, the State Hermitage Museum will begin celebrating its 250th Anniversary, and their General Director Professor Mikhail Piotrovsky has invited Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah’s Director General Sheikha Hussah Sabah al-Salem al-Sabah, Secretary-General of the National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters (NCCAL) Mr. Ali al-Yoha, and the Undersecretary for Islamic Culture at the NCCAL Mr. Abdulkarim al-Ghadban to partake in the celebration. The 250th anniversary celebration will include the opening of the new exhibition spaces in the East
After her trip to Paris, Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah’s Director General Sheikha Hussah Sabah al-Salem al-Sabah will fly to Florence, Italy and attend the 18th General Assembly and Scientific Symposium of International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) “Heritage and Landscape as Human Values” from the 9 – 14th November. ICOMOS is a non-governmental, non-profit international organization, committed to the conservation and protection of the world’s cultural heritage. The themes of this year’s symposium are sharing and experiencing the identity of communities through tourism and interpretation, landscape as a cultural habitat, sustainability through traditional knowledge, community driven conservation and local empowerment, and emerging tools for conservation practice. November 10th 2014
“Whither the Arabic World? Revisiting Democratic Transition Theory” was a 2-day Conference organized by the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS) and Sciences Po at the Paris School of International Affairs (PSIA). It ended with more questions than answers, nevertheless it was extremely fruitful in capturing the conundrum facing the Arab world. The topics discussed by political and social scientists headed by the Co-Organizer of the conference Professor Ghassan Salame and Steffan Hertog (from PSIA) revolved around the political economy and political engineering of democratic transitions with an emphasis on fiscal and labor issues, constitutional debates, electoral dynamics, security issues and transitional justice. Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah’s Director General Sheikha Hussah Sabah al-Salem al-Sabah gave the opening welcome statement to this gathering of intellectuals at the official dinner. November 9th 2014
Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah’s Director General Sheikha Hussah Sabah al-Salem al-Sabah at the World History of Rashid al-Din Conference at the University of Edinburgh. This international conference, timed to coincide with the launch of the new Edinburgh Masters Programme in Persian Civilization and the anniversary exhibition of Rashid al-Din’s World of History in Edinburgh, will explore the importance of the visual in the Persian World. It aims to examine the historic role of visual culture in the shaping, influencing, and transforming of Persian cultures over successive centuries. October 25th 2014
