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…

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

Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah’s Director General Sheikha Hussah Sabah al-Salem al-Sabah has been invited to attend the World History of Rashid al-Din Conference at the University of Edinburgh by Professor Hugh Goddard, Director at the Alwaleed Centre for the Study of Islam in the Contemporary World.   October 23rd 2014

The Minister of Culture for the Kingdom of Bahrain H.E. Sheikha Mai Bint Mohammed al-Khalifa met with DAI’s Director General Sheikha Hussah Sabah al-Salem al-Sabah at Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah’s new cultural centre in Yarmouk. Sheikha Hussah al-Sabah shared with her plans for the new cultural centre and discussed future plans and initiatives at DAI.   October 16th 2014

Beirut is the last destination for a trip that started in Genoa, worked its way up to Geneva, and back down to Athena and Kavala in the Northern eastern tip of Greece. Beirut is a magical city buzzing with vibrant cultural activities. My first day started with a visit to a den of creativity – the Dar Embez – which was established by Nadine Touma, a children’s story teller who has dedicated her life’s work to writing and illustrating stories she had once heard from her grandmother. It is a truly remarkable private initiative that promotes literary works for children.   October 15th 2014

Lunch with the Director of the Benaki Museum, Prof. Angeleos Delivorrias. A picture with Mina Moraitou – Curator of the Islamic Collection – at the Benaki Museum in Athens, Greece.   October 12th 2014

DAI’s Director General Sheikha Hussah Sabah al-Salem al-Sabah and former Deputy Prime Minister of Greece Theodoros Pangalos.   October 12th 2014

Genoa, the charming Italian city, witnessed a remarkable energy within two days in early October. Two exhibitions on Ottoman Art opened their doors in two of its most spectacular palaces to ten collectors from all over the world to enjoy such unique experience. They came from Kuwait ( Sheikha Hussah Sabah Salem al-Sabah), Switzerland, Iran, France, Hungary and Poland in response to an invitation extended to them by Christie’s, the renowned auction house’s International Head of Group, Mr. William Robinson and his colleagues ; Rachele Guicciardi, Louise Broadhurst, Romain Pingannaud and Sara Plumbly. We were graciously welcomed by the owners of three magnificent 17th century palaces and to their generosity,…