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ORIENT PIONEERS: WESTERN TRAVELLERS IN ARABIA FORUM

24-25 November 2019

FIVE CENTURIES OF ADVENTURE AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP: WESTERN TRAVELLERS IN ARABIA EXHIBITION

24-30 November 2019

The inaugural ORIENT PIONEERS: WESTERN TRAVELLERS IN ARABIA FORUM AND EXHIBITION is a unique academic and cultural event organised by the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi, with the two-day forum and week-long exhibition taking place at the Cultural Foundation.

The forum will feature thought-provoking keynote speeches and panel discussions that emphasise the importance of culture, art and literature in creating connections between nations and cultures, in the context of travel in the Arabian Peninsula. Prominent Orientalists, scholars of regional history, cultural specialists, writers and academics from the UAE and around the world will gather to discuss the writings and experiences of Western travellers in the region throughout the centuries, examining the challenges they faced while interacting with the local inhabitants.

The exhibition Five Centuries of Adventure and Entrepreneurship: Western Travellers in Arabia will feature displays of rare historical images and a wide range of historical publications and documents on the experiences of Western travellers touring the Arabian peninsula.

We hope you will join us for what is sure to be a unique and dynamic event, providing enlightening dialogue and debate as well as productive networking opportunities.

FIVE CENTURIES OF ADVENTURE AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP: WESTERN TRAVELLERS IN ARABIA

FIVE CENTURIES OF ADVENTURE AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP: WESTERN TRAVELLERS IN ARABIA EXHIBITION

24-30 November 2019

Since 2009, the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi has been publishing the historical series ‘The Orient Pioneers’ to tell the story of how Europeans from the West discovered the Arabian Peninsula in the East, which for centuries had remained mysterious and secretive.

Currently, there is little emphasis on the literature of European expeditions into the Arab Peninsula, despite the benefits it offers to intellectuals and scholars who study the heritage of the Arabic language and its cultural, political, and social history.

Western expeditions into the East have been in existence throughout history. For centuries, vast numbers of European travellers have consistently visited the Orient. During the classical age, such expeditions are documented by the Greeks - including Herodotus, Nearchus, and Anabasis by Xenophon of Athens - and the Romans, such as Aelius Gallus and the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea.

The age of discovery at the turn of the 16th century AD started a new phase in the cultural epic of East - West relationships. During this time, the number of Western travellers visiting the Orient for trade, adventure, or exploration more than doubled. The Arabian Peninsula, in particular, was an especially attractive and key destination for five centuries, from the 16th to the 20th century.

This precious, interesting, and useful human heritage, which includes hundreds of texts documenting exciting journeys, continues to be published by the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi today in an ambitious project aimed at providing the Arab reader with the highest scholarly level of translation, investigation and research, artistically presented through quality printing, rare documents, maps and images.

The exhibition Five Centuries of Adventure and Entrepreneurship: Western Travellers in Arabia presents the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi’s collection of rare images, publications, and documents of Western expeditions to the Arabian Peninsula through the centuries.

This pioneering intellectual experience and the cultural exchanges it will promote among nations align with the UAE's mission to promote dialogue and tolerance among different cultures.

PO Box 94000, Abu Dhabi UAE
Tel:	+971 2 444 0444
Fax:	+971 2 444 0400
E-mail:	info@kalima.ae

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