International Photography Exhibition for Islamic Cultures on in Muscat

Source: Omani Photographic Society. Exhibition poster.

The International Photography Exhibition for Islamic Cultures has opened at the headquarters of the Omani Photographic Society (OPS) at the Sultan Qaboos Higher Centre for Culture and Science (SQHCCS) under the theme One Belt, One Road, the Oman News Agency has reported.

The event, under the patronage of Dr Salim bin Shutait al-Ghanmi, Director General of Medical Services and the Diwan of the Royal Court, exhibition aims to promote cooperation among Islamic countries and to show the different religious characteristics, customs and traditions of Islamic countries.

The International Photography Exhibition for Islamic Cultures features images that reflect the Islamic culture of Asia, Africa, Europe and America. One hundred and fifty works from 50 countries are on exhibit, 35% of them from China. The exhibition also includes an introductory seminar on Muslim customs in China.

The exhibition will be travelling to other Islamic countries along the Silk Route. With its strategic geographical location, Oman is considered a key station along the route.

Hashtag: الجمعية_العمانية_للتصوير_الضوئي

Virtual Collection of Asian Masterpieces adds more masterpieces, highlights Silk Road

The Virtual Collection of Asian Masterpieces (VCM) has grown by five members in the past year, it was revealed at the annual meeting of the Trustees of the VCM at the Asian Civilisations Museum in Singapore on 19 and 20 November, 2015.

Jointly led by Jos Takema, Project Manager of the National Museum of World Cultures in the Netherlands and Yun Hye Chung of the National Museum of Korea, the VCM now boasts 135 member museums from 35 countries and 183 new masterpieces for a total of 2,514 available online.

In December, the VCM introduced a new highlight on the Silk Road. A dedicated Silk Road button on the VCM Search for Masterpiec es page provides instant access to relevant masterpieces. Pictured is a folio from an 8th century large Quran from the collection of the Asian Civilisations Museum (copyright Asian Civilisations Museum, Singapore), which turned up during the search. 

According to the VCM, the museum acquired this folio in 1999. It is likely from a monumental Quran in Tashkent, Uzbekistan attributed to the Caliph Uthman (reign 644 to 656) and might have been carried along the Silk Route. The item has been carbon-dated, and there is a 68% probability of a date between 640 and 705 and 95% probability of a date between 595 and 855. 

The VCM website development is sponsored by NAVER, Korea's top search portal. The VCM also began new social media initiatives on Facebook and Instagram this year.

The VCM was originally a project of ASEMUS - the Asia Europe Museum Network. It features online versions of masterpieces of Asian origin from the collections of contributing museums to promote mutual understanding and appreciation between peoples of various and different cultures. Each museum contributes a selection of 25 masterpieces from their own collections.