In This Issuel Sheikha Hussah Visits

Paraguay

l The Spice World

l April in Iran

l The Annual Dinner

Bareed ad-Dar, Newsletter of the Friends of Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah, Year 9, Issue 1. 2007

Sheikha Hussah Visits Paraguay

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Paraguay, the land where everything grows, was the pleasant destination of three Kuwaitis at the end of June. The short, but delightful, visit from the 28th June to 1st July, was made at the gracious invitation of the country’s First Lady, María Gloria Penayo de Duarte in her capacity as UN Ambassador for Combating Hunger and Poverty in the World to Sheikha Hussah Sabah al-Salim al-Sabah, Director-General of Dar al-Athar al Islamiyyah.

Accompanying Sheikha Hussah was Sheikha Sheikha Sabah al-Salim al-Sabah and Mr. Bader Ahmed al-Baijan, the President of the Steering Committee of the Friends of DAI. They were joined in Paraguay by His Excellency, Mr. Ali al-Sammach, Kuwait’s Ambassador to Argentina, who also represents Kuwait in Paraguay. His Excellency Mr. Faris Eid, the Lebanese Ambassador, also participated in many of the activities.

Ms. Penayo de Duarte, like Sheikha Hussah, is a mother of six, and both ladies share a long, steady, and intense involvement in founding and developing institutions in their respective countries. Paraguay’s First Lady is highly concerned with helping the most vulnerable sectors of society, particularly

children and, to this end, has worked towards fostering the social integration of marginalized and deprived populations. She is striving to create equal opportunities for these sectors and by strengthening family and society generally, hopes to combat poverty and improve the living conditions of the poor.

A pharmacist by training, the First Lady is involved in a wide number of projects ranging from the architectural renovation of the Neuropsychiatric Hospital to fostering support for women’s issues. She has championed the programme of Integrated Community Development (PROGRESO), which has installed

soybean processing machines in the most deprived areas of the country. PROGRESO’s initial goal is the provision of food security for local populations by encouraging them to set up small bakeries as a means of generating supplementary income.

The First Lady is also concerned with children at risk and the Office of the First Lady and REPADEH have implemented the Programme of Integrated Care for Vulnerable Children and Youths Living on the Streets of Asunción. This has three phases: retrieval, transitional homes and family reintegration; thus providing

integrated care for homeless children, aged 6 to 14, from the street to final reintegration into a family environment. Throughout the visit Ms. Penayo de Duarte introduced Sheikha Hussah to various aspects of Paraguayan cultural life and to the humanitarian programmes in which she is involved. A well-organised, entertaining, and informative programmes organised by the Office of the First Lady filled the three-day visit. The Office of the First Lady was established by the Paraguayan

Continued on page 2

Evening entertainment included a dinner hosted by Senor Nicanor Duarte Frutos, President of the Republic, and his wife, the first lady, at Mburuvicha Roga, the official residence of the President.

Sheikha Hussah and the first lady of Paraguay, Maria Gloria Penayo de Duarte visited with the children of the REPADEH Programme of Integrated Care for Vulnerable Children and Youths Living on the Streets of Asuncion.

BY: BADER AL-BAIJAN

LNS 162 M

This publication is sponsored by:

Bareed ad-Dar is the bi-monthly newsletter of The Friends of Daral-Athar al-Islamiyyah (DAI). Hadeethad-Dar is a DAI scholarly journal containing abridged versions of lectures given during the Cultural Seasons.Gulf Museum Consultancy Company WLL (GMCC) is the commercial entity authorized to exploit & promote the commercial and other rights relating to The al-Sabah Collection, Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah.gmcc@darmusuem.org.kw© 2006 GMCC, Kuwait

Eight years ago, Layla al-Musawi joined the Dar as a jack of all trades in the

curator’s office. She helped with exhibition installations, translating both Persian and Arabic inscriptions

on collection pieces and coordinating legal contracts. As her experience and familiarity with the collection grew, so did Layla’s responsibilities. Ultimately, she took over as Director of Publications.

Sadly for us, Layla’s resigned from the Dar to complete her PhD and then move into her chosen field of environmental science. Please join us in wishing Layla good luck in her new adventure.

2 Bareed ad-Dar

Timurid, Ulugh Beg (before aa 1449)Safavid, Shah Abbas I (aa 1026/aa 1617)

Mughal, Jahangir (dated aaa1030/aa 1621)Mughal, Shah Jahan (undated)

Mughal, Alamgir (aa 1070/aa 1659-60)Durrani, Ahmad Shah (aa 1168/aa 1754-55)

ألغ بيك، تيموري )قبل 1449(

شاه عباس 1، صفوي )1026هـ/ 1617م(

شاه جيهان مغولي )دون تاريخ(

جهانگير، مغولي )1030هـ/ 1621م(

عاملگير، مغولي )1070هـ/60-1659م(أحمد شاه، دّراني )1168هـ/55-1754م(

Museum Shop

“ On this day Aga Beg and Muhibb Ali, the envoys of the ruler of Persia, paid their respects and presented a loving letter from that noble brother, together with a black and white plume (kalgi-i-ablag), valued by the jewellers at Rs. 50,000.-. My brother also sent me a ruby weighing 12 tanks, which had belonged to the Jewel-chamber of ULUGH BEG, the successor of M. SHAH-RUKH. In the course of time, and by the revolutions of fate, it has come into the hands of the Safawi family. On this ruby there were engraved in the “Naskh” character the words: “ULUGH BEG b. M.SHAH-RUKH BAHADUR b. MIR TIMUR GURGAN. My brother,Shah ‘Abbas, directed that in another corner they should cut the words: BANDA-I-SHAH-I-WILAYAT // ‘ABBAS“The slave of the king of holiness //‘Abbas” in the Nasta’liq character. He had this ruby inserted in

a “Jigha” (turban ornament), and sent to me as a souvenir. As the ruby bore the names of my ancestors, I took it as a blessing for myself, and bade Sa‘ida, the superintendent of the goldsmith’s department,engrave in another corner the words JAHANGIR SHAH b.AKBAR SHAH and the current date. After some days, when the news of the conquest of the Deccan arrived, I gave that ruby to KHURRAM, and sent it to him”.

It’s by these words that Jahangir Shah describes, in his memories “Tuzuk-I-Jahangiri” that he received in 1028 AH this gift from the ruler of Persia, Shah Abbas. Our Timur Pen by Recife was inspired by the desire to share the importance of the ‘Balas Ruby’ (LNS 600 J) held in The al-Sabah Collection, Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah, and demonstrates a subtle combination of the historical past and modern times.

It is composed of a ribbed body of chromium plated brass with gold plated accents. The grooved, synthetic rubies at each end reflect the beauty of the royal spinel and the engraved ring, with inscriptions of historical leaders and a great conqueror, combine to make an exquisite writing tool. Each pen is a numbered Limited Edition of 500, with the Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah initials (DAI) of authenticity. There is a lifetime guarantee from Recife.

LNS1660 J: Inscribed Royal Spinel (Balas Ruby), cut from spinel, drilled,

manually engraved with a diamond stylus and wheel-cut. Length 48 mm; width 36 mm; thickness 18 mm; weight

249.3 carats.

Timur Pen

government, on 22 August 2003, in order to create a legal and institutional framework for the fulfillment of projects, such as those mentioned above. The President of the Republic, Senor Nicanor Duarte Frutos, and the First Lady hosted a dinner in honour of their guests on 28 June at Mburuvicha Roga, the official residence of the President of the Republic.Most of the Paraguayan Cabinet and their spouses attended. It is interesting to note that nine of the Ministers in the government are ladies.

The following day, we visited “Area Refugio”, a Community Integrated Development Centre. The First Lady is Chairperson of REPADEH (Paraguayan Network for Human Development), and this organization, together with the Office of the First Lady, promotes the centre which runs several successful projects. A visit to the “Oga Mimbi” Home was next, followed by a luncheon offered by the First Lady. A National Crafts’ Exhibition also featured at the luncheon.

On Friday, 30 June, the delegation flew from the country’s capital, Asunción, to the city of Hernandarias, where they visited the impressive Itaipu Dam and the Guarani Homeland Museum. This was followed by a luncheon hosted by the Mayor of the City of Ciudad del Este, Mr. Javier Zacarías Irún, at the Residence of the Mayor. The mayor presented Sheikha Hussah with the Keys of the city as an honorary visitor to Ciudad del Este. He also arranged for the Kuwaiti guests of Paraguay to meet with prominent citizens of Arab origin. The township of Kuwait, founded in 1990, has a population of about thirty thousand inhabitants and is situated near the Itaipu Dam.

Paraguay is a country of warm, friendly people, as evinced by the wonderful and thoughtful hospitality shown to Sheikha Hussah and her delegation. After a visit to Iguazú Falls, the delegation returned to Asunción, where a Reception of Honour was held for Sheikha Hussah who was also Guest of Honour at a Concert entitled, “La

OSCA ca al Cine”, given by The Paraguayan Network for Human Development and Núcleo Sociedad Anónima. It was subsequently performed at the Grand Theatre in the Banco Central del Paraguay.

The intense beauty of Paraguay is only exceeded by the dedication of the

President and the First Lady to the welfare of its people and to the fostering of good international relations, measures which have been implemented since his inauguration. Sheikha Hussah has extended a reciprocal invitation to the First Lady of Paraguay to visit Kuwait in February 2007.

Sheikha Hussah visits Paraguay

The Kuwait delegation, led by Sheikha Hussah, visited several projects important to the first lady in her role as UN Ambassador for Combating Hunger and Poverty. They also had the opportunity to visit Iguazu Falls before returning to Asuncion, where Sheikha Hussah was the guest of honour at a concert organized by The Paraguayan Network for Human Development and Nucleo Sociedad Anonima.

3 Bareed ad-Dar

Sheikha Hussah, Director General of DAI, received an exclusive gift, a Qur’an tablet, from Mrs. El-Tayib, the widow of the late professor Abdulla El-Tayeb. Professor El-Tayeb was a leading philologist, educator and man of letters. He was a prominent pioneer in the field of Sudanese folklore and made a remarkable contribution to education; primarily in the field of writing for children.

This Qur’an tablet was made for the late professor when he was named the first Professor of the Faculty of Arabic and Islamic Studies at Abdullahi Bayero College, Kano, North Nigeria in 1964. The tablet is made in the fashion of those used by young students to enable them to memorise verses from the Holy Qur’an. El-Tayeb belongs to the generation which took over from the British governors, a generation whose role was the Sudanisatin of the state. One of the most challenging issues in this respect was the Localisatim of the curriculum, starting from the basic level.

Professor Abdulla El-Tayeb and his colleagues solved the problem by looking back into the Sudanese cultural heritage. They advocated the re-discovery of the Sudanese identity by returning to authentic sources of Sudanese nationality, Islam and Arabism. El-Tayeb’s main objective was to design and promote an Arabic language curriculum for young students. For fifty years, the late professor collected and Sudanese folklore and, using his expertise as a teacher, successfully integrated the folk tales into the Sudanese Arabic language curriculum.

In Gratitude

The Supreme Art of Islam

The Museum für Islamische Kunst, Berlin, invited Sam Fogg, a leading art dealer, to present an outstanding selection of Islamic calligraphy: “Ink and Gold: Masterpieces of Islamic Calligraphy Exhibition”, from 14 July to 31 August 2006. In its press release, the museum announced that the exhibition is composed of over 25 superb examples of Islamic calligraphy and illumination, covering a period of some 900 years and representing the calligraphic traditions of an area stretching from Morocco to Central Asia.

On 14 July a symposium on Islamic calligraphy was held to celebrate the opening of this exhibition. It comprised lectures by international Islamic calligraphy experts Jonathan Bloom, Sheila Blair, François Déroche, Marcus Fraser, Claus-Peter Haase and Robert Hillenbrand. Topics covered Qur’ans and Qur’anic illumination of the Abbasid period, and the Baysunghur Qur’an and Mughal calligraphy albums in the Berlin Collection.

The lectures covered the history and development of the different Arabic scripts. Although an Arabic script was in use prior to the rise of Islam, it was not until after the establishment of the Islamic empire that a system of vocalisation and diacritics was established. The angular Arabic scripts that were dominate from the second half of the 8th, century AD through the 10th are frequently named ‘Kufic’.

The exhibition includes outstanding examples of calligraphy covering all these major Islamic centres. The earliest piece on display is a monumental Qur’an leaf on vellum. Other early masterpieces include a page from the famous Blue Qur’an as well as a leaf from a Qur’an manuscript written entirely in gold. Though the patrons of these manuscripts are unknown, the quality and expensive materials indicate patronage of the highest, possibly imperial, level.

1. from right Sam Fogg, Sheila Blair, Eleanore Sims and Layla al-Musawi, on a boat trip conclud--ing the symposium2. Sara Kuhen, Abdulaziz al-Duweesh, Nabil Saidi and Debora Freema3. Claus-Peter Haase

Kazima is one of the most significant archeological and historical sites in Kuwait. It has been cited in several Arabic historical and literary sources. Yaqut al-Hamawi, in his book Mu‘jam al-Buldan, points out that “Kazma al-Buhur lies on the seashore on the road between Basra and Bahrain, laying at two stages from Basra, with surface water sources”. The area is still very rich in water sources and the water level of several fresh-water wells rises above the surface. Many Arab tribes settled in Kazima including the Tanukh, Ayad, Bakr ibn Wa’il, Shayban and Tamim.

Kazima was known as a port and a station for pilgrims and traders, as reported by Jasus ibn Ya‘fur and Khalid ibn Malik. They both confirmed that “Kazima is swarming with pilgrims and traders”. The battle of Dhat al-Salasil took place at Kazima in the year 12 A.H. This victory was the prelude to Islamic conquests in Persia and Mesopotamia.

Kazima appeared on world maps as far back as 1652 AD in a map drawn by the Frenchman Nicholas Santos and continued to be shown until the end of the 17th Century AD. It also appears in numerous maps prepared by the Otinz brothers and was depicted on a map prepared by the German publisher G.B. Human, which was offered for sale in the year 1737 AD.

Currently, in the light of some recent archeological findings, both ruins and artefacts, Kazima has stepped into a new dimension. A team of archeological researchers from the National Council for Culture Arts and Letters (NCCAL) – Antiquities and Museums’ Department, has uncovered some indications of life dating back to the mid-sixth century AD at a site locally known as al-Kharafashi in the archeological sector of Kazima, about 14 km north east of al-Jahra city (Latitude 24° 29 and longitude 47° 45).

General Description of the AreaThe Kazima settlement lies on top of

a series of archeological mounds near the seashore. The al-Kharafashi ruins stretch between the Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jabir al-Sabah’s National Park and the al-Khuwaysat area.The settlement was founded on a series of hills two meters above neighbouring land levels. It lies on the edge of a small slope covered by a newly-formed layer of soft sand. It is separated from the sea by an area of marshland,

covered with nabak plants and stretches of shifting sand. It is believed that the settlement was originally founded on the seashore but that due to several geological factors, the sea-water receded.

On the eastern side of the settlement, there is a huge cavity covered by a layer of sand and stony deposits. On the south-eastern side, lie masses of rock. At this point the water channel gets narrower and leads to the main well.

Description of the Residential Units in the Site

For the purpose of the archeological survey and study, the settlement was divided into seven divisions, designated from A to G. They consist of rectangular residential units built of limestone and sea-rocks.

The work uncovered door-openings that, in most of the chambers, face eastward (or seaward). Also, a layer of mud was discovered near the eastern wall of chamber no. 1 in the main mound. Surface finds pottery is abundant at the Kharfshi site which covers an area of more than 2400 m2 and finds are concentrated mainly in the centre of mound B, situated to the north of the main mound. In mound E, 118 pottery shards have been collected, most of which are of glazed pottery in shades of blue and green. Also collected were 19 artefacts made of soapstone, as well as fragments of jewellery and cosmetic tools. Glass shards of different kinds were also spread all over the surface of the site.

Islamic CoinsDozens of Islamic tombs were

uncovered to the west of the site. In addition, a hoard of metal coins was discovered, the oldest of which is an Islamic coin that dates back to the Umayyad era, during the reign of the Umayyad Caliph Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik (105-150 AH). It is made of brass, with a diameter of 2.1 cms and weighs 1.85 grams. The centre-front of the coin is inscribed with the words, “There is no God but Allah, He has no partner”, and the edge is uninscribed. The obverse is inscribed in the centre with “Mohammed is the Messenger of Allah”; and the edge with “In the name of God, this fils was struck at Wasit in the year 123”. This coin was instrumental in dating the period of early settlement, hence dating the site of Kazima. The team hopes that these finds will add to current research and play a accretive role in establishing that Kazima functioned as a commercial port in the early Islamic period.

An Umayyad coin, struck at the era of the

Umayyad Caliph Hisham in Abd al-Malik

al-BuhurKazimaBY: SULTAN AL-DUWEESH

A section of the excavation at Kadima

al-Duwish and Abd al-Aziz at the site 1

2 3

Bareed ad-Dar 4

Wallpaper magazine, in its September 2006 issue,featured Sheikh Majed al-Sabah (Villa Moda), Sheikha Hussah Al-Sabah (Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah), Emad al-Samhan (Grass Exhibition), Rola Dashti (Women’s rights movement) and Maha al-Ghunaim (Global Investment House). Under the subtitle of ‘The Curator’,

Wallpaper wrote: ‘Had it not been for a rather rude comment by Andy Warhol at a party in Kuwait in the 1970’s, Shaikha Hussah al-Sabah and her husband Sheikh Nasser might now be the owners of an impressive collection of contemporary art. Instead, they preside over something quite different and, in many ways, more precious; one of the most comprehensive private collections of Islamic art to be found anywhere in the world.

The object that started the collection, a 14th century blown-glass decanter of either Egyptian or Syrian origin, was acquired in 1975. The following eight years saw it joined by everything from gold earrings and carpets, to manuscripts, miniatures, scientific instruments and household items--20,000 pieces in all, from all over the Islamic world.

By 1983, the collection was becoming unwieldy, so al-Sabah offered it on permanent loan to the state, which in turn offered them space in the newly finished National Museum, a spacious Brave New World-like compound designed by French architect Michel Ecochard.

The Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah (Al-Sabah collection of Islamic Art) was born. Right from the start, the DAI collection turned heads. But it also turned eyes green - during the Iraqi invasion in 1991 it was systematically looted.

“Just a few weeks before the invasion, we received a visit from a team of Iraqi

archaeologists and curators,” recalls the Sheikha. “They already knew exactly what we had.”

After removing what they could, the Iraqi army torched the museum, destroying much of what was left, including a pair of 14th-century carved wooden doors from Fez. Sheikha Hussah, who speaks of her objects with a tenderness and passion normally reserved for children, hasn’t forgotten that act.

Today, the gutted complex still stands empty. In the years after liberation, the DAI was absorbed in the task of retrieving its collection. It wasn’t easy, but with the help of UNESCO, the DAI was eventually able to track almost everything down - the most precious items found in vaults under the Iraqi National Bank in Baghdad.

Now, with the exception of the 50-odd items still missing - among them three exquisitely carved Mughal emeralds – the collection is being restored and packed in crates. “We are a museum without walls”, says Sheikha Hussah. “But we lend a lot, host visiting researchers and have two travelling exhibitions, so the collection never dormant.”

The delay in rebuilding the museum has been due to lack of political will and uncertainty about the future. “It may be hard for outsiders to understand,but Saddam Hussein was a constant threat to us through all these years explains the Sheikha. We never knew what might happen.”

The plan is that the National Museum will reopen in 2008. When it does, the al-Sabah collection, now more than 35,000 objects in all, will occupy half of the complex. I suggest the new building should be called the DAI/National Museum in recognition of her contribution – but the gracious Sheikha simply smiles content with all she has achieved.

DAI In PressThe Curator

The SpiceRoad

The al-Tawabil Road in Egypt, a long term excavation and survey project undertaken by the Archaeological Mission of the Middle Eastern Culture Center in Japan, is part of archaeological research into cultural properties excavated from ruins in northern Egypt and in the Sinai Peninsula. In operation for more than 20 years, the work is shedding a new light on the development of social and commercial networks in early Islam as well as its relationship with Christian, Coptic and Byzantine cultures.

This massive campaign has been conducted by a joint Japanese/Egyptian team directed by Dr. Mutsuo Kawatoko, Director of the Archaeological Mission of the Middle Eastern Culture Center in Japan. Dr Kawatko gave a lecture during the previous DAI cultural season (see page 9). Over the last few years, the team has excavated a large sector of al-Fustat (an early Islamic settlement on the outskirts of modern Cairo); mapped the early Christian monastery at Wadi al-Tur (sixth–twelfth century AD); recorded early Islamic rock inscriptions on Mount Naqus (eighth twentieth century AD); mapped the port and mosque at Raya (originating in the sixth–twelfth or thirteenth century AD) and conducted an in-depth investigation of the fourteenth–twentieth-century sequence at al-Kilani (al-Tur). This year, the Egyptian team was led by Mr. Mahmud Hasan, Supervisor of Antiquities, with conservators Mr. Samih Aljundi, Mr. Muhammad Kuraytim and Mr. Ayman Farmawi.

A Kuwaiti excavation and research team from DAI and the Kuwait National

Museum, also joined the Japanese working team. The DAI team consisted of Mr. Abdulrahman al-Ajmi, Director of Public Relations; Mr.Jamal Bkahait, Researcher and Journalist and Ms. Dalal al-Fadhli, Researcher. The KNM team included Mr.Sultan Al Duwiesh, Supervisor of Antiquities and Mr. Khalid Salim, Researcher. The Kuwaiti team was instructed in the most recent advances in the many different branches of conservation by means of a series of lectures while the theoretical background was implemented practically, in the field.

Bareed ad-Dar 7

April in IranBY: HUDA AL-ZAHEMPHOTOGRAPHY: MARTIN BUXTORF

Our first glimpse of Iran’s harsh, sometimes snow-topped mountains could not possibly have given us any idea of the wonderful time we were about to have. On arriving in Isfahan, we savoured the fresh air that was heavy with the scent of orange blossom, stocks,roses and pansies as we walked through the hotel garden to our rooms. The garden was a colourful bouquet which set the scene for our stay. Colour was an important and dominating factor all through our visit, whether it was the turquoise, blue and yellow ceramic work of Isfahan or the pinks and mauves of Shiraz. Trees of many various shades of green, grass or fields of grain, cut glass decoration in palaces and restaurants, or the exquisite silk, wool or cotton carpets; all in such a maelstrom of colours. A veritable feast for the soul. Everywhere people were enjoying picnics.

The whole atmosphere was one of jollity, something that stayed with us all through our holiday as we were a ‘jolly group’, a good mixture of east and west. Some young people enquired where we came from and even tagged along with us. Imam Square, which became my favourite place, is the largest in the world, after Tienanman, and was the focus of our visits to the bazaar. Once used for playing polo, the square is now neatly laid out with lawns and a pond, while horse-drawn carriages are available for leisurely rides. At the end of Imam Square is one of the most stunning buildings in Iran; the Imam Mosque with its two turquoise minarets flanking the huge gateway. It was built over a period of 26 years and was eventually completed in 1638 AD. In Shah Abbas’s impatience to see it finished, he attempted to speed the work by adopting a new method of glazed tile-work, known as ‘haft rangi’ (of seven colours). As a result, some sections are decorated in the new style and some in the old. Interestingly,

these ornate tiles take on a different hue according to the light conditions. I will always associate Isfahan with the colour turquoise.

We also visited the Vank Church, one of fourteen Armenian churches in Isfahan. The one we visited was very ornate and only used for Easter and Christmas celebrations. Constructed between 1655 and 1664 AD during the reign of Shah Abbas II, by funds contributed by the Armenian population of Julfa, the exterior of the Church recalls the brick architecture of the Jami‘ Mosque built by the Saljuqs on the other side of the river. The adjacent Vank museum was built in 1905. Its halls are filled with artefacts related to the relatively long history of the Armenians in Julfa.

An interesting sight was the Minar-i Jonban (the moving minaret), the tombstone of Abu Abdollah, which bears the date 1316 AD. Two minarets, built in Mongol style,one on either side of the mausoleum’s ivan and form its main attraction, since any movement produced in one of the minarets is automatically reflected not only in the other, but also in the whole ivan.

The ivan has been ornamented with four-pointed and polygonal azure tiles. One of the stunning historical buildings in the province, it is located six kilometers west of the city of Isfahan, on the way to Najaf Abad in a village called Karlatan. The architectural style belongs to the 14th century (Mongol era) complemented with dark blue tiles in the form of stars decorating two arches and the sides of the portico.

A visit to the handicraft makers was a must, so we went to see some ladies who were weaving two identical, delicate, pale

coloured carpets in fine wool (taken from the neck of a lamb) and silk. They were working in a private house and we stood and watched as they moved their fingers deftly between the threads.

We visited a little, old, wizened man who was busy stamping out his material with a dark blue colour. One colour is used per day and his shop was full of tablecloths, bedspreads and cushion covers etc. He kept on printing and, while we watched him, his relations came to serve us. Our journey to Shiraz was by bus, which gave us a good opportunity to see a countryside that was, in many places, just like Europe. We passed tractors busily ploughing the fields as well as stretches of newly sprouting grain. Sometimes we could see snowcapped mountains in the distance while we enjoyed the balmy spring weather. We were able to take a walk in the countryside as we went to have a look at the tomb of Darius (ca. 486 BC) and the surrounding ruins. Soon we were in Shiraz and on seeing the Eram garden with its beautiful country house, were immediately aware of the differences between Shiraz and Isfahan.

Pinks and mauves were the dominant colours in Shiraz whose designs included birds, people and animals as well as flowers and geometric patterns.

Our full day trip to Persepolis was not to be forgotten; the feeling of its greatness could not be denied as we stood on a height, surveying the countryside around us. The masters of the magnificent carvings are long dead but their magnificent work lives on in spite of wind, weather and the danger of earthquakes. Persepolis made me feel very small indeed. Our last day was spent exploring the Wakil Bazaar. The square from which all the little, stuffed alleyways went off was cute and reminded me of Montmartre. There were some really good bargains there in the way of small antique objects. I don’t know quite what I had expected on leaving for Iran but I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed my trip to Isfahan and Shiraz. The company was great, the weather perfect and I saw many beautiful and interesting places – not only that, I came home with some money still in my pocket!

Top Left: Prof. Faris and Dr. al-Mahdi in Dar Dawood

Top right: Persepolis

Centre: Left the Group in front of the Friday Mosque

Bottom: Block printing

al-Khayamat Dar Dawood

On 20th May, Dar Dawood publishing house hosted a lecture by Dr Nicola Faris, Professor of Mathematics at Science College, Lebanese University. This was followed by an open discussion on Omar al-Khayyam and his achievements in the fields of mathematics and poetry.

Giving a brief overview of the development of algebra up to the time of Omar al-Khayyam, Dr Faris said: “It is generally agreed that algebra came into being as a science, or a mathematical science, with the work of al-Khawarizmi, set down in Baghdad during the era of al-Ma’mun (813-833 AD). This is not to deny however, that a certain number of algebraic formulae already existed, as did some knowledge of the rules of algebraic calculations.

The main elements of al-Khawarizmi’s work were known some 25 centuries earlier in Babylonian times. Others occur in “Osoul”, a text by Iqlidis, and in the work of Diophintis. In the 7th century, the Indian mathematician and astrononomer, Brahma Gupta, solved some 2nd degree formulae by means of arithmetic.

The assumption that this science was only born with the work of al-Khawarizmi suggests that no earlier scientific work existed in which formulae were treated as mathematical entities. Algebraic calculations were in fact practised, to a limited extent, but did not then employ accurate terminology.

Dr Faris went on to compare the methods followed by al-Khayyam and Descartes in solving 3rd degree formulae, pointing out that each can lead accurately to a geometrical solution by means of the intersections of conic sections. Al-Khayyam resorted to the geometrical technique after he and his predecessors failed to solve these formula through the use of roots, a method he hoped would become possible at a later stage

From Prof. Roshdi Rashed’s book (referring to Pickman) we understand that in the year 1619, long before the publication of his “La Géométrie”, Descartes had already begun to solve four out of thirteen cubic formulae which can occur as a result of matching numbers, roots, squares and cubes.He used the same classification of formulae as that adopted by al-Khayyam. However, his results never reached the same degree of generalization as those of Al-Khayyam.

Eventually published in 1637 AD, “La Géométrie” contained the final completed formulation of Descartes’ proofs relating to 3rd degree formulae. Such proofs depend on equal division fixed for all kinds of formulae, and on a circle that changes according to the kind of formula. The choice of these curves by Descartes depends on the transfer to 4th degree formulae. The two methods followed by Descartes and al-Khayyam are based on different techniques, though their solutions are reached in almost the same way. This project has now reached maturity and acquired an accurate form. Its roots however still exist in the works of al-Khayyam’s predecessors such as al-Mahani, Abu’l Jud, al-Khazin, and Ibn al-Haytham. Since the birth of algebra as a science in the 9th century, the project has been taking shape and developing through the use of the vast geometrical legacy contained in Iqlidis’ “Osoul” and Apolonis’ “Cones”. Today the geometrical algebra project retains its vitality, benefiting from the development of all branches of maths while, at the same time, contributing to their advancement.

8 Bareed ad-Dar

Cultural Season XI Every year, DAI organizes a series of public lectures and seminars given by internationally renowned scholars, as well as art courses, archaeological field trips, musical concerts and audio-visual programs to enhance public awareness and appreciation of art history. These activities are held at Maidan Cultural Centre on Monday evenings at 7:00 p.m.

English 10 April 06

English 3 April 06

24 April 06Arabic

In her lecture on ‘Nasrid Architecture and Court Poetry’, Sophie Makariou, Curator of the Mediaeval Islamic, Musée du Louvre, concentrated on the main axis of the Lions’ Palace, namely the two great rooms and balcony and the inscription which adorns the Lions’ Fountain. The Alhambra has been highly praised not only as a masterpiece of architecture but as a poetry book made of stone; for more than thirty poems are written on the walls around the Alhambra and Generalife Palaces. This strong association between Nasrid architecture and Court Poetry has always been underlined but little has been done to read the buildings according

to the poems on the walls. Sophie Makariou’s lecture

focused on this topic and she underlined the link between both medias; architecture and poetry.A close analysis of some part of the palaces reveals that the poems were not written independently but were created especially for a locus.

Since the 16th Century and the work of Alonso del Castillo, the walls of the Nasrid palaces of the Alhambra have been the object of particular interest because they present the rare, if not unique, state of being a poetic diwan, or in fact a compendium of many diwans. Intertwined therein are the verses of three 14th century AD poet-vizirs of the Banu Ahmar; ibn al-Jayyab (1274-1349 AD), Lisan al-Din ibn al-Khatib (1313-1371 AD), the greatest Nasrid scholar, and ibn Zamrak (1333-1391 AD). They were all of them devoted to the Nasrid Court, being vizirs and poets. Thirty two poems are preserved on the walls of the

Alhambra. Seven of these poems are short religious pieces, one of which commemorates the Mawlid, a celebration the birth of the Prophet, a practice already known from the time of Muhammad V’s reign. In none of the poems is there any mention of the palace in which they are found. However in 11 instances the buildings themselves “speak” in the first person in the inscriptions they bear, a known occurence in Islamic inscriptions.

In one of the towers ‘torre de la Cautiva’, the inscriptions transform

the square tower into four open pages of poetry, evoking, for an Arab reader, the Mu‘allaqat, or hanging poems of al-Jahiliyya. The poem appears around the main Kufic inscriptions as if they were marginal annotations. If we read it according to the ordinary hierarchy of a page of manuscript, this arrangement of calligraphy could be interpreted as a form of rhetorical subterfuge as the main text is hidden at first glance. More generally, in the inscriptions on the Alhambra there is a similarity of scale between the writing and the vegetal ornamentation of the walls; palms are down- sized to coordinate with calligraphy. This blend of vegetal decor and text is used as a visual metaphor.

It describes a relationship between Arabic sentence and word structure that is based on an additive and organic growth similar to that of spreading foliage.

This written and linguistic trait can itself be seen as emblematic of Islamic culture generally. This harmonious, parallel presentation of writing and ornamentation, with its musical quality and fleeting refinement, was rarely pursued to the heights it attained in the western reaches of the 14th century AD .

Dr. Makariou

Early Printed Qur’ans in Western Europe

Prof. Dr. H. Bobzin, Professor of Islamic Studies and Semitic Philology, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, examined the history of some of the early printed Qur’ans in Western Europe. Such interest grew as early as the 12th century AD when a first ‘translation’ was made at the instigation of the Abbott of Cluny, Peter the Venerable, while visiting Spain (about 1141-1143 AD). This first Latin version of the Qur’an was printed about 400 years later in the city of Basle (Switzerland) in 1543; its publication aroused a heated debate as to whether the distribution of the ideas of the religious enemy should be allowed in a Christian city. In a letter to the council of Basle, the

Prof. Bobzin

great reformer Martin Luther pled for publication in order to provide those responsible with sound arguments for religious debates.

Some years earlier a Venetian printer, Alessandro Paganini, had printed a Qur’an with movable Arabic letters. Only one copy of this printing survived and until today it is not quite clear why the edition disappeared. In the beginning of the 17th c.

It was rumoured in Protestant circles that this edition of the Qur’an was burned on the Pope’s orders. Nevertheless, the most probable argument for its disappearance seems to be that the edition, originally printed for export to Muslim countries, was printed with many errors, rendering the Holy text so faulty that it was destroyed.

At the end of the 17th c. a learned reverend from the German city of Hamburg, Abraham Hinckelmann, undertook a new attempt at printing the Arabic text of the Qur’an. It appeared in Hamburg in 1694. Hinckelmann possessed a remarkable collection of Qur’anic manuscripts (now preserved in the State Library in Hamburg) and produced a nicely printed text.

He added an exhaustive introduction in which he offers an exhaustive account of the value of concerning oneself with Arabic literature, and above all emphasizes the importance to Christian theologians of the value of being able to read the Qur’an in the original language, i.e. in Arabic, given the Qur’an’s status as a fundamental work. This edition was in circulation for more than a century in Protestant university circles and served as an important text in the study of Arabic.

Four years after Hinckelmann’s text, an Italian father,Ludovico Marracci, published a voluminous

bilingual edition of the Qur’an in Padova (Italy). It was printed in Arabic and Latin and contained both a commentary and a Christian refutation. The importance of the Marraccis edition lies in the fact that he provided, in the framework of his commentary, quite extensive textual explanations by a great variety of Arabic authors, both in Arabic and in the Latin translation, thus giving the reader the opportunity to acquaint himself with authentic Muslim interpretations of the Qur’an.

One of the most remarkable achievements in the history of Qur’an printings is the edition that was printed at St. Petersburg in 1787 on the orders of the Russian Empress, Catherine II. The Arabic types were provided by a local Muslim scholar, Mullah Osman Ismail. Some copies of this edition, which was reprinted several times, were supplied with variant readings. Later on the printing office was transferred from St . Petersburg to Kazan.

Of the greatest importance for European Qur’an philology was the Qur’an edited by the Saxon private scholar Gustav Fluegel (1802-70). It was printed in 1834 in Leipzig. Thanks to this edition, European scholarship for the first time had available a convenient – and, not least – affordable text that was, by and large, authentic. This edition was widely used until the Azhar-Qur’an was printed in Cairo in 1924.

History of the Gulf in Ottoman Documents

Zekeriya Kursun, Professor of Political History at the University of Marmara-Istanbul, presented a lecture titled: ‘The Importance of Ottoman Documents in the History of the Gulf Countries: Focusing on Ottoman-Kuwaiti Relations’.

During the 19th century, the Ottoman Empire and the Islamic world faced critical circumstances due to the progressive decline of Ottoman supremacy and increasing interference from European powers: the Portuguese

Prof. Kurşun

in the Gulf, the French trying to regain Egypt, the English well-established in India and Actively involved in rounding up allies in the Gulf. The Ottomans applied themselves more than ever to maintaining firm control over the region in order to compensate for the loss of Ottoman territories on its western border. Thus the lecture focuses on Ottoman documents covering this critical period, the second half of the 19th to the beginning of the 20th centuries, in which the Ottoman-English conflict resulted in the formation of the modern Gulf States.

Documents from much earlier than the 19th century attest to the fact that Kuwait was an important port. The Ottomans were well aware of the strategic importance of Kuwait and realised that whichever power controlled the area would pose a serious threat to Basra and Iraq thereafter. Hence the Sultan ordered the Governor of Basra (Wali) to closely follow the situation in the region.

During this time Britain was trying to establish a foothold in the Gulf. Shortly after 1847 AD, when the British Consul in Bushire, Iran, increased his interactions with the rulers of Kuwait, the Sultan was notified immediately. At this point, the Ottomans decided to designate Kuwait as a sub-governorate (Qaim Maqamiyya) while the British began signing a series of pacts with some of the Sheikhdoms of the Gulf. Peace negotiations at the end of the Crimean War began in 1856. Under the ensuing Treaty of Paris in 1856, between Britain, France, the Ottomans, Sardinia and Russia, all the Great Powers pledged to respect the independence and territorial integrity of the Ottoman Empire. Although the British continued to approach the ruler of Kuwait, Sheikh Abdulla ibn Sabah remained loyal to the Ottomans regardless of the hardships.

The friendly Ottoman-Kuwaiti relationship was not challenged throughout most of Sheikh Mubarak’s reign, but was strained when Kuwait signed a pact with the British. Some of the most intriguing documents are those pertaining to the Anglo-Ottoman Convention of 1913 over several issues. However it was the issue over the status of Kuwait that came to be the only long-lived result, as its outcome was formal independence for Kuwait and the demarcation of its international borders for the first time. According to the agreement, Sheikh Mubarak al-Sabah, who was Qaimmaqam (provincial sub-governor) under the Ottomans, was recognised as ruler of the autonomous city of Kuwait and its hinterlands.

Sheikh Mubarak’s last service to the Sultan was to convince Abdulaziz al-Sa‘ud, who conquered al-Hasa, to sign a treaty with the Ottomans and become the Ottoman Wali of al-Hasa.

Architecture and Poetry

Bareed ad-Dar 9

English14 May 06

Arabic21 May 06

Engligh 29 May 06

History of East-West Maritime Relations

The history and culture of the world have been formed and developed by exchanges between people, goods and culture. In particular, exchanges between the worlds of the Indian Ocean/South China Sea and the Mediterranean caused numerous new cultural waves, in the process of which the different ecosystems and products were mutually complemented. The Silk Road is represented when the matter of exchanges between the East and the West is discussed, but the East-West maritime route, that is to say, the “Sea Silk Road” or the “Ceramic Road” is extremely important.

When we think of the “land network” and the “sea network” in these routes of East-West relations we should not forget that the Red Sea route and the Gulf route were rivals throughout history. In the early Islamic period the Gulf route predominated. There were many port cities, such as Siraf and Basra, on the Gulf route. These port cities were connected with Baghdad and Samarra’, capitals in the Abbasid dynasty, and Shiraz, a large city in Iran. However, as a result of the unsettled political situation over Baghdad and the frequently occurring natural disasters of great earthquakes and storms in the Gulf area after the ninth century, the Red Sea route predominated after the latter half of the tenth century.

In this lecture, I will discuss the history of cultural exchanges through the Red Sea based on the results of excavations at al-Fustat (the south part of Cairo) which played an important role in connecting the worlds of the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean with the Mediterranean world, including the port city of Riya and other port city sites along the Red Sea. Here, I deal with one aspect of the actual conditions of the cultural exchanges from the viewpoint of relations between the Chinese-ware brought to the Middle Eastern area, such as Tang white porcelain, Yue celadon, Long-quan celadon, and blue and white in the Song and Ming dynasties and Islamic glazed pottery. Chinese-ware first brought to the Middle Eastern area was white porcelain of the Tang dynasty (618-907) and Changsha yellow glazed porcelain. Particularly, Tang white porcelain has been unearthed in large amounts in various sites of the Gulf, such as Siraf. This was at a time when the Siraf merchants had the initiative in East-West maritime relations, as white porcelain is a type yet to be found in sites on the Red Sea route.

It is considered that the introduction of tang white porcelain influenced the development of luster-glazed pottery. The luster-stain and luster-paint techniques were developed for glass decoration in the latter half of the eighth century and then were

applied to Islamic glazed pottery in the ninth century. In this case the white background was effective.

Yue celadon started to be found in various port city sites on the Red Sea route in the latter half of the tenth century. This type has been excavated in the Badi site in Sudan, the al-Jar site in Saudi Arabia, the Riya site in South Sinai, and in great quantity in al-Fustat which was a major commercial center in East-West maritime relations. The extremely fine incision used on Yue celadon was adopted for Islamic glazed pottery around the twelfth century.

In the thirteenth century Long-quan celadon came to be imported in very large quantities. Its color and shape was adopted in Mamluk glazed pottery and became firmly established for use in daily household vessels in medieval Egyptian life. I think that this presents one aspect of how cultural exchanges were realized.

‘The Final Report of the Bahnasa Excavations “ by Géza Fehérvári .

DAI concluded its 10th cultural season by hosting a special book signing of ‘The Final Report of the Bahnasa Excavations’ which has been just published. The former Hungarian Ambassador, Géza Fehérvári, Professor Emeritus of the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), London, and Curator of the Tareq Rajab Museum, Kuwait, compiled the final report.

Among his many achievements have been excavations in Egypt (at Oxyrhynchus/Bahnasa, 1985–1987), leading the Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah team. He has several published books to his credit on

Islamic pottery and metalwork, as well as numerous articles.

Professor Fehérvári summarised the history and findings of Bahnasa to the attending audience. The classical Oxyrhynchus, where British excavations took place between 1897 and 1906, were continued by Italian archaeologists until the outbreak of World War I. Thousands of papyri were discovered in the course of their excavations.

The town lies some 200km south of Cairo and some 20km west of the Nile. In pre-Islamic times, as far back as the 3rd millennium BC, it was an important city where beautiful pottery, wood- and stone- carvings, jewellery and metalwork were made.

While the pre-Islamic areas were well researched, the Islamic areas and monuments were completely neglected. To correct this situation and to uncover the Islamic remains and to publish the Islamic monuments of the town, the Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah in Kuwait, with considerable financial support of KFAS (Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences), carried out extensive excavations over four seasons at the site between 1985 and 1987.

The first area to be investigated was the site of the Fatimid Mosque of Hasan ibn Salih (site “A”). This mosque originally was a church, but was converted into a mosque during the 4th AH/AD10th century. The date of conversion is recorded on one of the columns in the sanctuary. The arches, capitals and the minaret date from the Fatimid period. The next site to be investigated was the remains of a Mamluk-period Mosque, the Mosque of Zayn al-Abidan (site “B”). The central area and the lower levels were cleared and excavations brought to light numerous Mamluk and Fatimid period pottery, coins and glass.

The glass fragments included early Islamic lustre-painted glass.

A further important area for our investigation was at the edges of the cemetery (site “D”) from where large number of paper fragments, textiles and woodcarvings were found.

In two other important areas where we concentrated our excavations, Mamluk and Fatimid period pottery, coins and glass and, more importantly a glazed Fatimid jar with two hundred Fatimid gold coins inside, were discovered. Behind the palace a 10th century street was also revealed.

Site “F” turned out to be one of the most important “industrial” areas, where two glass making furnaces and one pottery kiln were excavated. The finds included early Islamic glass and pottery, among them 200 unglazed pottery lamps and coins.

A second pottery quarter was found at site “K”, where the traces of 36 pottery kilns were located, two of which were excavated.

Dr. Kawatoko Prof. Faris

Prof. Féhervári

Arab Science Heritage

Arab Science Heritage In his lecture entitled, “On some Characteristics of Arab Science: Heritage and Lessons “ , Dr. Nicola Fares, Professor of Mathematics at the Lebanese University, pointed out that his presentation owed much to the recent findings and publications of Rushdi Rashid, as well as works by George Saliba, A. Anbuba, A. B. Yushkevich and Christian Huzil. The History of Science is a rather new discipline which, drawing on the historical methods of both intellectual and social history, was formulated in the 18th century as an independent field of knowledge. The discipline’s quick growth is attributed to its significance in fields such as education, history, philosophy, sociology and even science itself; since some branches of science are strongly related to their history as in the case of Astronomy and Medicine.

Earlier historical studies attribute the development of modern science to western culture and neglect altogether the role

of eastern wisdom and science. Until the 1960s, the image of Arab Science was completely distorted and far from reality. This was due to the lack of accurate information on Arab science as well as gaps in sources of this information and some deficiencies in the linguistic and scientific capacities of earlier studies. Recent years, however, have witnessed a growing interest in Arab sciences and a changing appreciation of the role historically played by Arab and Muslim cultures.

The real value of Arab science lies in the translation of Greek texts into Arabic. Many of the original Greek texts were lost over the years and it is their Arabic translations that have survived. This fostered the belief that ingenuity in Arab science (if any) was just an extension of Greek science, whether in theory or in its method of application, and that whatever was presented by Arab science was always limited to existing manuscripts and had no influence on the progress of science throughout the ages. These ideas, which turned into beliefs, not only among western intellectuals but also among their eastern Arab counterparts, became a general belief which contributed to the creation of a feeling of inferiority in front of Western superiority. This had considerable social and philosophical negative effect.

The lecturer concluded his remarks on this point by saying that all changes in the methodology of Arab science, in form of content, do not suggest the blind copying of the traditionas of Greek science but rather the birth of a new tradition of which Greek science was one of the sources.

These unbiased, systematic studies reveal several features of Arab Sciences, such as its comprehensive framework, multi-sources, systematic translation, assimilation of different scientific traditions, experimentation as means of obtaining proof in applied sciences and the introduction of new scientific traditions and universality. The pervading social atmosphere encouraged the growth of Arab science. It spread throughout civil society and was not bound to Dar al-Khilafa and the courts of princes. It was practised in Bayt al-Hikma, observatories, hospitals, schools and in mosques. The social study of Arab Science is still in its infancy and it is hoped that this historical movement will, in future, fully explain the role of Islamic society.

10 Bareed ad-Dar

Annual Dinner

On the cover

Over 200 Friends of DAI and their guests; Ambassadors, Members of sponsoring companies, as well as DAI staff, gathered at the Safir International Hotel, Kuwait for an excellent evening of hearty conversation, delicious cuisine and delightful entertainment, provided by Jaipur Atrauli Gharana, who played enchanting Indian Music.

The musicans were trained from an early age by famous traditional Indian musicians, and have received several honours. The group consists of the vocalist Shruti Sadolikar and Mr. Sudhir Nayak; on Tanpura Mr. Shrinidhi Katkar, Ms. Avanti Sudhir Walvekar, Mr. Mangesh Mulye on regular Tabla.

The artists selected a variety of traditional Indian music for the evening, among which were Khyaal, the most popular genre of North Indian Classical Music; Tarana, a composition where words are used more for their phonetic beauty than for their literary meaning; Natya Sangeet, a rich tradition of over 100 years represented by a

song from a Marathi Musical Play; Thumri, a romantic composition accompanied by a dance belonging to the light classical music genre; and Ghazal, a highly romantic yet philosophical composition belonging to the light Classical genre.

As usual Mr. Bader Al-Baijan, Chairman of the Friends of the Dar Steering Committee and member of the National Council for Culture Arts and Letters, reviewed the main events of the year’s cultural season and shed light on some of the events planned for next season. DAI is very grateful to Safir

International for their generous support of the annual dinner. Many thanks to all those who attended this event. Without the support of our Friends and their guests, we could not offer such a rich season.

Hunting scences, the theme of our 2007 calendar, are one of the principal themes of Islamic decorative arts.

The detail presented here is from the bronze casket shown on the front page (LNS 162 M), from the Iranian world during the 7th century AH/13th century AD, images from this period often included anthromorphic, zoomorphic and geometric designs.

The Casket is brass inlaid with silver; of splayed rectangular form on four hoof feet, the coffered lid originally hinged; engraved with eleven roundels against a ground of interconnecting key motifs interspersed with circles decorated with rosettes and crosses, four of the scallop-edged medallions containing horsemen hunting with hawks and hounds, a fifth with an enthroned ruler flanked by attendants, the remaining six with interlacing foliage and birds; the lid with a roundel depicting two running horses enclosed by a key meander border flanked by two bird medallions, all on a ground of interconnecting <Z> motifs, with handle; both casket and lid each pierced four times for the attachment of hinges at rear, now bottomless.

Treasury of the World

Official Sponsors

Benefactors

Patrons

Sponsors

Donors

w w w . t a m d e e n r e a l e s t a t e . c o m

Burgan Bank

Shafiqa Ali al-MutawaMariam Naser Sabah al-Sabah

Intisar S. A. al-Sabah

Dr. Abdulaziz al-Sultan

Kuwait Shell Limited Anwar Y. al-Qatami

Nada al-Mutawa

KMEFICParsons Brinckerhoff

Int. IncArab Center for

Commercial & Real Estate

Diraar Y. al-Ghanim

Paula al-Sabah

Nadia M. al-Bahar

Ali Faisal Homoud al-Khaled

Hind Hamad Ahmad al-Bahar

Sulaiman Hamad al-Kazi

Adel Musaed al-Jerallah al-Kharafi

Dr. Ali Ashour al-Jaffar

Mona al-Khonaini

Mohammad Abdulla al-Arada

Munira al-Khubaizi

Tareq Bader al-Mailem

Eric Kuhne

Mohamed Mahmoud Rasheed

Hilal al-Sayer

Enass al-Marzouk

Nasser Duaij al-Sabah

Yasser Ashour al-Jaffar

Saud al-Arfaj

Musée du Louvre-Paris