Educational Programmes and Special Projects ; Mr.Bruce Anderson Chairman of the Bord of the
Museum Mr.AbdulRahman al Ajmi ,Director of media and public Relations:H.E.Mr. Nasser
al-Muzayyan, Ambassador of The state of Kuwait in NZ ; Hon Helen Clark, Prime Minister and Dr.
Rodney Wilson, Museum Director .
“The Art of Islam: Treasures from Kuwait”, was opened on Wednesday 16th April
‘2003, by the Rt. Hon. Helen Clark, Prime Minister of New Zealand at the Auckland War
Memorial Museum, Te Papa Whakahiku.
Considered one of the finest collections of its kind in the world, “The Art of Islam”
presents rare objects of exceptional beauty, and spans a thousand years in a
geographic sweep from Spain to Iraq to India.
The items from the Al-Sabah collection, started in 1975 by Sheikh Nasser Sabah Al-
Ahmed Al-Sabah and his wife Sheikha Hussah Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah, the Director
General of Dar Al-Athar Al Islamiyyah include many of the worlds’ finest examples of
Islamic art, with pieces fro the 8th to the 18th centuries, roughly divided into four
periods, Early Islam (622-1050), the Classical Period (1050-1250), the Postclassical
Period (1250-1500) and the Late Islam (1500-1800). The objects are equally diverse;
carpets, ceramics, textiles, manuscripts, glass, metalwork, jewellery, hard stone, wood
and ivory. The unifying factor being their ability to bring alive a very important part of
human history and civilisation.
The Prime Minister was escorted through the exhibition by Mr. Bruce Anderson,
Chairman of the Board of the Museum and Dr. Rodney Wilson, Museum Director. H.E.
Mr. Nasser Al-Muzayyan, Ambassador of the State of Kuwait; Mr. Abdulkareem Al-
Ghadban, Director of Educational Programmes and Special Projects; Mr. Abdul
Rahman Al-Ajmi , Director of Media and Public Relations and Exhibition Conservator
Kirsty Norman were also I attendance.
Guests at the opening included Ashraf Choudhary, New Zealand’s first Muslim Member
of Parliament, the Hon. Judith Tizard MP, Minister for Consumer Affairs and Auckland
Issues, Dame Catherine Tizard, Helen Duncan MP, Pansy Wong MP, Christopher
Sains and Amanda Sains of the Auckland Art Gallery. Also present were
representatives from the Peace Foundation, ASB Charitable Trust, Montana Wines, the
Electoral College, the Auckland Refugee Council, the Logan Campbell Trust, the
Lotteries Commission and members of the Iraqi, Somali and Sudanese communities
and representatives from the Islamic Information Service.
“The Art o Islam: Treasures from Kuwait” attracted 16,000 visitors and was supported
by a vigorous press campaign.
In addition, the museum featured a series of supporting events during the exhibition,
making a “Living Treasures Day” with a Calligraphy Activity seminar given by Mr.
Abdulkareem Al-Ghadban, the screening of the BBC documentary “Hajj – The Journey
of a Lifetime”, a lecture by Dr. Gregory Booth on “Music in the World of Islam”, a video
presentation of Islam. “The Nobel Path”, Islamic Stories narrated by Nadia Ismail, a
lecture and power point presentation on “Misconceptions about Islam” by Mohammed
Shameen. The Rauf Qawali Group, performed live with music from the sub-continent
and there was a continuous screening of a documentary, “Muhammad, Legacy of a
Prophet”.
“The New Zealand Herald’s”, “Weekend Herald” featured an interview with Kirsty
Norman, DAI conservator drawing attention to the collection and the current situation in
Iraq with respect to conservation and museum collections.
“The New Zealand H’s” Wayne Thompson also quoted Dr. Rodney Wilson who said, “In
these times, such an exhibition is a good thing to have because it makes available to
the public some of the richness and intellectual achievements of Islamic culture… It is a
nice balance against the common picture that we are being served up these days”.
In different ways both the museum and the press have helped to put a human face to the
collection and it is hoped, encourage more people from all around the world to see the
collection and to discover the true meaning of a rich and diverse culture that lies behind
its artefacts.
Minister Viewing the IAP Collection
the Auckland War Memorial Museum
