Berlin's Closed Pergamon Museum Maintains International Profile

24 May 2024, Berlin: Façade parts packed for transportation lie on the construction site in the Mschatta Hall in the Pergamon Museum. Photo: Monika Skolimowska/dpa
24 May 2024, Berlin: Façade parts packed for transportation lie on the construction site in the Mschatta Hall in the Pergamon Museum. Photo: Monika Skolimowska/dpa
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Berlin's Closed Pergamon Museum Maintains International Profile

24 May 2024, Berlin: Façade parts packed for transportation lie on the construction site in the Mschatta Hall in the Pergamon Museum. Photo: Monika Skolimowska/dpa
24 May 2024, Berlin: Façade parts packed for transportation lie on the construction site in the Mschatta Hall in the Pergamon Museum. Photo: Monika Skolimowska/dpa

Berlin's world-famous Pergamon Museum, which is closed for several years of renovation work, is seeking to maintain its presence through international collaborations, one of the museum's directors said on Friday during a tour of the construction site.

"We want to remain visible," said Barbara Helwing, director of the Near East Museum. Cooperation with other Berlin museums are already planned.

Discussions were also under way about loans to institutions such as the Louvre in Paris, the Metropolitan Museum in New York, the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles and the British Museum in London, the German News Agency (dpa) reported.

The Pergamon Museum is one of Germany's most popular museums. As one of the few institutions to combine a collection of classical antiquities, a Near East museum and a museum of Islamic art, it normally attracts more than 1 million visitors annually.

The museum will remain completely closed for at least another three years. Construction phase A, which includes the famous Pergamon Altar, is scheduled to reopen in 2027.

The basic renovation of the south wing is set to begin at the end of this year. This second renovation phase, B, will last until at least 2037. The total costs could amount to €1.5 billion ($1.6 billion).



Saudi Royal Institute of Traditional Arts Welcomes Pilgrims with Gifts

The Royal Institute of Traditional Arts distributed special gifts to pilgrims. SPA
The Royal Institute of Traditional Arts distributed special gifts to pilgrims. SPA
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Saudi Royal Institute of Traditional Arts Welcomes Pilgrims with Gifts

The Royal Institute of Traditional Arts distributed special gifts to pilgrims. SPA
The Royal Institute of Traditional Arts distributed special gifts to pilgrims. SPA

The Royal Institute of Traditional Arts has played a key role in this year's Hajj season, continuing its mission to promote Saudi Arabia's rich artistic heritage, in line with the Kingdom's commitment to serving pilgrims, The Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Saturday.

The institute distributed special gifts to pilgrims, prayer rugs adorned with traditional Saudi artistic engravings from across the Kingdom, including those found on Najdi doors, Rawashin, Sadu textiles, and Al-Qatt Al-Asiri decorations, which are testimony to the remarkable depth of Saudi culture and highlight the unique character of Saudi art forms, SPA said.

Each prayer rug comes with a tri-lingual welcome card (Arabic, English, and Urdu) – a thoughtful effort by the institute to introduce pilgrims to Saudi culture and its treasured traditional arts, the news agency added.