- The participants stressed that the program has presented a new perspective for operating private museums
JEDDAH: Owners of private museums in Saudi Arabia are currently participating in a rehabilitation program organized by the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH) at the National Museum in Riyadh.
The participants stressed that the program has presented a new perspective for operating private museums, noting that the level of participation from across the Kingdom has contributed to the exchange of expertise, as well as reviewing the diverse methods of presentation and preservation in each museum.
Owner of Al-Nasser Museum in Al-Tuhaimeya village in the province of Issa, Haidar Sadek, said the program, which was dedicated to the heirs of private museum owners has provided a radical change to the notion of private museums that we are familiar with.
He added that he started rearranging the presentation of artworks at his museum by giving lesser attention to simpler pieces and avoided redisplaying them.
He also mentioned how he learned from the expertise of fellow museum owners on how to present artworks and how to relay them during visits they have carried out to other private museums in Riyadh as part of the program.
Meanwhile, Sattam Nawwaf Al-Khalidi, son of Nawwaf Al-Khalidi, owner of a museum with the same name in Al-Jouf province, also praised the program for presenting ways to develop the administration of private museums.
He explained that gathering a large number of private museum owners in one place through this program has impacted his knowledge of presentation methods in other museums and how to characterize the artifacts and attract tourists. He also thanked the SCTH for organizing such programs.
Owner of the mountainous houses museum at the Heritage Village in Jazan, Hamad Ali Daqdaqi, said the program presented a shift in his life as an owner of a private museum, given the significant benefits he had learned about managing museums and his visits to a number of private museums in Riyadh, as part of the program.
He also hoped the program would expand to reach all regions of the Kingdom, in order for every private museum owner to benefit.
Daqdaqi explained that he allows his own children and his nieces and nephews to participate in managing the museum and its cleanliness, as well as helping to guiding visitors through the museum.
He sent message to the coming generation to protect this national heritage.