Under the patronage of his Highness Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, Emir of The State of Qatar, and Her Excellency Ms. Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO

A travelling cross-cultural touring exhibition featuring a unique assembly of global artefacts

Following its highly successful showcase at the Grandmaster’s Palace in Valletta, The Majlis – Cultures in Dialogue, a travelling cross-cultural exhibition that features a collection of the Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Al-Thani Museum – a unique assembly of artefacts reflecting the interaction of civilizations in the past while encouraging dialogue in the present – opened up to a great start, hosting more than 200 VIP guests on the 29th of November at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, taking the audience's delight to a new height with a specially composed song 'Cultures In Dialogue', by the legendary female Qatari composer Dana Al Fardan. The official world premiere of this song was performed by numerous musicians from Qatar.

The exhibition was highly appreciated by the personages as well as international media, who have attended the first day of the opening ceremony. It was successful in distinctly establishing rich Qatari culture on the global canvas through impressive artefacts. This event also emphasized on the crucial importance that museums play in showcasing the cultural prowess in initiating dialogue.

Mr. Kees Wieringa, Director of the Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al-Thani Museum, in the presence of Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani and Mr. Xing Qu, the Deputy Director General of UNESCO for Culture, welcomed a number of journalists from highly esteemed French and international media for engaging guided tours during the day.

Sheikh Faisal bin Qasem Al Thani speaking at the official opening of The Majlis Cultures in Dialogue at UNESCO Paris. F. 

Preceding the inauguration delegates’ speeches, VIP guests had the opportunity to view the astonishing and exceptional collection that bear witness to hundreds of years of intercultural dialogue and interaction of civilizations, through a guided tour around the exhibition. Objects of great beauty and deep fascination including Chinese Qurans, mosque lamps made in Vienna, Persian carpets with Russian texts featuring the Virgin Mary, and mystic artefacts shared from Africa across the Arab world to India, were the prime highlights, triggering a diversification of thoughts and emotions.

Sheikh Faisal Bin Qasem Al Thani surrounded by VIPs during a tour around the exhibition - 2

H.E. Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani and Mr. Xing Qu addressed government, cultural and corporate officials from Qatar and France, representatives of a number of cultural institutions, as well as Mr. Andrew Faulkner, Chairman and Managing Director of Qatar Shell, with warm welcoming words, as they celebrated the opening of the exhibition at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris.  

The Majlis – Cultures in Dialogue has been organized at the initiative of the Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al-Thani Museum, in collaboration with the UNESCO Doha Office, the Qatar National Commission for Education, Culture and Science, and Qatar Museums. Under the Platinum sponsorship of Qatar Shell, the Silver sponsorship of Refalo & Zammit Pace Advocates and local sponsorships of QNB and Katara Hospitality, the exhibition will stop in the UNESCO Headquarters for a duration of two weeks before moving forward to the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris, for a 2-month period. 

Sheikh Faisal Bin Qasem Al Thani surrounded by VIPs during a tour around the exhibition

Showcasing an exceptional collection, the exhibition intends to drive visitors to sit in the majlis to listen to stories and engage in conversations on what they see; transmitting the cultural dialogue by exchanging their impressions of the exhibition and learning about other cultures and religions at first hand.

This diverse cultural exhibition recreates the atmosphere of the majlis—the space of hospitality and dialogue present in homes throughout the Arabian Gulf—offering guests the opportunity to exchange ideas about how much common ground exists between different cultures, and how these commonalities have been expressed in technology, art and culture. 

VIPs attending the official opening of The Majlis Culures in Dialogue

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