Louvre Abu Dhabi religious artwork collection revealed before Pope Francis and The Grand Imam … reports Asian Lite News.
A collection of artworks celebrating different cultures from around the world was unveiled by Louvre Abu Dhabi in front His Holiness Pope Francis, Head of the Catholic Church, and His Eminence Dr. Ahmad el-Tayeb, Grand Imam of Al Azhar Al Sharif, in the presence of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.
The unveiling ceremony was also attended by H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and Zaki Nusseibeh, Minister of State.
Pope Francis and Dr. Ahmad el-Tayeb were briefed on the artwork by Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi. The collection is considered one of the most valuable found at the museum and includes sacred pieces that belong to different religions spanning the history of mankind.
The pieces include a medieval painting depicting Jesus Christ showing his wounds (1515 – 20 AD); a collection of holy books, including a copy of the Holy Quran dating back to the Mamluk period (1250 – 1300 AD), another from the Torah (1498 AD), a gothic gospel (1250 – 1280 AD), and four pages of the rare ‘Blue Quran’ (800 – 1000 AD) on loan from the Zayed National Museum collection.
The religious leaders were also briefed on the contents of the museum’s Gallery of Universal Religions, which features art from different beliefs displayed alongside each other.
The artifacts will be open for public viewing from next Tuesday, February 12th.