SimplyAbuDhabi XXXIII

5 0 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I The Great Vestibule Through a series of ancient works, the Great Vestibule presents universal themes that highlight surprising similarities between early civilisations, and invites visitors to enter into the galleries. Gallery 1: The First Villages It took millions of years for the human species to spread across the globe. Despite regional differences, the first village communities seem to have shared a desire to bind their community together, by means of beliefs and rituals around their ancestors. Gallery 2: The First Great Powers The first kingdoms appeared in the fertile valleys of the Tigris, Euphrates, Nile, Indus and Yellow River around 3000 BCE. The emergence of these first great powers was accompanied by the spread of bronze weapons. Axes, swords and armour became emblems of prestige and splendour for the powerful, while the first cities became social and cultural melting pots that encouraged exchange and innovation. Gallery 3: Civilisations and Empires From about 1000 BCE, the Assyrian and then Persian empires dominated the Middle East, while Greek cities became established around the Mediterranean basin. The Nok and Olmec cultures spread across West Africa and Mesoamerica respectively. The evolution, encounters and clashes of these empires stimulated artistic and philosophical fusions whose influences are still felt today. Alexander the Great forged an unprecedented political union between Europe and Asia, which led to the formation of immense empires. As Rome, in its heyday, expanded its domination over the whole Mediterranean region, the Han Empire was expanding enormously in China. The collapse of these empires led to a regeneration of artistic forms that would be used by universal religions to communicate their message. Gallery 4: Universal Religions Beginning around 2,000 years ago, the spread of universal religions succeeded in reaching most of the civilised areas of Europe, Asia and Africa in just a few centuries. By addressing their message to all humanity, Buddhism, Christianity and Islam transcended local cultural characteristics and deeply transformed ancient societies. Religion had by then become a factor that exerted an influence on intellectual and artistic activities across continents. Gallery 5: Asian Trade Routes The expansion of universal religions occurred in parallel with the establishment of vast networks of exchange between continents. In Asia in the 7th century, China became a major hub for innovation and the Islamic civilisation lay at the heart of a thriving trade network linking Asia, Europe and Africa. The caravan routes taken by merchants crossed the paths followed by pilgrims, and promoted the spread of newmodes of thought. These exchanges boosted the circulation of exotic materials and luxury items like silk, ceramics, jewellery, incense or ivory. Gallery 6: From the Mediterranean to the Atlantic The Mediterranean basin was the culminating point of the commercial and cultural routes across Asia and Africa. From the 11th century, exchanges increased between the Byzantine Empire, the Islamic world and Christian Europe, in spite of their rivalries and conflicts. While the cities of Venice and Genoa took an active part in these exchanges, the Iberian Peninsula, divided between Islam and Christianity, became a site of rich cultural diversity. Intersection: Cosmography Around 1500, for the first time since the beginning of humanity, man was able to travel all around the globe. Great navigators, such as Ibn Majid, Zheng He and Christopher Columbus, established direct contact between lands that up until then had remained remote or unknown to one another. Civilisations that had once traded on the grounds of geographical proximity gradually engaged in a system of exchanges on a global scale. The world witnessed an early form of globalisation. The first travelogues were published, recounting journeys to distant lands, while maps and globes charted the contours of this new world. G a l l e r y G u i d e