Pearl by the Sea: The Comparative Exhibition of Ceramic Finds from Ras al-Khaimah and China is on display at the Longquan Celadon Museum in Zhejiang province, China from May 22 to August 18, 2023. The exhibition features 30 artifacts from China’s Palace Museum, 55 ceramic artifacts from Ras al-Khaimah of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and 32 cultural relics unearthed from the Fengdongyan kiln site by the Zhejiang Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology.
Ras al-Khaimah is one of the seven emirates of the UAE. Located at the entrance of the Hormuz Strait, Ras al-Khaimah has been a crucial transportation hub since ancient times and a key junction on the ancient Maritime Silk Road. In 2019, a joint team of archaeologists from the Archaeology Institute of the Palace Museum in China, the Department of Antiquities and Museums of Ras al-Khaimah, and the Department of Archaeology at Durham University in the UK conducted a comprehensive archaeological survey of the Julfar site, including the Al-Nudud and Al-Mataf areas.
Coinciding with the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative in 2023, the exhibition brings Chinese export ceramics found in Ras al-Khaimah back to their place of origin in China. The exhibition provides a comparison of these findings with specimens unearthed from the Longquan kiln sites and collections of the Palace Museum, illustrating the background of the overseas ceramic trade in ancient China, as well as the magnificent history of ancient maritime cultural exchanges between China and the Persian Gulf.
Sources: Lishui Daily, Longquan Today
Photo credit: Longquan Release Wechat Account