Liberation and loss; reunions and memorials; recovery and review: 1991 was a year of this and that. Equanimity was impossible, as every joy revealed a bit of sorrow. That was true for the people of Kuwait and for the Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah.

Abroad, Islamic Art and Patronage: Treasures from Kuwait was a huge success, attracting record-breaking audiences eager to discover more about the country that had the headlines in every major paper every day. From the Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg, Russia, it travelled to the Walters Art Gallery in Baltimore, Maryland, the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas, Emory University Museum of Art in Atlanta, Georgia and the Scottsdale Art Center in Scottsdale, Arizona.

In Kuwait, liberation brought the elation of returning home and the near devastation of actually seeing wreckage left by the invasion and occupation. The human suffering was extensive, exacerbated by the destruction of homes and institutions that could help provide solace.

The museum was burned to the ground and the treasures stolen and taken to Baghdad. After dealing with family trauma and losses, these were the challenges faced by everyone working at the Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah.

With support from the United Nations, the stolen objects, with the exception of 58, were recovered during a six-week operation in September and October 1991. And so began the next phase in history of the DAI: reflection and rebuilding.