Sharing information has always been a priority of the Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah. This was evident in exhibitions at the Kuwait National Museum and continues to be visible in DAI travelling exhibitions and object loans. The lecture series, which concluded its 4th season and launched its 5th season in 1999, is all about learning from the experts. Bareed ad-Dar and Hadeeth ad-Dar and the collection/exhibition based publications capture knowledge so it can be shared with a wider audience. The Travels of Ibn Battuta, which made its gala premier in February and became a regular feature on the calendar, uses storytelling, music and visual art to reach adults and children.

Yes, since the beginning, the DAI has been committed to sharing knowledge but, in 1999, the opportunities offered by the organisation were much more extensive. 1999 was the year of the seminar. In addition to lecture series lectures, which numbered 26 that year, the DAI hosted a four-day seminar on Understanding Islam, a six-day dialogue on Questions of Arab Thought, Literature and Culture, an eleven-day seminar on the history of Islamic architecture and three different sessions on music in the Arab world.

Learning is part of the DAI’s ethos outside Kuwait as well, as was demonstrated in 1999. Islamic Art and Patronage: Treasures from Kuwait reached the Middle East, with a 6 April opening at the Mohammad Mahmoud Khalil Museum, in Cairo. A second catalogue was created for the Cairo exhibition, providing text in both Arabic and English, making the information accessible to an expanded audience. Later that month, Zarabi . . . Carpets: Reflections on an Ideal World began its three month run in Kuala Lumpur at the Islamic Art Museum Malayasia, thus putting a cornerstone on what has become a special cultural exchange of experiences and friendship between the two institutions.

Sheikha Hussah travelled to Sydney, Australia for the 10th World Federation of Friends of Museums conference “New Century New Museums: New Friends”. At the conference, she gave a presentation on the destruction and rebuilding of the Kuwait National Museum. As the year drew to a close, she again travelled to Paris for the 4th AMAR – UNESCO conference on European and Islamic civilisations.

Whether in Malaysia or Australia; Kuwait or Cairo, the DAI strives to share knowledge and ideas. In 1999, it did that exceptionally well.