Manchester Museum Revamp

Manchester Museum's £15m revamp puts spotlight on South Asian culture - BBC News https://t.co/bN4qEpllsw

— Gary Bunt (@garybunt) February 16, 2023

"A painted Bangladeshi rickshaw, a World War One uniform and flyers from 1970s gay nightclubs are among the exhibits chosen to offer a fresh view of South Asian culture in a new gallery."

'Hajj show at British Museum' review

Guardian, Hajj show at British Museum surprise hit

I attended the Hajj exhibit (discussed above) at the British Museum last week. Fortunately, I pre-booked a ticket, as it was sold-out. It was quite expensive to get in, especially if you bought into the commentary and the catalogue. The hajj exhibit 'souvenirs' were over-priced.

 Inevitably, despite ticket number control, the exhibit was very crowded - also we were rushed through, as the museum was closing, so I didn't get to hear the audio section of personal experiences relating to hajj. 

There were some interesting sections, but I'd have liked more analysis and depth (especially in the audio commentary). There were no real references to digital technology and the hajj, either (maybe that's just my thing!) ... It was nice, however, to see the number of families attending the museum.

 Maybe the British Museum could put an exhibit on other forms of religious journeys relating to Islam and Muslims?

Hajj exhibition

Guardian, Hajj: Journey to the Heart of Islam – review I look forward to seeing this exhibition in due course (sounds like it might be difficult to get a ticket!). Also see the British Museums Hajj exhibition page

Hajj: journey to the heart of Islam

British Museum, Hajj: journey to the heart of Islam, 26 January – 15 April 2012 "One of the five pillars of Islam central to Muslim belief, Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca that every Muslim must make at least once in their lifetime if they are able. This major exhibition charts the history of this deeply personal journey."

I hope I can get a ticket for this!

Check out Seán McLoughlin's survey in relation to this exhibit: 
https://www.survey.leeds.ac.uk/hajj/

Haj: Journey to the Heart of Islam

arabnews.com, Journey to the heart of Islam under spotlight at Britain’s Haj exhibition, 13 Nov 2011 "The British Museum in London is to mount the first major exhibition dedicated to the Haj.

"“Haj: Journey to the Heart of Islam” will open Jan. 26 and run until April 15, 2012. Venetia Porter, curator of the museum’s Islamic and Contemporary Middle East Department, said the exhibition would examine the significance of Haj as one of the five pillars of Islam, exploring its importance for Muslims and looking at how this spiritual journey has evolved throughout history."

Event: 'Nations of the Sea, Maritime Connections in the Archaeology of Wales and Qatar'

Event announcement: "Nations of the Sea , Maritime Connections in the Archaeology of Wales and Qatar will be held in the National Museum of Wales, Cathays Park , Cardiff on the weekend of September 25th to 26th. This international cultural conference will be attended by speakers and participants from Qatar and the Arab world and from Wales and Europe . The conference look at the same issues in different countries and aims to gain new insights into understanding coastal and maritime archaeology. In addition to the academic section of the conference there will be a series of talks and films aimed at the interested general public. Interested parties should contact Andrew Petersen at the following email address; walesqatar@googlemail.com"

ENGLISH
http://www.museumwales.ac.uk/en/whatson/?event_id=4612

WELSH
http://www.amgueddfacymru.ac.uk/cy/digwyddiadau/?event_id=4612

Shah 'Abbas: The Remaking of Iran

Attended Shah 'Abbas: The Remaking of Iran at the British Museum during the weekend. Not really my academic area, but it was a comprehensive and well thought out exhibition, making good use of the old Reading Room (which I still miss!). I had expected a more critical reading of Shah 'Abbas in places. The audio commentary used Omid Djalili as narrator - I kept waiting for the punchline. I thought the exhibition was somewhat expensive - £12 (tickets for unemployed are £10); the obligatory shop at the end was also exorbitant (no surprises there!) - it was amazing what people would buy, way beyond the Shah 'Abbas t-shirt and mug. Softcover catalogues were £25 ... I ended up with a postcard. There are some related videos here. You can also explore some of the exhibits here. Exhibition runs to 14 June.