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Misericord or mercy seat from the Tunstall Chapel featuring a pig playing the Northumbrian pipes.

Two Exciting New Exhibitions at the Oriental Museum

29 September 2022
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Oriental Museum Silk Road Exhibition Oct 2022 Woman with coloured rugs

The Oriental Museum launches two exciting, new exhibitions this month, both will run from 1 October to May 2023.

There was light': Amunhotep III and his Dazzling Age

The ancient Egyptian king Amunhotep III was the grandfather of the famous boy king Tutankhamun who ruled Egypt for only nine years and died at the age of 18. He was largely forgotten by history until the discovery of his relatively undisturbed tomb by the British archaeologist Howard Carter in 1922. 

In the hundred years since this discovery Tutankhamun has become a household name the world over. Using the collections of the Oriental Museum, this exhibition focuses on Tutankhamun’s family, particularly his father and grandfather, together with the courtiers who surrounded them, exploring the dazzling age of the boy king.

Using the collections of the Oriental Museum, this exhibition focuses on Tutankhamun’s family, particularly his father and grandfather, together with the courtiers who surrounded them, exploring the dazzling age of the boy king.

Guardians of the Silk Road's Heritage: Women of the mountains of central Asia

This exhibition showcases the work of the professional artists and craftswomen who do so much to preserve and transfer traditional knowledge and skills, adapting them for new audiences and popularising Central Asian folk art. Alongside photographs of the women practicing a variety of traditional craft techniques, will be examples of their textile work.

Lead curator Altyn Kapalova, from the Cultural Heritage and Humanities Unit, University of Central Asia, said: “This exhibition showcases the work of the professional artists and craftswomen who do so much to preserve and transfer traditional knowledge and skills, adapting them for new audiences and popularising Central Asian folk art. Alongside photographs of the women practicing a variety of traditional craft techniques will be examples of their textile work.”

The GCRF Silk Routes Heritage Network was funded by UK Research and Innovation through the Global Challenges Research Fund and is a collaboration between Durham University, the University of Central Asia and the NGO Laajverd. This exhibition was made possible with support from the Economic and Social Research Council of the UK.

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