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Oriental Museum
Lunar New Year 2023 celebration at the Oriental Museum, showing red lanterns with gold tassels

Silk Roads

Between 17th November 2026 and 28th January 2027 we will be redeveloping and upgrading several of the permanent galleries at the Oriental Museum.  To allow for this work to take place, the Silk Roads Gallery will close from 24th November 2026.  

Silk Roads is an introductory gallery for the whole Museum, bringing together works from across our collections to tell stories of trade, travel and exchange across the continent of Asia and into Europe, all the way to Durham. 

Silk, ceramics and spices have travelled these trade routes for centuries. At the same time, these trading connections have allowed people to exchange knowledge, learn about other faiths and experience new artistic styles. 

Make sure you don’t miss:  

  • the magnificent Chinese bed decorated with ivory inlaid panels  
  • the parrot made from rock crystal
  • the detailed scale model of a Kuwaiti dhow, a trading ship from the Arabian Gulf 
  • the 14th century Central Asian jade. 

Journey

In 2019 the Oriental Museum established Creative Age, a dementia-friendly art group for older adults. The group works alongside a professional artist on a range of creative works inspired by the Museum’s collections. 

In summer 2021 this group created a new artwork, entitled Journey, in collaboration with North East artist Marián Hernández-Villada. It is a celebration of restarting in-person Creative Age sessions and the reopening of the Oriental Museum following the Covid-19 pandemic.   

Inspired by the colours and textures of the Silk Road, the piece speaks to the relief and happiness of being able to see friends and family and the extraordinary journey we all lived through in 2020 and 2021. It is now on display in the Silk Roads gallery. 

All the museum's staff offer heartfelt thanks to Jean, Chris, Brian, Judith, Keith, Catherine, Marián and all the members of Creative Age.

Artwork featured in Creative Age, a dementia-friendly art group for older adults

Arts Award

Our Learning and Engagement team have worked with a range of young people, supporting them to achieve an Arts Award inspired by the themes of this gallery.   

Find out more and download resources you can use.

Thank you

This work has been made possible through the generous support of the DCMS/Wolfson Foundation Museum and Galleries Improvement Fund, the Arts Council for England, the Sir James Knott Trust and the Islamic Art and Material Culture Subject Specialist Network. We are very grateful for all their support.