DAI Exhibition Attracts 2nd Highest Attendance at Moscow Kremlin Museums
The Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah’s (DAI) exhibition “Treasury of the World: Jewelled Arts of India in the Age of the Mughals” attracted more than 130,000 visitors during its stay at the Moscow Kremlin Museums’ Assumption Belfry Museum. With an average of 1,763 visitors per day, “Treasury of the World” was the 2nd most popular exhibition ever held in any of the ten museums that make up the Moscow Kremlin Museums.
“We had – alas – to close the Treasury of the World exhibition, with total attendance of 134,000 visitors within 76 working days,” said Zelfira Tregulova, deputy director of the Moscow Kremlin Museums. Having the “second biggest attendance in the history of the Kremlin Museum . . ., [t]he Mughal treasures were a great success indeed.”
The exhibition also captured the attention of the Russian media. With tremendous support from Kuwait’s Ambassador to Russia Nasser al-Muzayen and his team, the full spectrum of media outlets – print, broadcast and digital – devoted record-breaking coverage to the “Treasury of the World” exhibition. More than five dozen print and digital publications covered the exhibition at least once, including Russian Harper’s Bazaar, Elle, Madame Figaro, L’Officiel and Kultpohod. Time Out included information on the exhibition in 14 issues; Afisha in 8. Russian and regional television stations broadcast more than 3 hours of coverage in 12 broadcasts and four Russian radio stations dedicated almost an hour to “Treasury of the World.”
“It is always nice when a collection attracts media coverage, but I think this reveals much more than an interest in this specific exhibition,” said Sheikha Hussah Sabah al-Salem al-Sabah, director general of the DAI. “Russia has a rich cultural history – in the visuals arts and the lively arts, in literature, in architecture – you can see it everywhere. It is a passion of the Russian people and it is confirmed on a daily basis. It’s what made ‘Treasury of the World’ such a great success at the Moscow Kremlin Museums; what inspired them 19 years ago to provide a sanctuary for the ‘Islamic Arts and Patronage’ exhibition in the Hermitage Museum during the Iraqi occupation. I hope it is also what will make Treasury of the World equally successful in St. Petersburg when it opens there on 7 August.”
