It is quite a surprise when a renowned museum chooses to marshal its resources to help benefit a worthy non-profit organization; and this is exactly how your correspondent found herself \u2014 surprised \u2014 to discover that the Smithsonian\u2019s Sackler Gallery had opened a section of its museum to replicate the vibrant marketplace of Old Kabul.
\nThe transformation is further enhanced with onsite Afghan artisans demonstrating their skills in jewelry making, wood carving and jali shades, calligraphy, ceramics, carpets, ceramics, emerald and gold jewelry, gem cutting, miniature paintings, and yes, even homemade kites sailing across the ceiling of the exhibition.
\nThe Sackler\u2019s \u201cimmersive exhibition\u201d depicts Murad Khani, the cultural center of Old Kabul. This idea of the Smithsonian\u2019s interactive \u2018souk\u2019 is in tribute to Turquoise Mountain Trust, a non-profit, non-governmental foundation created in 2006 with the aim of regenerating historic areas, preserving and transmitting traditional craft skills, and creating jobs.
\nFerozkoh means \u201cTurquoise Mountain,\u201d in both Dari and Pashto, Afghanistan\u2019s key languages, and it once was the cosmopolitan and lost-lost capital of central Afghanistan\u2019s 12-century Ghorid Dynasty.
\n\u201cThis is \u2026 meant to transcend the headlines of war and conflict,\u201d said Julian Raby, the director of the Smithsonian Institution\u2019s Sackler Gallery of Art. \u201cThis exhibition highlights the vitality of these new Afghan artisans and demonstrates the power of art and culture to tell the story of artistic creativity, resilience and hope.\u201d
\nAfghanistan, it often is too easy to forget due to the devastation it has endured through recent wars, was located at the heart of ancient Silk Road trade routes; and for more than 3,500 years it absorbed the cultures and traditions of India, Persia and Central Asia.
\nThese decades of civil unrest that began in the 1970s nearly destroyed this vital heritage. Artisans often were forced to leave their country or abandon their crafts. Murad Khani, once the bustling center of craft and commerce in Afghanistan\u2019s largest metropolis \u2014 collapsed into ruin.
\nThe Turquoise Mountain Trust was founded in 2006 when British author and politician Rory Stewart established the trust with the support of England\u2019s Prince Charles, and Hamid Karzai, the then-president of Afghanistan. In just ten years, they have revitalized the Murad Khani district of Old Kabul from slum conditions into a vibrant cultural and economic center, while training more than 450 male and female artisans since its founding eight years ago.
\nIts success on the ground has won world-wide recognition. Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, for example, has given his support to the project. Its calligraphy school is named after him \u2014 the Alwaleed Bin Talal School of Calligraphy and Miniature Painting. Prince Alwaleed \u201cstrongly believes in the power and value of preserving and reviving the Islamic arts across the world,\u201d said Dr. Tommy Wild, Director of Exhibitions with Turquoise Mountain Trust. \u201cThis has resulted in the Middle East and Afghanistan collaborating and exchanging ideas and support.\u201d
\nThe organization also has invested back by aiding the local community: it has renovated historic buildings, opened a primary school and a medical clinic which serves 18,000 patients per year, and rebuilt necessary infrastructure. Equally important, it has founded Afghanistan\u2019s premier institution for vocational training in the arts which is dedicated to teaching a new generation of Afghan artisans.
\nTurquoise Mountain is succeeding in reviving the nation\u2019s proud cultural legacy by providing on-the-job training in traditional construction techniques to over 1,000 masons, carpenters, and laborers during the restoration of Murad Khani; the project\u2019s workers have also cleared 30,000 cubic meters of rubbish from the streets, rebuilt or restored 112 historic and community buildings using traditional earth construction techniques and provided water, electricity, and sanitation to the old city.
\nThe Smithsonian\u2019s Sackler Turquoise Mountain exhibition, made possible by the support given through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), conjures up the unexpected throughout the exhibit.
\nHere you will find a caravanserai \u2014 a courtyard that once served as a gathering and resting place for Silk Road travelers \u2014 which was recreated by shipping from Afghanistan more than three tons of hand-carved Himalayan cedar. It includes two 30-foot colonnaded arches and artisan stalls, embellished with colorful toshaks, or Afghan cushions. Visitors are invited to sit and explore with onsite interactive touchscreen maps of Afghanistan which allows visitors to explore the history of the region and better learn of its artistic traditions.
\nThroughout the duration of the Sackler Gallery\u2019s Turquoise Mountain exhibition, which closes in January 2017, Afghan artisans will travel to Washington and share their skills and traditions with museum visitors. Seventeen visiting Afghan artisans, many of whom are teachers and young entrepreneurs, will showcase their talents to visiting public guests.
\nAnd, as an ultimate compliment to their hard work to maintain their heritage, Turquoise Mountain\u2019s artisans have gained worldwide recognition for their beautiful creations. Major international exhibitions have been organized to display their work including the Venice Biennale and the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha. The Trust has also established partnerships with prestigious international retailers from Bloomingdales and Kate Spade in New York, to Pippa Small and Monsoon-Accessorize in London.
\nFor more information log onto: asia.si.edu\/turquoisemountain.<\/p>\n
Courtesy: Arab News<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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