The ancient Near East and Islamic cultures made significant contributions to human advancement – from the invention of writing and the wheel to advances in mathematics, astronomy and medicine.

From May 29 through Oct. 15 at the Kentucky Horse Park’s International Museum of the Horse, a Smithsonian Affiliate in Lexington, KY, will present A Gift from the Desert: the Art, History and Culture of the Arabian Horse. It will be the largest and most comprehensive exhibition ever devoted to the impact of the horse in the cradle of civilization.

“These rare artifacts will be united for the first and probably the last time in one location,” said Bill Cooke, director of the park’s International Museum of the Horse. “The story of the Arabian breed is an important focus of the exhibition, but our art and artifacts also explore the rich and varied cultures and peoples of this fascinating region of the world and the important role of the Ancient Near East, Egypt and Arabia in equestrian history.”
The exhibition, presented by the Saudi Arabian Equestrian Federation, will feature 409 artifacts and paintings from 28 lenders. The objects will represent civilizations and cultures from Egypt, India, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkey and the U.S. Many of these items have never before left their native countries.
“The horse was associated with royalty, nobility, and the military, so it was a great status symbol,” said Sandra Olsen, curator of anthropology at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh and a curator for the exhibition. “The association between the horse and chariot led to major changes in geo-politics, which were kept in flux with the advent of the cavalry. Great empire builders — including the Hittites, Egyptians, Assyrians, Persians, Sassanians and later leaders — depended heavily on the horse in their conquest. It would be impossible to rewrite history extracting the horse, imagining how language, technology and politics would be different today in its absence.”

The artifacts and works of art will travel from 28 museums and private lenders, including the National Museum of Riyadh, King Saud University’s Museum of Archaeology, British Museum, Furusiyya Art Foundation, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Oxford University, National Museum of Warsaw, Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and the American Museum of Natural History.

Exhibition art and artifacts include:
One of the most famous artifacts in antiquity, the 4,500 year-old Standard of Ur, found in a burial chamber in the Sumerian Royal Cemetery in Iraq;
The robes and dagger of T.E. Lawrence, the colorful British army officer known for his role in the Arab Revolt and popularized in the 1962 movie “Lawrence of Arabia”;
Egyptian 18th dynasty relief fragments depicting horses during the reign of Pharaoh Akhenaten;
Lavish paintings from famed European Orientalist artists such as Eugene Delecroix, Adolf Schreyer, Eugene Fromentin, and Vincenzo Marinelli;
Jewel-encrusted royal swords and other arms and armor from various Islamic dynasties;
Embellished saddles and bridles from the Ottoman Empire;
The Kikkuli Text, the oldest known treatise on horse training, written in cuneiform script on a clay tablet nearly 3500 years ago;
A gold headband from the Sumerian city of Ur, which has one of the oldest portrayals of riding;
A gold chariot horse from the Oxus Treasure, a hoard of 180 gold and silver items found in Tajikistan, dating to the Persian Achaemenid period (5th-4th century BC); and
Exquisite Islamic glass, ceramic and metalwork from the early Islamic dynasties through the Ottoman Empire.

“The Arabian horse’s partnership with man extends throughout some of the most dynamic and far-reaching epochs in history,” said Cynthia Culbertson, one of the leading experts on Arabian horse history as well as a curator for the exhibition. “From King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, to the mighty pharaohs of Egypt and sheikhs, pashas and princes of the Near East, from Napoleon to U.S. presidents – the Arabian has transcended cultures to become an enduring symbol of beauty, nobility and pride.”

John Nicholson, executive director of the Kentucky Horse Park, added: “Throughout history, horses have had a unique ability to dismantle the walls that exist between people and nations, particularly when those horses are possessed of extraordinary beauty, as are Arabians. Those who love and admire horses share a deep connection with each other regardless of age, class, race or religion.  So we are very proud that the Kentucky Horse Park is playing an important role in honoring and celebrating the Arabian horse and what it means to people around the world.”

Tickets are $21 for adults and $11 for children. The general public can obtain more information on the exhibition or the museum by contacting the International Museum of the Horse at 859-259-4232. For group tour information, contact Ali Mihankhah, 859-259-4225 or ali.mihankhah@ky.gov.