New archeological finds confirming Saudi Arabia's rich equestrian history were unveiled at an exhibition titled “The Horse: From Arabia to Royal Ascot”. Running at the British Museum till the end of September, the show focuses on the 5000 year development of the famous Arabian horse breed. Various objects depict horses made of stone, gold and clay. It also includes a well-known calligraphy style painting of King Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia by scholar and artist Ahmed Mustafa. Speaking at the launch, Prince Faisal Bin Abdullah, Minister of Education and chairman of the Saudi Equestrian Fund, said, “It was an honor to demonstrate the strong link between the equestrian sport and the Arabian peninsula. The exhibition brings to life the highly acclaimed book “Furussiyya”, first published in 1984. The expo is being organized in close co-operation with the Saudi Supreme Commission for Tourism and Antiquity (SCTA). Commenting on the possibility of holding the exhibition in Saudi Arabia, Prince Faisal said, “We always wanted to hold it in our country but the infrastructure to protect the antiquities have to be developed.” However, he was optimistic this could be sooner rather than later. “The King Abdulaziz historical museum's exhibition on the 100 years of Saudi rule is a positive indication that we could hold something similar in the near future. Commenting on the future plans, Prince Faisal said, “My wish is to launch the third version of this exhibition in France during the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games 2014 in Normandy.” __
