On behalf of Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Deputy Premier, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General, Prince Dr. Meshal bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Musaed, Adviser to the Crown Prince, has received friendship membership of Ashmolean Museum at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. This membership came as the University and the Museum appreciate the role of Crown Prince Sultan in supporting the efforts of maintaining and highlighting the Islamic heritage. The Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University Dr. John Hood handed the membership during a ceremony held yesterday evening and attended by Director of the Ashmolean Museum Dr. Christopher Brown and a number of the university's trustees and professors in addition to scientific and intellectual personalities. On this occasion, Prince Dr. Meshal expressed his delight at receiving the membership on behalf of the Crown Prince. "There is no doubt that this honor, which comes from one of the oldest and most important museums in the world, is an evidence of the keenness of the Crown Prince to build bridges of friendship, understanding and rapprochement between different civilizations and cultures through supporting projects that serve Islamic heritage," he added. "We know that the museum has Islamic antiques that have not been presented to the public because of the lack of a suitable place for display. Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz's Hall at the museum will display these antiques, so that the visitors will be provided with an opportunity to see these pieces of precious Islamic heritage which have not been displayed", Prince Dr. Meshal said. He thanked the Vice-Chancellor of the university and the Director of the Museum for this good initiative which will open new channels of cultural and scientific cooperation between the two countries. The Crown Prince has donated £ 2 million to the Museum to set up a Hall for the museum's holdings of Islamic Heritage and this Hall will carry his name.
