His Excellency, the Saudi Arabian Ambassador to the UK and Ireland, HRH Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf, donated a further £1 million earlier this week to the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford as part of an initiative by Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz to advance the work of the institution in increasing understanding between cultures and civilizations.

The funds will go towards building a new gallery at the museum, to be named after the Crown Prince, which will house artefacts from the Muslim world.

During a ceremony at the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in London, the Ambassador thanked the Museum’s director, Dr Christopher Brown, for all of his work in advancing the collaboration between the Museum, Oxford University and Prince Sultan University in Riyadh. An agreement was signed as the donation was handed to Dr Brown, to extend the work of the three institutions even further to promote a greater appreciation of the heritage of Islam.

The gallery, said the Ambassador, would finally house artefacts that the Museum, for lack of space, had been unable to exhibit, adding that their display would contribute to a greater understanding between the Muslim world and the British people. His Excellency said that he was confident that further agreements would be reached in the future between museums in the Kingdom and in the UK.

The Ambassador highlighted the continued support of the Crown Prince and the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah for such initiatives.

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