The State’s Second Cultural Front: Archeology & Museums

Somewhere between the state’s attempt to map and then taxonomize the country’s archeological heritage, Arabian archeology as a phenomenon morphed into a facet of an all encompassing national Saudi identity. In the formation process of a unifying national identity, the museum becomes a site for the institutionalization of culture by the state. Understanding what has become of the first museums built with the oversight of the Department of Archeology & Museums is necessary in shaping a comprehensive historical understanding of the state’s role, and limitations, in the institutionalization of culture through the museum.

From a pedagogical perspective, reestablishing historical linkages between the first generation of museums built under the patronage of the state is imperative to realizing the museums announced – and well underway – following the launch of Vision 2030. It is with the purpose of understanding what could have been, and wielding this knowledge in building the museums of the future, that can ensure governmental patronage is a tool for posterity.

Lastly, this essay takes into consideration the changes in governing bodies that oversaw the continuity, or cessation, of the Department’s Program. This is significant to note for both the contemporary understanding of government patronage of museums – particularly relating to the launch of Vision 2030 and the Ministry of Culture – and understanding the shifts in governmental policy prioritizing the development of cultural heritage institutions for educational purposes, versus tourism sector development.