‘Treasures of China’ at Museum of Islamic Art
The Museum of Islamic Art in Doha is currently hosting and exhibition entitled “the Treasures of China,” which includes the world-famous Terracotta Army statues. Many civilizations throughout ancient history believed in the afterlife. The ancient Chinese were amongst them. Imagine one tomb guarded by an army of more than 8,000 statues consisting of archers, infantry units, superior officers, and horsedriven chariots. This is known as the Terracotta Army. The tomb they guarded is the that of the first Emperor of China Qin Shi Huang (r. 220 - 210 BCE), a successful warlord who unified China and established the Qin Dynasty. Nearby his mausoleum, the statues were placed in pits, hence serving as funerary statues. In 1974, they were uncovered by farmers in the Xi’an province. Most of these statues are on display in the museum of the mausoleum site in the same province.
Since the late 2000s, the Terracotta Army have been loaned to many institutions across the world. Qatar is now one of them. The exhibition in Doha marks the Terracotta Army’s debut in the Middle East. It will last until January 7, 2017.
