The National Museum

“Perfumes of the East” Exhibition 21 May-14 September 2024 Perfumes have been happily wed to the Arab world for quite some time. In fact, in the Earliest Antiquity, the Arab world became the birthplace of a perfume civilization. Since, fragrances have occupied a seat of high esteem, deeply rooted in Arab society. Pleasant smells are considered a sign of good etiquette and a code of aesthetic sensibility, and permeate cultural and social practices. The exhibition, organized by the Institute du Monde Arabe and hosted in the National Museum in Riyadh in its first international stop, recounts the close relationship that unites perfumes with the Arab world. It sheds light on the characteristic fragrances of the East and the various traditions that gave perfume a social role. “Perfumes of the East” exhibition invites visitors to an immersive journey designed as an intimate stroll through different spaces: first in nature, then through the streets of a town, and lastly inside a home. The trajectory reveals to visitors the practices and history of perfumes through a unique collection of historical artefacts and contemporary artworks. Receiving visitor period ends one hour before the museum closes.