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Pre-Islam Saudi treasures on show for first time

A "groundbreaking" new exhibition of rare artifacts from Saudi Arabia's ancient past -- some which have never been shown abroad -- has opened in the Louvre, Paris.

The world-famous museum is hosting Roads of Arabia: Archaeology and History of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, a traveling exhibition showcasing 300 archeological treasures found in the Gulf country, many pre-dating the birth of Islam.

The exhibition is the result of 40 years of excavation across Saudi Arabia, with several artifacts only unearthed in the last decade.

Works include funerary stelae -- upright commemorative stone slabs -- dating as far back as 4,000 BC; huge statues of the Kings of Liyhan, an ancient kingdom in what is now Saudi....
Read entire article at CNN