Kuwait mourns prominent cultural, heritage pioneer Tareq Rajab

KUWAIT, June 27 (KUNA) -- Kuwaiti eminent cultural, arts, archaeology pioneer Tareq Sayed Rajab has died at the age of 80.
Born in 1935, Rajab was the first Kuwaiti to be sent abroad to study art and archaeology.
After his return from Britain, he was appointed as the first Director of the Department of Antiquities and Museums of Kuwait in 1958.
Rajab excavated for antiquities on the island of Failaka, and was head of public relations at the Kuwait Oil Company (KOC).
In addition, he was head of the New English School in Kuwait, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia.
In 1980, he opened the "Tareq Sayed Rajab Museum" displaying the history of Kuwait through a wonderful collection of calligraphy works, manuscripts, miniatures, ceramics, metalwork, glass, jade-, wood- and stone-carvings. (end) aas.msa