Tourism Minister Arief Yahya said here Sunday the IORA Leaders Summit 2017 is enlivened with an exhibition under the theme "The Great Voyage Indian Ocean".
"The exhibition features photographic reproductions of classic maps, artifacts, artworks, and photographs of the Indian Ocean," Arief said.
The minister hoped that the exhibition provide information and understanding to the guests about the history of Indonesia which hundreds of years ago had made a great voyage across the Indian Ocean and opened up a new world.
"The great sail was conducted by the countrys sailors from Java to Madagascar and Africa in the 4th till the 9th century AD," he said, adding that histories of Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam are also featured at the exhibition.
The exhibition also informs other histories like those on silk road trips made by Ibn Battuta, Marco Polo, and Cheng Ho who opened a new civilization in the international trade.
It also tells about a spice road and exploration of a new world by the Europeans (Portuguese, Spaniards, Britons, and Dutchmen).
And now, people can make great trips to tourist destinations like the ones introduced at the exhibition as Lake Toba (North Sumatra), Tanjung Lesung beach (Banten), Borobudur Temple (Central Java), Mandalika beach (West Nusa Tenggara), Komodo Island (East Nusa Tenggara), and other amazing tourist sites.
The IORA was started in March 1995, when South African Prime Minister Nelson Mandela visited India to initiate the establishment of the Indian Ocean Rim Initiative.
Two years later, the first conference held in Mauritius on March 5-7, 1997 in conjunction with the establishment of the Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC).
In 2012, the name of the IOR-ARC was changed into the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA).
The regional organization which is based in Mauritania now has 21 member countries, namely South Africa, Australia, Bangladesh, Comoros, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mozambique, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Seychelles, Singapore, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, and Yemen as well as seven dialogue partner countries, namely China, France, Japan, United States, Egypt, Germany, and England.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2017
