Museum of Oriental Art - Turin

The Museum of Oriental Art is housed in a 17th century residence and consists of various departments representing the art of ancient China, Japan, India, the Himalayas and the countries of Islam. The idea of creating a museum belongs to a group of scientists who studied the art of the ancient East in Turin. The thread that unites the exhibits of the museum is the creation and development of a religious movement - Buddhism.

One of the most valuable parts of the museum’s collection is the art of Gandhara, which is most directly related to the creation of the religious current of Buddhism at the beginning of our era.

Gandhara was a historical region and the name of an ancient kingdom that stretched from present-day eastern Afghanistan to northwestern Pakistan. The Gandhara School of Art flourished in northwestern India and eastern Afghanistan between the first century BC and the seventh century AD.

Between the VI and V centuries BC, during the reign of the Persian dynasty, Gandhara absorbed Indian and Mediterranean influences in art and culture.

Therefore, the art of Gandhara is considered as the art of merging civilizations. Buddha statues, Indian deities, tank art, samurai equipment and armor, books of Tibetan monks, wood products, ceramics and bronze will be of interest not only to specialists in this field, but also to any tourist who decides to devote time to visiting the museum.