Fairmont partners with National Geographic Society.
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Fairmont partners with National Geographic Society.
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Category: Worldwide -
This is a press release selected by our editorial committee and published online for free on 2008-07-22
Experiential Events Program Debuts with Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures Packages
Fairmont Hotels & Resorts is pleased to announce a new partnership with the National Geographic Society, one of the world's largest nonprofit scientific and educational organizations with a long history of supporting the achievements of renowned explorers and groundbreaking researchers. As a new Mission Partner, Fairmont will support the National Geographic’s work to inspire people to care about the planet, which is a natural fit as the two organizations share a commitment to responsible tourism and the environment.
Through the partnership, Fairmont is pleased to offer its guests access to a number of exclusive events and enriching experiences with the Global Explorer Series. The series will offer guests the exclusive opportunity to engage with National Geographic experts in a range of activities from guided tours of cultural landmarks, to guest speaking engagements featuring renowned oceanographers, to fly-fishing or safari excursions. Guests will discover rich experiences that highlight the best of each destination.
To launch the series, Fairmont is offering special packages at their hotels in Washington, San Francisco and New York, three of the four cities hosting the new National Geographic exhibition, “Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures from the National Museum, Kabul.”
More information on the Global Explorer Series will be available in the coming months on http://www.fairmont.com/ngs, which also hosts a podcast by noted National Geographic archaeologist and Afghanistan exhibition curator Dr. Fredrik Hiebert. Dr. Hiebert has researched human history in some of the world's most remote and romantic places and played a key role in bringing the “Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures” exhibition to the United States. In his podcast, Dr. Hiebert reveals the intrigue behind the dramatic story of the recovery of the precious artifacts thought to have been lost, many of which are now on display in the exhibition.
"Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures from the National Museum, Kabul" highlights a collection of objects from the Kabul museum that were hidden during the many years of civil war and upheaval in Afghanistan until the dramatic announcement of their existence in 2003. The some 228 objects on display range in date from 2200 BC to the second century AD and are drawn from four archaeological sites. They include fragmentary gold bowls with artistic links to Mesopotamia and Indus valley cultures (modern-day Pakistan) from the Bronze Age site of Tepe Fullol; bronze and stone sculptures and a gilded silver plaque from the former Greek colony at Aï Khanum (“Lady Moon”); bronzes, ivories, and painted glassware that had been imported from Roman Egypt, China, and India, and excavated from ancient storerooms discovered in the 1930s and 1940s in Begram; and more than 100 gold ornaments from the “Bactrian Hoard,” found in 1978 in Tillya Tepe, the site of six nomad graves, revealing a synthesis of Greek, Roman, Persian, Indian, Chinese, and Siberian styles.
Guests visiting the exhibition at the National Gallery of Art, Washington can stay at The Fairmont Washington, D.C with the Hidden Treasure Package, which includes overnight accommodations, breakfast for two adults and one child and a $20 Metro Pass. The package also includes some fun and educational items for the kids: the Get Your Passport DVD, which introduces children to the joys and discovery of world travel, and a copy of National Geographic Kids Magazine. The official catalogue to the exhibition published by National Geographic Books, with beautifully illustrated photos of the artifacts is also included in the package. Rates start from $269 USD per night*, based on a two-night minimum stay and the package is available until September 7, 2008. *$20 for each additional child staying on the Hidden Treasure Package.
Starting October 24, 2008, when the exhibition opens at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, guests will be able to stay at The Fairmont San Francisco with the Golden Treasures of Afghanistan package. The package includes a one-night stay, two entry tickets to the museum, a traditional Afghan treat of baklava and Turkish coffee for two and a set of note cards commemorating the exhibition. Rates start from $299 USD per night, and the package is available through January 25, 2009.
If visiting the exhibition while it is at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York June 23 to September 20, 2009, the newly reopened Plaza Hotel will be the perfect place to stay. Package details will soon be available on http://www.fairmont.com/ngs. All packages unless noted otherwise are subject to availability, priced per room, per night, exclude taxes and are based on double occupancy.
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