WILLEMSTAD - The Kura Hulanda Museum has officially launched a digitization project to preserve its rare and little-known 'Lands of Abraham' collection for the first time. The collection features artifacts from Mesopotamia, Egypt, Iran, and neighboring regions—some dating back over 4,000 years.  

This initiative marks a crucial step in safeguarding fragile cultural heritage while expanding public access to a remarkable range of historical objects. Originally collected by museum founder Jacob Gelt Dekker, the artifacts include cuneiform tablets, Bronze Age ceramics, a pharaonic statue, and religious relics that illustrate the evolution of civilization over millennia.  

Although these items are not directly linked to Curaçao’s history, the collection connects us to our shared human heritage, offering insight into how ancient civilizations functioned during biblical times. 

Canadian archaeologist and researcher Tanya McCullough is leading the archaeological component of the digitization effort, ensuring that each piece is handled with academic and physical care. Metadata specialist Marissa Abara is meticulously capturing and entering data into the specialized system used by the Kura Hulanda Museum to archive its collections.  

According to Marissa, digitization is a vital preservation step: "Oftentimes things break, things fall apart, things are lost and with history, things can crumble into a little pile of dust. Having the digital aspect of it is still preserving the legacy of that object even if it's no longer with us."  

Museum Director Jenieve Langdon is leading the project; "Land of Abraham is the pilot phase before we continue with the digitalization of other exhibitions". This pilot phase was partially funded by Mondriaan Fonds. The team also includes artifact photographers David Margaritha and Brett Russel, and PR & Communications lead Sheedia Jansen.