OREANDA-NEWS. October 30, 2008.  The message reads, in particular:

“The museum's founders were prominent figures in Russian education, real visionaries with a truly encyclopedic knowledge. Thanks to the work and talent of several generations of staff, the museum has become a treasure trove of masterpieces of Oriental culture and a centre for research and aesthetic education. Its collection is one of the largest in the world.

It is pleasing to see that today Lunin House on Nikitskaya Street in Moscow remains the centre of gravity for connoisseurs and lovers of Oriental art, and that its staff works with inexhaustible energy and love to improve the museum and on educational and training projects.

All this is very important for the spiritual education of the younger generation, strengthening the moral values of Russian society, expanding cultural and educational cooperation, and enhancing mutual understanding between peoples.

I am confident that your wonderful museum is always full of visitors. And not only professional recognition, but also the rave reviews its many visitors will act as your reward.”

The collection of the State Museum of the Orient contains samples of art and culture from more than 100 countries and peoples of Asia and Africa. The museum includes more than 160,000 objects of art and culture and almost two-thirds of them are archaeological materials as of the Neolithic era.

The museum is one of Russia's prized elements of cultural heritage.