Museum of the Orient

The Museum of the Orient highlights the history of Portuguese exploration in Asia. Its permanent collection includes Asian artifatcs such as Indonesian textiles, Japanese screens, antique snuff bottles and the Kwok On Collection of masks, costumes and accessories. One of the rooms is dedicated to the former Portuguese colonies in the East, recalling the days when Portugal was the world's mercantile power dominating the spice routes.It is managed by the Fundação Oriente, which was created in 1988 to form meaningful connection between the East and the West. The museum opened in 2008 in a former industrial building to continue this tradition of educating the public about Asian culture. In addition to being a museum, this is also a cultural center, with a program of live shows in its auditorium and an education center offering courses in Asian cooking and culture.

_{(Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.)}