A calligraphy exhibition named "Scripts and Calligraphy: A Timeless Journey" will kick off on Wednesday at the national museum in the Saudi capital Riyadh, the Saudi Ministry of Culture said Tuesday.

The exhibition will take visitors on a time travel to discover the development of calligraphy through 180 artworks, including pieces from Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and France.

Artists of Arabic calligraphy and designers from 17 countries are invited to show the role played by Arabic calligraphy in promoting cultural relations among the countries across the Middle East, North Africa and Asia.

Chinese artist Mi Guangjiang, one of the international artists invited to showcase their masterpieces at the exhibition, will display two pieces of Arabic calligraphy written with a Chinese brush and mounted in the form of traditional Chinese scrolls.

"I can not attend the event due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I sincerely hope that people can defeat the coronavirus as soon as possible and wish the exhibition a complete success," Mi told Xinhua in an online interview.

The exhibition will run until Aug 21.