JEDDAH, 24 July 2003 — Darat Safeya Binzagr takes visitors on a journey into the rich cultural heritage of Saudi Arabia from the minute they walk through the carved wooden doors. The museum and art gallery is the private collection of Safeya Binzagr, a well-known Saudi artist whose career spans over thirty years. It was established in 1997 and officially inaugurated in 2000 under the patronage of Prince Abdul Majeed, governor of Makkah region.

“It was a dream I’ve had since the 1970s, to exhibit all my works in a single collection,” Binzagr told Arab News. “The viewer will find the themes easier to absorb if all the works are together in one place.”

In addition to housing an exquisite variety of antiques, handicrafts and vibrant paintings depicting Saudi customs and traditional dress, the museum also provides drawing workshops and regular group tours for students. There is also an art and literature library in the museum, a gift shop that sells reproductions of Safeya Binzagr’s works for the benefit of charitable organizations, and a salon hosting a monthly art and literature seminars or lectures. It is being expanded now to include a larger art studio and garments section.

“We accept loans and gifts of garments to be exhibited, and as a research facility we are cooperating with several researchers on studies about our traditional clothing,” she said.

Safeya Binzagr has dedicated her life and art to the preservation of Saudi heritage. “After my first exhibition I noticed how much interest there was in the works that captured our traditions,” she said.

“I love history and I’m interested in knowing about our customs, and the paint brush is my pen in documenting this rich and diverse heritage,” she added. She researches the subject of each painting by reading about it and going to talk with the elderly who remember the old days.

“People miss those traditions, and some of them are being brought back in our ceremonies and cultural events such as the Janadriyah,” she said.

Binzagr is the author of “Saudi Arabia: An Artist’s Perspective of the Past” both in English and French, and she is currently writing a second book, on her 30-year artistic career. Some of her works are in private collections in Saudi Arabia, the US, England, Japan, Sweden, Spain and Lebanon, and she has won awards both locally and internationally.

Like other private art galleries and museums, the Darat does not depend on visitors for its revenue. “I’m not interested in making the museum a commercial tourist attraction, but at the same time I want to encourage people, particularly children, to attend and explore and become used to visiting museums and art galleries. Unfortunately, even professional artists are not keen on visiting our art galleries and museums” said Binzagr.

“We have to change the perception of a field trip for school children as being a boring chore,” she said. She suggests developing cultural programs for children. “We need to nurture our children’s artistic sense and appreciation for works of art. Visiting art exhibitions and talking about the exhibits must be part of our schools and art colleges’ programs in order to expand the students’ horizons and understanding of art.”

Binzagr is proud of the museum’s small contribution to presenting a cultural experience and information to foreign visitors. The Darat has welcomed many foreign dignitaries through several ministries such as the Ministry of Haj and Ministry of Culture and Information and tourist groups arranged for by the Supreme Commission for Tourism.

Darat Safeya Binzagr is located on Wali al-Ahd St., Tel. 6571030 and it’s open for the public free of charge on Wednesdays from 5:30 to 8:30 and Thursdays from 10:30 to 1:30.