JEDDAH, 3 August 2005 — Throughout King Fahd’s reign, arts and recreation flourished. Despite many demands of the state, he keenly supported the construction of recreational centers and the development of arts organizations and societies that encouraged the continuity of traditional art and culture.
The King Fahd Coastal City, a sports and recreation complex in Jeddah, is one such project. This facility was established in 1983 and supervised by the General Presidency of Youth Welfare with the support of King Fahd. It was a chance for many youth to engage in activities such as basketball, volleyball, badminton, billiard and tennis.
Twenty-four-year-old Majid Hassan, a regular visitor to the complex, said he enjoyed the time spent at King Fahd Coastal City, and was able to discover many new interests there.
The opening of the King Fahd National Library in Riyadh was a significant step in providing a repository for Arabic and foreign literature.
Sarah Ahmad, a graduate student from King Saud University in Riyadh, said the library greatly helped her and her friends during their undergraduate studies. “Instead of ordering books from outside the country, there we managed to find all the books we needed. Even after graduation I still enjoy going there with my friends during weekends from time to time,” she said.
The Ministry of Culture and Information had, with King Fahd’s support, helped to spread Saudi and Arabic literature, Islamic religion, art and culture around the world. Through the 13 art clubs supervised by the General Presidency of Youth Welfare many thinkers, novelists and writers first displayed their talents and rose to prominence.
The clubs focused on spotting talented young artists and gave them the opportunity to develop their interests. In the clubs many artists had the chance to meet and exchange opinions. Competitions that rewarded talent further encouraged the growth of artistic expression.
The first official prize for art in the Kingdom was founded in April 1980. The Kingdom Prize Award carries a gold medallion and SR100,000 and is given to the best three writers every year. They must be over the age of 50 and must excel at covering the intellectual and religious fields of Saudi Arabia.
In 1998 another award, the King Fahd Prize for Creativity, was organized in conjunction with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states. This prize is given for individuals who excel in poetry, literary criticism, novel writing and fine art. Not confined purely to artistic endeavors, the prize includes creativity in sociology, psychology, education, math, physics, chemistry, biology, medicine and others.
Thanks to King Fahd’s initiative and support resulting in the large number of cultural clubs, libraries and universities and the subsequent emergence of a genuine literary and artistic culture in the Kingdom, Riyadh was named by UNESCO as Regional Cultural Capital in 2000.
Perhaps the most imposing contribution to the cultural scene in the Kingdom is the King Fahd Cultural Center in Riyadh. It is one of the most modern and largest centers in the Middle East. It occupies 100,000 square meters in central Riyadh and houses two auditoriums, exhibition and lecture halls, a planetarium, a library and a heritage museum. The large auditorium has a capacity for 2,978 seats and the small one 433 seats.
Abdullah Nawawi, vice president of the Saudi-Arabian Art & Culture Society, said fine art was not introduced in Saudi Arabia until the reign of King Fahd.
“He encouraged a lot of artists from the Kingdom to participate in many exhibitions. He was the one who gave us the opportunity to present our art for many people to see even outside the Kingdom.”
Nawawi added his appreciation to the efforts made by King Fahd. “I believe King Abdullah will continue the success and plans that were made to develop Saudi art and culture and spread it around the world.”
