JEDDAH, 24 January 2006 — Jeddah Mayor Adel Faqeeh has issued immediate orders yesterday to reopen the Castle of Cultural Arts Museum that belongs to the famous Saudi musician Tarik Abdul Hakim.
The museum was closed last month, mainly because of its cafeteria, which had no proper legal and health licenses for operation, according to Sami Nawwar of the Tourism and Culture Department at Jeddah Municipality.
Now, however, the mayor has given orders to fully facilitate the reopening of the museum after issuing the necessary licenses for support services.
The mayor also gave orders to offer municipal support and supervision for the museum to enrich the cultural scene in Jeddah, according to Nawwar.
He said that the municipality would also help in finding a proper location for the museum.
The municipality formed a committee shortly after the closure of the museum to investigate the problems and recommend the solutions for reopening, he said.
Abdul Hakim, who is considered as a traditional music icon, was the first figure to introduce the military musical genre in the Kingdom.
He is also a pioneer in the academic studies of music in the Kingdom and a composer of many musical works that are considered part of the Saudi musical heritage.
He has received many medals and certificates from various world leaders for his pioneering artistic works and efforts.
