RIYADH, 23 September 2006 — The Culture and Education Department of the Armed Forces, Ministry of Defense and Aviation, has drawn up an ambitious cultural program to celebrate next year’s 75th anniversary of the foundation of the Kingdom after Ramadan this year.

Maj. Gen. Prince Bandar, director of the department, told Arab News in an exclusive interview that the event was to be held last year. But it had to be postponed by a year on account of the death of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd.

“It will be a two-weeklong cultural extravaganza consisting of photograph-cum-painting exhibition, traditional dances, poetry recitation and drama — all revolving around the life and times of the Kingdom’s founder,” said Prince Bandar, who did his PhD in public administration from the University of Southern California.

He pointed out that the duration of the event would be divided equally between men and women. The venue will be the King Abdul Aziz Military Academy at Al-Ain, near Riyadh. It has a spacious auditorium with a built-in theater for staging dramas. Members of the diplomatic community will also be invited to the event, in addition to government officials and other guests. The name of the chief guest will be announced later.

Prince Bandar said the exhibition, which will be the first of its kind on such a scale, would feature some rare photographs of King Abdul Aziz.

Pictures depicting the historic meetings of King Abdul Aziz with President Franklin D. Roosevelt and a number of other heads of state will be shown. One of the interesting photographs is that of Sharif Hussein, the erstwhile ruler of Makkah, along with his son, Prince Hussain, who later became King Hussein of Jordan. Another photograph shows King Abdul Aziz with young princes, including Prince Talal and Prince Sattam.

The mug shots of the princes have been displayed separately on the same canvas along with their names to help the onlooker identify who’s who in the photographer.

“The idea is to provide young Saudi students a flashback into their history and the Kingdom’s rich cultural tapestry,” said Prince Bandar.

This year’s National Day, according to Prince Bandar, is significant since it marks the first anniversary of the National Day celebration. For the first time last year, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah declared Sept. 23 as the official holiday for both the government and the private sector.

Prince Bandar said that besides photographic and painting exhibition, there would be pavilions representing the Kingdom’s four main regions.

Prince Bandar notes that a distinctive aspect of the Saudi national scene is the balance between tradition and modernity. Thus, while the oil industry has contributed to the stupendous economic development of the Kingdom, the country has maintained its Islamic and cultural traditions inspired by the influence of Islam.

Prince Bandar said his department, which looks after the schools run by the Ministry of Defense and Aviation, also participates in the annual Janadriyah Cultural Festival to highlight its activities.