RIYADH, 15 August — For the first time, a government school is to be converted into a museum.
The proposed museum, in what is now Saqr Quraish School, will highlight the development of education in the Kingdom.
The cost of the project, to be implemented over a two-year period, exceeds SR3.281 million.
This was disclosed by Dr. Saad Al-Rashed, deputy minister of education for antiquities and museums, at a press conference here yesterday.
Earlier, he signed two contracts with national companies, one of which related to the conversion of Saqr Quraish School into an educational museum. The other was for fencing the archaeological site of Juwatha, in the Hasa region, which spreads over 12,200 meters and will be completed in one year.
Spelling out the details of the project, Al-Rashed said the main objective was to preserve the Saqr Quraish School building as a model of old schools in the Kingdom.
Located on the bank of Wadi Hanifa in the Badi’a district of Riyadh, the school commands a picturesque view of the valley nestled amid luxuriant date plantations. Conceived in the Nadji style of architecture, it was completed in 1935 by using local materials.
The deputy minister said the upcoming museum will display documents as well as old and new educational materials. It will also play an important role in promoting educational tourism.
Asked why the contracts were awarded to local companies, Al-Rashed said they could be expected to take greater interest in preserving the heritage of their past.
“We hope that the contractor will make use of local skills and talent in implementing the project,” he added.
In reply to a question, he said plans were afoot to set up more museums in different parts of the Kingdom. One such museum has been opened in Hasa. Since the Arabian Peninsula has a rich heritage dating back to before recorded history, the deputy ministry has assigned six field teams comprising 20 researchers to study the Hail and Qassim regions.
Other teams have also been set up to conduct studies in Riyadh, the Eastern Province and Najran.
“These studies require highly professional people, because exploration on certain sites is an extremely difficult task,” Al-Rashed said.
In reply to another question, he pointed out that his department was coordinating with the Supreme Commission for Tourism in working out tourism promotion plans. However, not all sites could be thrown open to tourists. He referred to some restricted sites in Europe where only ten to 15 tourists were allowed in each year.
On the subject of the theft of antiquities in the Kingdom, he said regulations have been framed by a special committee to look into the phenomenon. They will come into force pending the approval of the ministerial council. In this context, the deputy minister underlined the role of the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs in protecting the archaeological monuments while executing any development plan in a region.
