Saudi Arabia condemns Israeli army storming Al-Aqsa Mosque during Ramadan
Saudi Arabia condemns Israeli army storming Al-Aqsa Mosque during Ramadan/node/2281551/saudi-arabia
Saudi Arabia condemns Israeli army storming Al-Aqsa Mosque during Ramadan
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A Palestinian woman sits near Israeli border policemen in the Al-Aqsa compound, also known to Jews as the Temple Mount, while tension arises during clashes with Palestinians in Jerusalem’s Old City on April 5, 2023. (Reuters)
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Israeli border guards patrol outside the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound at Lion's Gate in Jerusalem's Old City during clashes with Palestinians in Al-Aqsa Mosque (AFP)
Saudi Arabia condemns Israeli army storming Al-Aqsa Mosque during Ramadan
Israeli police attack dozens of worshippers before dawn on Wednesday
The UAE, Jordan and Egypt also condemned the storming of the Al-Aqsa mosque by Israeli police
Updated 05 April 2023
Arab News
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem by the Israeli army, assaulting worshipers and arresting several on Wednesday, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
In a statement, the ministry “expressed the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s condemnation and rejection of the blatant storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque’s compound.”
“These practices undermine peace efforts, and (the Kingdom) reaffirms its firm position in supporting all efforts aimed at ending the occupation and reaching a just and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian cause,” the statement added.
The raid occurred during the month of Ramadan, a time of spirituality and prayer in Islam.
“Such actions violate international principles and norms regarding respect for religious sanctities,” the statement said.
Israeli police attacked dozens of worshippers in Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque compound before dawn on Wednesday, witnesses said, after storming inside.
The incident sparked protests across the occupied West Bank and the Israeli military said nine rockets were fired from Gaza toward Israel after sirens blared in southern towns.
The United Arab Emirates also strongly condemned the storming of the Al-Aqsa mosque by Israeli police on Wednesday.
“The UAE called on Israeli authorities to halt escalation and avoid exacerbating tension and instability in the region,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.
Jordan and Egypt, both involved in recent US-backed efforts to de-escalate tensions between Israel and the Palestinians, issued separate statements condemning the incident.
Three-month cultural calendar is full of surprises that will take you through Kingdom’s culture and heritage
Updated 34 min 36 sec ago
Dhai Al-Mutairi
RIYADH: The 2023-2024 Diriyah Season is set to begin on Dec. 12 with a curated three-month calendar of events that combines arts and culture, and live performances and experiences that showcase nearly 600 years of history and heritage.
The season is off to a musically spectacular start with an exceptional lineup of cultural concerts. Tickets for the first cultural concept, featuring the Saudi music legends Rabeh Saqr and Ayed performing in Mayadeen theater, will go on sale on Dec. 10.
Diriyah Season cultural showcase includes immersive art installations and exhibitions, live and theatrical performances, and culinary experiences that celebrate both traditional and contemporary cuisine. (Diriyah Season)
This year’s theme honors Diriyah’s story and celebrates Al-Awja in a rallying call for all Saudis to unite and celebrate their shared culture and identity.
The season will be set in five distinct Diriyah locations: Wadi Safar, which will feature a Diriyah cultural basecamp; the iconic UNESCO World Heritage Site At-Turaif; Bujairi Terrace; the Mayadeen theater; and Diriyah district.
HIGHLIGHTS
• Diriyah Season is set to begin on Dec. 12 and will conclude in March.
• The theater will also host a theatrical equestrian show and cultural concerts.
• For the first time, Bujairi Terrace will feature a themed escape room called ‘Journey to the Future.’
• For more information, check diriyah.sa/season.
The season “blends the old with the new and takes us on a journey of self-discovery as we reconnect with our authentic selves. This is not just entertainment; it’s entertainment with meaning,” said Jerry Inzerillo, CEO of Diriyah Gate Development Authority.
“We want people from all over the world to see 300 years of our music, our food, our tents, our costuming, our storytelling, our poetry, our calligraphy,” Inzerillo said.
Diriyah Season cultural showcase includes immersive art installations and exhibitions, live and theatrical performances, and culinary experiences that celebrate both traditional and contemporary cuisine. (Diriyah Season)
The Diriyah E-Prix championship, immersive art installations and exhibitions, live and theatrical performances, plus culinary experiences that celebrate both traditional and contemporary cuisine, are also planned for the season.
The Culinary Arts Commission of the Ministry of Culture will present Shetana, an outdoor winter-evening Saudi culinary experience, every day for four weeks at the Mayadeen theater. There will be a theatrical equestrian show and cultural concerts at the theater as well.
Ahmad Alnuaisri, Diriyah Company assistant manager of media relations
Bujairi Terrace, the fine dining destination, will include an expanded return of Layali Diriyah, which sees one of Diriyah’s heritage farms transformed into an open-air illuminated wonderland, showcasing the best of local and international contemporary art, design, cuisine, dance, live music, poetry and theatrical performances.
For the first time, Bujairi Terrace will also feature a themed escape room called “Journey to the Future,” which will test players’ escape skills and explore the Kingdom’s historical narratives.
What is special about the Diriyah escape room is that it will carry a cultural aspect and requires reviewing your cultural and historical information to solve the puzzles at hand.
Ahmad Alnuaisri, Diriyah Company assistant manager of media relations
“The themed escape room is a unique experience. It is an activity that requires one to be a quick thinker, and quick at making decisions and solving puzzles,” said Ahmad Alnuaisri, assistant manager of media relations at Diriyah Company.
“What is special about the Diriyah escape room is that it will carry a cultural aspect and requires reviewing your cultural and historical information to solve the puzzles at hand,” he said.
Jerry Inzerillo, Diriyah Gate Development Authority CEO
This season’s events planned for the At-Turaif historic district include poetry pop-ups, workshops, a retrospective, an exhibition, Souq Al-Mawsim, and more.
The At-Turaif retrospective explores and embraces the values of At-Turaif’s continuing influence on the Kingdom while bringing Diriyah’s stories and memories together in a multimedia installation. The “Diriyah Doors” exhibition explores the significance and history of the vividly colored, intricately patterned and engraved doors in Diriyah and Najd.
We want people from all over the world to see 300 years of our music, our food, our tents, our costuming, our storytelling, our poetry, our calligraphy.
Jerry Inzerillo, Diriyah Gate Development Authority CEO
The season, which ends in March, is predicted to strengthen the Kingdom’s tourism sector by bringing in both local and international visitors and generating 178,000 jobs for young Saudis.
“Even though we’re a 2030 project, we opened assets in 2022 including our UNESCO site … we’ve already had 1 million visits,” Inzerillo said.
“And now the numbers are growing, and we’ll have a million people that will visit us … until Ramadan when this Diriyah season concludes,” he said.
The 2023-2024 Diriyah Season is presented by Diriyah Company in partnership with Diriyah Gate Development Authority.
Saudi wood sculptor creates odes to nature, wildlife, ancient history
Award-winning artist Sultan Al-Mrshood inspired by childhood on Buraidah farm
Work includes ‘snake’ cane, rosaries from coconut wood, pits of olives and dates
Updated 40 min 42 sec ago
Sulafa Alkhunaizi
RIYADH: Award-winning artist Sultan Al-Mrshood — who is currently presenting his work at the Saudi Feast Food Festival — has mastered the art of sculpting hyper-realistic representations of nature from wood, inspired by his childhood living on a farm.
Al-Mrshood has a booth at the festival’s Olive Exhibition — showcasing the fruit’s use as food and cosmetics — where he says his artwork often has admirers gathering for long periods.
The sculptor has an assortment of work on display including an eagle, a wooden cane entwined by a snake, and several handcrafted rosaries made from coconut wood, and the pits of olives and dates.
In his stand, the sculptor presents his collection of carved sculptures resembling an eagle, a snake crutch, carved canvases, and a variety of hand-made rosaries made of olive and date pits and coconut wood. (AN photos by Huda Bashatah)
Al-Mrshood has crafted three snake canes, with each taking about three months to complete. He sold the latest one, facilitated by the Ministry of Culture at the festival, for SR30,000 ($8,000). Seven years ago, Al-Mrshood sold a cane to Prince Sultan bin Salman who gifted it to Bahrain’s foreign minister at the time, Khalid bin Ahmad Al-Khalifa.
“Each of my pieces is mixed with an event or ancient history in Saudi civilization … the snake (cane), which embodies the story of the staff of Moses, is the secret of my fame and was sold to Prince Sultan bin Salman,” he noted.
Saudi artist sultan Al-Mrshood carves rosaries from pits of olives and dates. (AN photos by Huda Bashatah)
He has also sold one to a well-known cane collector in Al-Qassim province.
Al-Mrshood previously won third place for his wood sculptures in a Souq Okaz competition. Souq Okaz is a part of Taif Season which showcases Arab culture through food, art and goods from the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Iraq, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco and Tunisia.
Al-Mrshood says that he has received positive feedback from the community on his snake canes. “It is classified as one of the rarest canes found in Saudi Arabia … The fact that there are not many sculptors in Saudi Arabia makes it very important and relevant. All the visitors’ responses are admiration and amazement.”
Sultan Al-Mrshood said ‘The snake crutch, which embodies the story of the staff of Moses, is the secret of my fame and was sold to Prince Sultan bin Salman.’ (Supplied)
He is inspired by images of a farm in Buraidah where he was raised. “I lived part of my life on a simple farm. My childhood at the farm was filled with adventures and I would always play with the wooden sticks and create shapes out of them. I would try to make masterpieces out of whatever was around me even though I didn’t know I would be an artist.”
“I have been an artist since childhood, and I was a painter before I was a sculptor. The art of sculpture is a complex process that relies on geometry, imagination, sculpting skill, and the use of many methods.”
Al-Mrshood says he is inspired when in “a mixture of calm solitude, meditation, and walking.”
He currently works at the Ministry of Culture as an instructor, passing on his knowledge to young Saudis through wood carving classes.
On challenges he faces as a wood sculptor, Al-Mrshood noted the “lack of availability to purchase manual machines to help me work accurately and quickly.”
While he caters for a niche market, which has its difficulties, there is also the appeal of its exclusivity. “If there are many wood carvers in Saudi Arabia, the price would decrease, but since the number of wood carvers in Saudi Arabia is very low, the prices of our handcrafted producers increase. This makes individuals like us very important and valued.”
Traditional Saudi Arabia folk dances, music showcased in Jazan
Jazan students took center stage with dynamic “Sword” and “Azzawi” dances, while Jeddah students enchanted with “Mezmar” and “Khobaiti” displays
Updated 40 min 57 sec ago
SPA
RIYADH: The Kingdom’s rich music and dance heritage was recently showcased by students from across the country in Jazan, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Tuesday.
The second National Folk Festival saw 144 intermediate and high school students participate in the event organized by the local education department at the Jazan Heritage Village.
Outstanding performances were delivered by Riyadh and Al-Qassim students with the “Samri” dance, and Najran youth with drums, SPA reported.
Students from the Northern Border region engaged spectators with the rhythmic “Dahha” dance art form, and those from Makkah presented “Majrour and Rajaz” folk music.
Jazan students took center stage with dynamic “Sword” and “Azzawi” dances, while Jeddah students enchanted with “Mezmar” and “Khobaiti” displays.
Al-Baha students showcased the spirited “Mashbanani” and “Ardah” dances, and Al-Ahsa students delivered vibrant “Ashouri” and “Haydah Al-Harbiyyah” music and dance.
Beyond being a platform for showcasing creativity, the festival is aimed at connecting students with the nation’s regional and national art forms, SPA reported.
Saudi Arabia contributes $1.5m toward launch of new regional aviation safety body
Al-Duailj said: “The establishment of the new organization will be a milestone for all its member states and is also a testimony to their commitment to aviation safety, quality, and efficiency
Updated 06 December 2023
Hebshi Alshammari
RIYADH: A new body to monitor aviation safety in the Middle East and North Africa region was on Wednesday unveiled at an international industry conference being held in Riyadh.
Abdulaziz Al-Duailj, president of the Saudi General Civil Aviation Authority, inaugurated the new MENA Regional Safety Oversight Organization — which will be based in Riyadh — during a ceremony as part of the 15th International Civil Aviation Organization meeting.
A memorandum of agreement was later signed by representatives of MENA-RSOO member states including Saudi Arabia, Djibouti, Sudan, Somalia, Palestine, Libya, Mauritania, and Yemen.
Inauguration ceremony of the Regional Safety Oversight Organization for the Middle East and North African States (MENA-RSOO) which is hosted by Riyadh (Wednesday, December 6, 2023) by Abdulaziz Al Duailej President of the General Civil Aviation Authority inaugurated. (Supplied)
The new organization will aim to help develop and implement national training and safety programs, improve the monitoring of air safety, and work with nations to meet aviation safety standards.
In a speech, Al-Duailj said: “The establishment of the new organization will be a milestone for all its member states and is also a testimony to their commitment to aviation safety, quality, and efficiency.
“This step confirms the Kingdom’s keenness and commitment to aviation safety through its continued cooperation with international partners, to ensure the highest standards of air safety are achieved,” he added.
Al-Duailj noted that the ICAO wanted to see unified safety standards and the integration of technology throughout the civil aviation industry, especially regarding the design of aircraft engines, autonomous control, remotely piloted service aircraft, personal transportation via air taxis, and the overall performance of the air traffic network.
On Saudi Arabia’s financial contribution toward the setting up of the MENA-RSOO, he said: “Through this, the Kingdom aims to activate the role of this organization and support it with an amount of $1.5 million for the first two years of its establishment, in order for the organization to carry out its tasks and responsibilities in supporting air safety programs in our region.
“It also aims to assist member states in strengthening and raising the legislative and supervisory capabilities of their national air safety systems, enabling them to achieve higher levels of compliance with international rules and recommendations,” Al-Duailj added.
Salvatore Sciacchitano, president of the ICAO Council, said that the organization’s inauguration was an important step toward enhancing safety in the civil aviation sector.
“It embodies the amount of cooperation exerted to develop civil aviation safety in the Middle East,” he added.
He pointed out that the sector was an essential driver of economic growth and connectivity between countries.
Abdenbi Manar, director general of the Arab Civil Aviation Organization, noted that the transportation sector played an essential role in the progress of nations.
He said: “It contributes to creating wealth and job opportunities, whether at the industrial level or the infrastructure of the transportation system, and air transport is usually an integral part of this system.
“The air transport sector is distinguished from other types of transportation by its speed, efficiency, regularity, and high level of safety.
“Also, it relies on international standards, whether at the institutional level or at the legal, financial, and technical level,” Manar added.
The five-day ICAO conference is being hosted by the GACA until Dec. 7, with the participation of more than 100 countries and international organizations, and at least 700 industry experts.
Saudi Arabia ranks first globally in AI competition
More than 18,000 students from 40 countries participated in the event in the Kingdom, organized by the Saudi Data and AI Authority in collaboration with KAUST
Updated 8 sec ago
SPA
RIYADH: The Kingdom won the most medals at the World Artificial Intelligence Competition for Youth, which was held from Dec. 2 to Dec. 3 at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology.
The results were announced on Wednesday, according to WAICY on X.
The Kingdom won 11 medals, the US won 10 medals, India and Greece were awarded two medals each and Canada and Singapore won one medal each.
More than 18,000 students from 40 countries participated in the event in the Kingdom, organized by the Saudi Data and AI Authority in collaboration with KAUST.
Students from general education levels — elementary, middle and high school levels — from the Misk, Dhahran, Madac, KAUST, Aramco, AlUla and NEOM schools represented the Kingdom in the competition’s three tracks: AI showcase, AI-generated art and AI large language model.
SDAIA and KAUST received the global outstanding organization award for their efforts and commitment to developing AI education.
This is one of the world’s largest competitions, and SDAIA took the lead in adopting it to advance young Saudi citizens and provide them with the experiences to comprehend AI technology, understand its importance and recognize its impact on various aspects of life, while encouraging them to participate in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
