Hospitality of Hatim Al-Ta’i festival in Hail celebrates icons of Arab poetry
The festival included a package of cultural activities and events that embodied the life of the poet and his work, reflecting the culture of the region during his lifetime
Updated 15 May 2023
Arab News
RIYADH: The Hospitality of Al-Ta’i festival, which was held in Hail from May 5-13, has come to a close.
The festival, part of the Year of Arabic Poetry initiative with the support of the Quality of Life Program, introduced visitors to the poet Hatim Al-Ta’i, who lived in the pre-Islamic period in Hail province.
A renowned historical figure, famed for his poetic works, generosity and horsemanship, the remains of his palace, tomb, and his famous fireplace in the village of Tuwairan in Hail remain for people to see to this day.
Hatim Al-Ta’i’s palace, tomb, and his famous fireplace in the village of Tuwairan remain for people to see to this day. (SPA)
The festival included a package of cultural activities and events that embodied the life of the poet and his work, reflecting the culture of the region during his lifetime.
Visitors were offered a creative journey that started with the children’s Utba area, which included coloring, pottery making, weaving, and bracelet making.
After that, visitors moved on to the performance Awarid area, which represented important stages of the history of Al-Ta’i starting from his childhood, through his youth, and into middle and old age, exploring the wisdom and advice he accrued along the way.
Hatim Al-Ta’i’s palace, tomb, and his famous fireplace in the village of Tuwairan remain for people to see to this day. (SPA)
A visual presentation about the life of Al-Ta’i, titled “About the Poet of Ta’i,” was presented, shedding light on the symbols of Arab poetry, and passing through the stages of the poet’s flourishing life, in which he became a witness to the authenticity, morals, and values of the Arab people, and a model for others to follow.
The About the Life of Al-Ta’i area presented a lively model of the poet’s social life, represented by an “interactive exhibition” that took visitors back to the 6th century A.D. and gave them the chance to discover the world at that time through virtual reality technology.
In the Cooking area, the Ministry of Culture presented live cooking demonstrations and hospitality that emulated Al-Ta’i’s generosity, and provided a glimpse into his family life and stories.
Hatim Al-Ta’i’s palace, tomb, and his famous fireplace in the village of Tuwairan remain for people to see to this day. (SPA)
In the Diwan Hatim area, literary figures and poets took to the stage to chronicle the life of Al-Ta’i through their own poems and readings of his biography, evoking his history through unexplored aspects of his works.
The festival was part of the the Ministry of Culture’s plans to celebrate the icons of Arab poetry, such as Al-Ta’i, Antara ibn Shaddad, Labid ibn Rabiah, Zuheir ibn Abi Salma, Imru’ Al-Qais, and Al-A’sha.
This stems from the belief in the importance of poetry and poets in the cultural history of the Kingdom, and the revival of its rich cultural heritage, presenting it in contemporary creative forms through the use of modern technology and exceptional talents. This way, the ministry seeks to enhance national identity and transform the Kingdom’s culture into a way of life.
UNESCO listing of Uruq Bani Ma’arid Reserve puts Saudi conservation efforts in the limelight
Decision seen as recognition of Kingdom’s commitment to protecting and maintaining natural ecosystems and cultural heritage
Inscription of the reserve on UNESCO World Heritage List comes more than 30 years after it was designated a protected zone
Updated 30 September 2023
Jonathan Gornall
LONDON: Uruq Bani Ma’arid Reserve has become the first natural site in Saudi Arabia to be added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List, joining the six man-made heritage locations in the Kingdom that were previously inscribed.
In the words of Prince Badr bin Abdullah, the Saudi minister of culture, when he announced the organization’s on September 20, the addition of the site “contributes to highlighting the importance of natural heritage on a global scale and reflects the outstanding value of the reserve.”
But the Kingdom’s dedication to the protection of its natural environment is far from a new phenomenon. The recognition by UNESCO reflects a long-running commitment by Saudi Arabia to the preservation of a diverse and internationally important natural environment that stretches back almost four decades.
Spanning 12,765 square kilometers, Uruq Bani Ma’arid Reserve lies on the western edge of the Empty Quarter, the world’s largest continuous sand sea. The desert’s diverse topography creates a variety of wildlife habitats. (Supplied)
The listing of the Uruq Bani Ma’arid Reserve, on the edge of Rub Al-Khali, also known as the Empty Quarter, comes more than 30 years after the area was designated a protected zone.
But it was not the first such site afforded protected status. That honor went to Harrat Al-Harrah, a 13,775 square kilometer volcanic plateau in the north of the country, which was designated as a reserve in 1986 — 37 years ago.
Uruq Bani Ma’arid joined the list in 1992 and since then the flora and fauna of the reserve have been sensitively reintroduced and protected, a commitment that has transformed what was once a near-barren landscape of more than 12,500 square kilometers into a haven of diversity.
Uruq Bani Ma’arid Reserve contains habitats vital to the survival of many species. (Supplied)
In 1994, by which time 10 areas had been accorded protected status, a paper published in GeoJournal recorded the sorry state of Uruq Bani Ma’arid, an area that had once been rich in wildlife.
It was, for example, here that the Arabian oryx, by that time extinct in the wild, had last been sighted. In fact, as the paper — titled “Protected Areas in Saudi Arabia: Sustainable Use of Natural Resources” — noted, “Uruq Bani Ma’arid used to have many animal species that are now extinct.”
FASTFACTS
Uruq Bani Ma’arid has taken its place among the six other UNESCO World Heritage sites in Saudi Arabia.
Listing of Uruq Bani Ma’arid comes more than 30 years after the area was designated a protected zone.
Uruq Bani Ma’arid Reserve ecosystem embodies outstanding universal value and forms a unique and diverse landscape.
The problem, which had prompted the official intervention in the area in 1992, was that the age-old balance of sustainable use of natural resources had been upset by the rapid growth of the human population in the Kingdom and the incursion of roads and other infrastructure into once-remote areas, upsetting entire ecosystems in the process.
This picture titled "Hail covering sand dunes" was part of the Kingdom's application for the inclusion of "Uruq Bani Ma’arid" in the UNESCO World Heritage List. (Photo by Hamad Al Qahtani / National Center for Wildlife)
“People still remember vividly the diversity of fauna that the area had, and the tales of their hunting are still related,” Abdullah Alwelaie, of the Imam Mohammed bin Saud Islamic University’s Department of Geography in Riyadh, wrote in the 1994 GeoJournal paper.
“They are now all extinct in the wild in this area,” wrote Alwelaie, who offered some consolation when he noted that some wild species continued to hold out, including the Arabian wolf, sand fox, wild cat, sand cat, and honey badger.
Titled "Inter-dunal corridor during spring," this picture was part of the Kingdom's application for the inclusion of "Uruq Bani Ma’arid" in the UNESCO World Heritage List. (Photo by Muhammad Al Yousifi)
The slopes of Jabal Tuwayq in the west of the reserve were once home to ibex, while the wadis, desert plains and sand dunes had teemed with Arabian oryx, sand gazelle, and Arabian ostrich.
Almost 30 years later, many of these species and more besides are once again thriving in the reserve — and, indeed, across the other 13 reserves in Saudi Arabia. These 14 special landscapes account for about five percent of the Kingdom’s territory — a total area of more than 82,000 square kilometers.
Titled "Edge of Tuwayq Escarpment," this picture was part of the Kingdom's application for the inclusion of "Uruq Bani Ma’arid" in the UNESCO World Heritage List. (Photo by Tarek Abulhawa / National Center for Wildlife)
This, however, is just a start. Under the wide-ranging Saudi Green Initiative, a “whole-of-society initiative” launched in 2021 “to combat climate change, improve quality of life and protect the planet for future generations” as part of the Kingdom’s commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by 2060, Saudi Arabia has pledged to protect 30 percent of its terrestrial and marine landscape by 2030. The initiative is also committed to planting 10 billion trees across the country in the coming decades.
In the meantime, Uruq Bani Ma’arid has taken its place among the six other UNESCO World Heritage sites in Saudi Arabia. These include the Hegra Archaeological Site in AlUla (which was the first to be inscribed, in 2008), At-Turaif District in Diriyah (added to the list in 2010), Historic Jeddah, Gateway to Makkah (2014), Rock Art in the Hail Region (2015), Al-Ahsa Oasis — An Evolving Cultural Landscape (2018), and Ḥima Cultural Area (2021).
Al-Ahsa Oasis in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. (Ministry of Culture photo)
In January this year, Saudi Arabia was elected chair of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee by a unanimous vote among the 20 other member states that are party to the 1972 World Heritage Convention.
This month, Riyadh hosted the 45th annual session of the committee. It was, as the Kingdom’s permanent delegation to UNESCO tweeted, “a new chapter in our evolving history.”
The extent to which Saudi Arabia is focused on its natural and cultural heritage, which is apparent in its careful development of historic sites as AlUla and Diriyah as global tourism destinations, is also reflected in the list of 14 sites that have been registered on UNESCO’s “Tentative List” of locations that states intend to consider for nomination to the main list.
Saudi Arabia’s Uruq Bani Ma’arid Reserve was officially added to the UNESCO World Heritage List during the extended 45th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee held in Riyadh between Sept. 10-25. (Supplied)
Six of these sites were added to the Tentative List this year alone. They include a collection of prehistoric stone structures discovered at 10 locations across the Kingdom; ancient dams that tell the history of water management; a collection of five sites that together are representative of Saudi Arabia’s oil-industrial heritage, including the famous “Well Number 7” in Dammam, and Tapline, Aramco’s 1,648-kilometer Trans Arab Pipeline that between 1950 and 1976 carried oil from Qaisumah on the Gulf coast to the Mediterranean port of Sidon in Lebanon.
Two of the recently submitted sites, however, could join the Uruq Bani Ma’arid Reserve as natural sites on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.
One is the “Bioclimatic Refugia of Western Arabia,” a series of mountain crests, woodlands and wetlands that harbor the surviving relics of ancient plant and animal species.
The other is “the rural cultural landscapes of the Sarawat Mountains,” a collection of seven landscapes along the southernmost stretch of the Hijaz Mountains, prized for their “unique geographic characteristics and dramatic mountain setting (which) offered a secure and defensible environment for human settlement, protected agriculture, and fortified trade halts.”
Thi Ain Heritage Village in Saudi Arabia’s southwestern Al-Baha province dates back hundreds of years. (Susan Baaghil/Saudi Tourism/File)
These projects feed directly into the ambitious aims of the SGI, the third annual forum of which will take place this year during the 2023 UN Climate Change Conference, COP28, at Expo City in Dubai on Dec. 4.
As Yasir Al-Rumayyan, governor of the Public Investment Fund and chairman of Saudi Aramco, said last year during the second SGI forum, held during COP27 in the Egyptian city of Sharm El-Sheikh, the initiative represents “a turning point in green efforts” that has “already changed both the conversation and the facts, and promises a green future anchored around Saudi Arabia’s ambition to reach net-zero emissions by 2060, turning national ambitions into real actions that positively impact the world.”
On the ground in Saudi Arabia, that ambition is symbolized by the rapidly growing and spectacular list of protected environments, including its newly internationally recognized flagship, the Uruq Bani Ma’arid Reserve.
Saudi Arabia's heritage treasures
The five historic sites inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List tell a story of universal importance
Saudi Arabia strongly condemns ‘cowardly terrorist attacks’ in Pakistan
Updated 30 September 2023
Arab News
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia on Friday said it strongly condemned and denounced the “cowardly terrorist attacks” that struck a number of provinces in Pakistan, killing and injuring several people.
A suspected suicide bomber blew himself up among a crowd of people celebrating the Prophet Muhammad’s birthday in southwestern Pakistan on Friday, killing at least 52 people and wounding nearly 70 others, authorities said, in one of the country’s deadliest attacks targeting civilians in months.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterated the Kingdom’s firm stance on renouncing violence and terrorism, expressing full solidarity with Pakistan and its people.
#Statement | The Foreign Ministry expresses the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s strong condemnation and denunciation of the cowardly terrorist attacks that took place in several provinces of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, which resulted in the killing and injury of many people. pic.twitter.com/mAiYvkFgd7
The ministry expressed the Kingdom’s sincere condolences to the families of the victims, the Pakistani government and people, wishing the injured a speedy recovery, it said in a statement.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack in Mastung, a district of Baluchistan province.
The second attack, in neighboring Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, killed five people at a mosque, according to rescue officials. The roof collapsed trapping about 30 to 40 people under the rubble.
The attack involved two explosions, one of which was at the mosque gate and the other in the compound, an official said.
Royal Commission for Riyadh City hosts Riyadh Expo 2030 seminar in Paris
Representatives from member countries of the Bureau International des Expositions and global experts attended the seminar
Princess Reema bint Bandar said Saudi Arabia is becoming the fastest-growing economy among the G20 countries
Updated 29 September 2023
Arab News
PARUS: The Royal Commission for Riyadh City and the Riyadh Expo 2030 team co-organized a seminar focusing on the expo’s sub-theme “Prosperity for All” on Thursday in Paris.
Representatives from member countries of the Bureau International des Expositions and global experts attended the seminar that was hosted by RCRC, the body responsible for Saudi Arabia’s bid to host World Expo 2030, according to a media statement.
The Kingdom’s Ambassador to the US Princess Reema bint Bandar said her country is becoming the fastest-growing economy among the G20 members, with non-oil government revenues having more than doubled.
“The Kingdom achieved the highest employment rate in its history, increased participation of women in the workforce, and registered a significant growth of small and medium enterprises, with nearly 40 percent of startup businesses owned by women,” she said.
Meanwhile, Fahad Al-Ruwaily, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to France, highlighted the Kingdom’s commitment to finding common solutions, stating: “As we seek to find shared solutions, today I want to pledge to you that Saudi Arabia is committed to working together as a partner with all nations to achieve our common aspirations. We are committed to utilizing Riyadh Expo 2030 to further catalyze (the) collaboration necessary to achieve our shared goals.
“We are committed to sharing the opportunities of building the expo with the whole world, and our vision of Riyadh Expo 2030 is as an expo ‘built by the world, for the world.’”
Al-Ruwaily highlighted the strength of cooperation and partnership between Saudi Arabia and France and the broad development it has witnessed in recent years.
The seminar was part of a series organized by the RCRC in Paris under the theme “Prosperity for All.”
It discussed ways to address inequalities in the world, with every nation contributing through the prism of its culture, context, and aspirations, ultimately working toward a more inclusive world that meets the needs of humanity.
Saudi Arabia’s King Khalid University ranks among top 600 globally
Updated 30 September 2023
SPA
ABHA: Saudi Arabia’s King Khalid University has improved 300 places to rank among the top 600 seats of higher learning around the world, according to the latest Times Higher Education World University Rankings.
In the International Dimension Rankings, it ranked 117th globally and sixth locally among the top 200 international universities.
According to Hamid Al-Qarni, vice president of postgraduate studies and scientific research, the university has achieved a significant milestone and the progress is in line with the Kingdom’s plan to achieve global recognition of its universities.
Sami Al-Shehri, director of the international classification unit, said the magazine’s rankings were based on five areas: education, research environment, quality of research, international dimension and industry.
The classification also includes 18 performance indicators that are professionally evaluated to ensure a balanced ratio for all academic and research aspects of universities.
This year’s rankings covered more than 1,900 universities in 120 countries.
Saudi National Housing Co.’s Al-Qassim projects launched
Updated 30 September 2023
SPA
RIYADH: The National Housing Co. launched the Azyan Buraydah project in Al-Qassim, Buraydah.
The project is part of a series of plans being developed by the company in cooperation with the Bin Jarallah Co. for Trading and Contracting.
NHC aims to establish additional residential projects with comprehensive development for the purpose of meeting the aspirations of families and contributing to increasing home ownership.
The new project consists of 185 villas of 289 to 346 square meters each, on a total area of more than 59,906 square meters. Each villa has its own design, creating a unique lifestyle in a vibrant and integrated environment. As such, beneficiaries can enjoy a wide range of products to suit their needs.
More details of the units are posted on the Sakani website and application.
The NHC is an enabler of the real estate development sector. It is also the largest developer of suburbs and residential areas. Ensuring quality of life is one of the aims the company seeks to achieve, in addition to increasing the real estate supply in the Kingdom and providing diverse housing options as part of the goals of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 program, which plans to raise the rate of residential ownership among Saudi families to 70 percent.
