Saudi artist embraces her Jazani heritage 

Saudi artist embraces her Jazani heritage 
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The artist’s impressionist works capture her passion for her heritage and have been displayed at various exhibitions, including a solo exhibition in 2020. (Supplied)
Saudi artist embraces her Jazani heritage 
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The artist’s impressionist works capture her passion for her heritage and have been displayed at various exhibitions, including a solo exhibition in 2020. (Supplied)
Saudi artist embraces her Jazani heritage 
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The artist’s impressionist works capture her passion for her heritage and have been displayed at various exhibitions, including a solo exhibition in 2020. (Supplied)
Saudi artist embraces her Jazani heritage 
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The artist’s impressionist works capture her passion for her heritage and have been displayed at various exhibitions, including a solo exhibition in 2020. (Supplied)
Saudi artist embraces her Jazani heritage 
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The artist’s impressionist works capture her passion for her heritage and have been displayed at various exhibitions, including a solo exhibition in 2020. (Supplied)
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Updated 26 May 2024
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Saudi artist embraces her Jazani heritage 

Saudi artist embraces her Jazani heritage 
  • Rehab Zakri’s vibrant impressionist works display rich diversity of southern Saudi Arabia

JEDDAH: The Saudi artist Rehab Zakri is carving a niche for herself in the art world by delving deep into the rich culture and identity of southern Saudi Arabia.

The artist’s impressionist works capture her passion for her heritage and have been displayed at various exhibitions, including a solo exhibition in 2020.

The 24-year-old’s art is a vibrant tapestry of colors reflecting the diverse natural landscapes of her daily life in the city of Jazan.

“Jazan, my hometown, is a treasure trove of heritage and natural wonders that stir my soul. Immersed in its rich nature, my artistic journey blossoms,” she told Arab News.

“Each brushstroke tells a story inspired by ventures with friends to coffee farms, the majestic Qahar mountains, and the serene Wadi Lajab.”

Zakris artistic journey began in childhood when her love for painting blossomed into a fully fledged passion after a teacher encouraged her to participate in a drawing competition.

Her talent shone through as she clinched first place in the Jazan region and fourth place nationally in drawing and painting competitions. This early recognition fueled her determination to pursue her artistic dreams further.

Her choice to follow the impressionist school of art stems from her desire for freedom of expression through color, steering away from precision and perfection.

Her paintings, rich in color and emotion, allow her to convey her feelings and thoughts in a visually captivating manner.

“My artistic expression thrives on the interplay of colors, weaving emotions and identity into every stroke, forging a deep connection between my art and my being,” she said.

Zakri has also created a space at home where art comes to life, hosting art gatherings and workshops, welcoming visitors to experience the beauty and identity of Jazan through her eyes.

“I established a personal sanctuary at home, where every stroke of paint breathes life into my creations. It’s a haven where I open my doors to fellow art enthusiasts,” she said.

“Welcoming visitors from afar, I offer them a glimpse into the essence and allure of Jazan. This city, ingrained in my artistic soul, finds its way into myriad brushstrokes, embodying its spirit and beauty in every painting I create.”

Her large-scale interactive artwork, titled “Generosity,” draws inspiration from Saudi culture and vividly portrays the elegance of the Najdi majlis, symbolizing the warm hospitality ingrained in Saudi society. The piece was crafted to honor the Kingdom’s Founding Day.

In her portrayal of a Jazani mountain girl, she captures the essence of the people of Fayfa and their rich cultural heritage. Fayfa village is known for its unique natural features and the warmth of its people. Nestled amid lush greenery and surrounded by stunning mountain landscapes, Fayfa has a rich biodiversity, with vibrant flora and fauna adding to its charm.

Through meticulous attention to detail, the mountain girl is depicted wearing traditional Jazani attire, adorned with a garland of roses and a straw hat and set against a backdrop of lush green. Zakri’s portrait of the girl skillfully reflects the beauty of Jazan’s natural surroundings.

Another painting, “Coffee Farms,” captures the essence of the famed coffee plantations nestled in the Bani Malik mountains of Jazan.

Having participated in various exhibitions, including her first solo exhibition supported by the Culture and Arts Association in Jazan, Zakri’s artwork has garnered widespread acclaim, with each work representing a cherished moment in time.

“The painting dearest to my heart is a portrait of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman,” she said. “It embodies Saudi pride and the ambitious vision reflected in his gaze toward a radiant future.”

Describing her approach to the work, she said,:“I employed my impressionist style, infusing vibrant colors and crisp lines to craft a vivid and expressive depiction exuding prominence. This artwork was acquired by the deputy governor of the Jazan region, Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz bin Mohammed bin Abdulaziz,” she said.

Her painting titled “Our Present to Our Future” symbolizes the Saudi people’s achievements in the journey to Vision 2030, depicting that dreams can come true with belief in one’s abilities.

Her advice to aspiring artists, is straightforward. “Work hard, stay committed, and stay open to new experiences,” she said. “In art, don't be afraid to explore new things. And most importantly, enjoy the journey, even when it gets tough.”

Zakri remains enthusiastic about exploring new opportunities in the art world and has built a platform on Instagram where she displays her art and engages with the community.


KSrelief Distributes 1,350 Food Baskets in Sudan’s Northern State

KSrelief Distributes 1,350 Food Baskets in Sudan’s Northern State
The aid is part of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s ongoing humanitarian and relief projects. (SPA)
Updated 19 April 2025
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KSrelief Distributes 1,350 Food Baskets in Sudan’s Northern State

KSrelief Distributes 1,350 Food Baskets in Sudan’s Northern State
  • The initiative is part of the 2025 Food Security Support Project in the Republic of Sudan.

DUBAI: The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) distributed food baskets to 1,350 displaced and needy families in Sudan’s Northern State, benefiting 8,100,on Wednesday.
The initiative is part of the 2025 Food Security Support Project in the Republic of Sudan.
The aid is part of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s ongoing humanitarian and relief projects, carried out through KSrelief, to assist needy and affected countries and peoples worldwide.


How experts in Saudi Arabia are harnessing the power of microbes to treat wastewater

How experts in Saudi Arabia are harnessing the power of microbes to treat wastewater
Updated 18 April 2025
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How experts in Saudi Arabia are harnessing the power of microbes to treat wastewater

How experts in Saudi Arabia are harnessing the power of microbes to treat wastewater
  • KAUST researchers are using the microorganisms found naturally in wastewater to clean it and extract valuable resources
  • The system reduces energy use and avoids sludge buildup common in traditional wastewater treatment methods

RIYADH: What if the answer to wastewater treatment was in the water itself? At King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, a team led by Professor Pascal Saikaly is harnessing the natural power of microbes found in wastewater — not just to clean it, but to generate energy and create valuable resources.

Rather than relying on outdated, energy-intensive systems, Saikaly’s team is developing innovative, nature-based solutions that turn waste into a tool for sustainability. Their key technology? A microbial electrochemical system that takes advantage of how certain microbes “breathe.”

Some microbes are capable of a process called extracellular electron transfer — moving electrons outside their cells to solid surfaces. Under the right conditions, this creates a small but useful electric current.

“At the anode, think about oxidation, you basically release electrons. At the cathode, it’s more like uptaking the electrons,” Saikaly told Arab News. “You have organisms that release the electrons at the anode side. At the cathode side, you have organisms that can capture these electrons.”

This process — using natural microbial activity and controlled conditions such as pH, electrode potential and substrate type — helps to treat wastewater while recovering energy and chemicals such as methane.

“You’re not adding any more energy to the whole process, so we reduce energy consumption,” Saikaly said.

Professor Pascal Saikaly at the KAUST Water Desalination and Reuse Center. (KAUST photo)

Unlike conventional wastewater treatment methods, which were developed more than a century ago and rely heavily on aeration, these new systems are far more efficient. According to Saikaly, current methods require 0.6 kilowatt-hours of energy per cubic meter of treated water and produce large amounts of residual sludge.

“The technology that we are currently using generates a lot of residual solids,” he said. “In any biological treatment process, you produce waste. And this waste, we call it residual waste or waste activated sludge, we need to dispose of it.

“This means there is an additional cost that we have to pay for in the treatment process. So, it is energy intensive and generates a lot of residual solids.”

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The KAUST team’s microbial system not only removes pollutants but, under the right operation, can also fix carbon dioxide — transforming it into methane gas or acetate, both of which can be used as renewable fuels.

“You can operate it without microorganisms and there you produce hydrogen, or you operate it with microorganisms and you can generate methane gas or other types of substrates,” Saikaly said.

 

The goal is to move from simply treating waste to recovering valuable resources from it. “All the biotechnology that we developed falls under this principle,” Saikaly said. “Treat the waste with simultaneous recovery of resources. That’s our principle.”

Another innovation Saikaly’s team has developed is a technology called microbial chain elongation. Designed as an alternative to landfilling organic waste, this process converts food and dairy waste into high-value chemicals rather than low-value methane.

“According to Vision 2030, all of these landfills will be shut down and waste should be diverted away from landfills by 2030 or 2035,” Saikaly said. “This means there is an urgent need for an alternative solution for this huge amount of organic waste that is being generated.”

Existing wastewater treatment plants use a technology that was invented more than 100 years ago. The Activated Sludge Process utilizes aerobic bacteria to break down organic matter in wastewater. (iStock images)

Among the byproducts of this process is casaene — a protein-rich substance containing 16 essential amino acids — suitable for use in aquaculture and poultry feed.

“We’re in discussions with the aquaculture program at KAUST,” Saikaly said. “And also we are in discussion with Sipchem, which is a petroleum chemistry company. They also want to use our products to produce polymers. There’s a big window of applications that is much, much broader and has a higher value than methane gas.”

By producing methane, wastewater can be treated by generating enough energy to make the whole process energy neutral. (iStock images)

The team is also behind a compact, mobile wastewater treatment plant — the aerobic granular sludge gravity-driven membrane system — developed in partnership with former KAUST scientist Mohammed Ali. It treats domestic wastewater without the need for energy-intensive aeration or pumping, making it ideal for rural or remote locations.

The system, already in use in Rabigh, Saudi Arabia, serves up to 2,000 people and is designed to process 150 cubic meters of wastewater per day.

At the anode, pollutants such as chemical oxygen demand, biological oxygen demand, nitrogen compounds, and phosphorus are removed.  (iStock images)

These innovations are part of a broader push by Saikaly and his team to rethink how we deal with waste — not as something to dispose of, but as something to transform. And while many of these technologies are still a few steps from commercial deployment, they are already showing how science and sustainability can go hand in hand.

“We want to think about waste not only as to treat and dispose, but as a waste that we can use to recover resources,” Saikaly said.


 


Red Sea Film Foundation champions Saudi storytelling at Saudi Film Festival

Red Sea Film Foundation champions Saudi storytelling at Saudi Film Festival
Updated 18 April 2025
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Red Sea Film Foundation champions Saudi storytelling at Saudi Film Festival

Red Sea Film Foundation champions Saudi storytelling at Saudi Film Festival
  • Two short films — “Afen” by Nawaf Alkinani and “Hello My Dear” by Ahmad Salam — will screen outside the official competition lineup

JEDDAH: The Red Sea Film Foundation is participating in the 11th edition of the Saudi Film Festival, running from April 17-23 at the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) in Dhahran, as part of its ongoing efforts to support the Kingdom’s film industry.

Through its flagship initiative, the Red Sea Fund, the foundation will present two awards of SR 25,000 ($6,668) each for outstanding Saudi film projects in the Development and Production categories.

This year, five foundation-backed titles are screening at the festival, including three films selected for the official competition: “Hobal” by Abdulaziz Alshlahei, “Songs of Adam” by Oday Rasheed, and “My Driver and I” by Ahd Kamel.

Two short films — “Afen” by Nawaf Alkinani and “Hello My Dear” by Ahmad Salam — will screen outside the official competition lineup.

The foundation will also take part in the SFF’s Production Market, showcasing its key initiatives: the Red Sea Souk, Red Sea Labs, and the Red Sea Fund, all of which, the foundation said in a press release, “provide filmmakers with essential financial, creative, and logistical support across all stages of the filmmaking journey.”

Since its establishment in 2019, the Red Sea Film Foundation has, it stated, “played a central role in shaping the region’s cinematic landscape through a range of local and international initiatives spanning production, distribution, education and training. Its mission continues to focus on nurturing a new generation of storytellers and contributing to a thriving, sustainable film ecosystem across Saudi Arabia, Africa and Asia.”

The Saudi Film Festival was founded in 2008 and is the Kingdom’s longest-running cinema-related event.

Visit the Ithra website for showtimes.

 


In Asir, farmers use cattle and plow to keep agricultural heritage alive

In Asir, farmers use cattle and plow to keep agricultural heritage alive
Updated 18 April 2025
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In Asir, farmers use cattle and plow to keep agricultural heritage alive

In Asir, farmers use cattle and plow to keep agricultural heritage alive
  • Many farmers maintain that despite the available modern equipment, traditional cattle plowing benefits the soil in ways machinery cannot

RIYADH: In Saudi Arabia’s Asir region, farmers still use cattle and hand-crafted tools to tend their land, maintaining traditional techniques passed down through generations, SPA reports.

The farmers carefully prepare their soil during seasonal periods, using either modern machinery or traditional wooden plows.

This process supports soil health for planting seasons, especially on terraced farms where rugged terrain or limited access roads make modern equipment less practical.

Farmers in Asir believe traditional methods provide greater control while preserving soil fertility and reducing fossil fuel dependence. (SPA)

During a recent field visit, SPA correspondents interviewed farmers and regional experts about these enduring practices.

Farmer Mesfer Al-Qahtani and Dr. Abdullah Al-Moussa, a heritage sciences researcher focused on the region’s agricultural calendar, discussed the role of celestial movements in Asir’s farming calendar.

“Farmers in Asir rely on celestial movements and weather patterns to determine optimal plowing and planting times,” Al-Moussa said.

Farmers in Asir believe traditional methods provide greater control while preserving soil fertility and reducing fossil fuel dependence. (SPA)

He noted key seasons, including Al-Dhira’ayn, which signals the start of spring planting; Al-Thuraiya, ideal for corn and millet cultivation; and Al-Han’a, a critical period for soil preparation before autumn.

Al-Qahtani, who plows using cattle and ancestral methods, emphasized the deep connection between astronomical knowledge and agricultural practice.

“We track the seasons and heed our elders’ wisdom. We know when to plow the land and when to let it rest,” he told SPA.

This system uses a wooden harness positioned over the bulls’ necks, with 70-cm wooden arms extending through four holes and secured with leather or palm fiber ropes. (SPA)

He explained that traditional plowing relies on cattle and the plow, adding, “This is not merely technique — it is a lifestyle where we honor the earth and understand its rhythms of giving and resting.”

According to farmer Abdul Karim Al-Shehri, the traditional plowing process begins with securing two bulls using a wooden neck harness called Al-Nir (yoke). This connects to Al-Sikka — a sharp iron plowshare attached to a wooden plow that cuts and turns the soil.

He also outlined the traditional tools that have shaped Asir’s agricultural practices for generations. The plow, typically made from jujube or juniper wood, holds the iron blade that breaks the soil. Farmers have relied on the handheld wooden Al-Madra to guide the plow’s direction during tilling.

The Ruba’a (clevis) or Al-Dimad (drawbar) system connects cattle to the plow, ensuring the optimal distance between the animals for effective field work. This system uses a wooden harness positioned over the bulls’ necks, with 70-cm wooden arms extending through four holes and secured with leather or palm fiber ropes.

Farmer Abdullah Abdulrahman Al-Asmari explained that plowing is usually a team effort. Two farmers work together: One steadies the plow while the other, known as Al-Thari (sower), scatters seeds evenly.

After plowing is complete, the Makam or Al-Madsam (harrow) — a wide, two-meter piece of wood pulled by bulls or camels over the freshly turned earth — is used to level the soil and protect seeds from birds and harsh elements such as wind and heat.

“While we must embrace progress, we cannot abandon Asir’s agricultural heritage,” Al-Asmari said. “Teaching younger generations about our traditional farming methods is essential — these practices were not merely labor but represented the entire way of life that sustained our ancestors for centuries.”

The process involves four distinct phases designed to maximize crop yield and nutritional quality: Initial soil turning, deeper breaking for improved aeration and water absorption, directional plowing to prepare for seeding, and finally, careful seed distribution and coverage.

Many farmers maintain that despite the available modern equipment, traditional cattle plowing benefits the soil in ways machinery cannot.

They believe that it provides greater control using more natural methods while preserving soil fertility and reducing fossil fuel dependence.

In Asir, traditional plowing is more than farming — it embodies cultural identity and sustains people’s timeless bond with the land.

 

 


153 Arabian oryx returns to Saudi wilderness

The Arabian oryx, which belongs to the bovine family, is classified as an endangered species. (SPA)
The Arabian oryx, which belongs to the bovine family, is classified as an endangered species. (SPA)
Updated 18 April 2025
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153 Arabian oryx returns to Saudi wilderness

The Arabian oryx, which belongs to the bovine family, is classified as an endangered species. (SPA)
  • The authority also highlighted a particularly encouraging development in its conservation efforts: Eight new oryx births have been documented within the reserve

RIYADH: The King Salman bin Abdulaziz Royal Reserve Development Authority has reintroduced 153 Arabian oryx to their native habitat across the Tubaiq, Al-Khanfah, and Hurra Al-Hurra regions of Saudi Arabia.

The initiative forms part of the authority’s strategy to restore biodiversity and reestablish endangered species in their natural environments.

The Arabian oryx, which belongs to the bovine family, is classified as an endangered species.

The Arabian oryx, which belongs to the bovine family, is classified as an endangered species. (SPA)

The distinctive animal, recognizable by its powerful build, straight elongated horns, and striking white coat with black facial markings, grazes on vegetation throughout the reserve. It forages during early morning and evening hours to avoid the intense desert heat.

The authority also highlighted a particularly encouraging development in its conservation efforts: Eight new oryx births have been documented within the reserve.

The first birth, recorded in 2022 in the Tubaiq region, represented the first successful reproduction of the species in its natural habitat in 90 years.

The endangered species resettlement programs reflect the authority’s commitment to ongoing work supporting ecological balance, enriching biodiversity, and preserving species whose numbers have declined due to environmental factors and loss of vegetation cover.