RIYADH: The Kingdom plans to establish heritage sites in the hearts of major cities such as Riyadh, Jeddah, Hofuf and Taif.
“These projects are carried out for the economic development of the country and they will preserve and project its cultural identity,” Prince Sultan bin Salman, chairman of the Charitable Heritage Foundation said, Tuesday.
He was at a ceremony at the Hamad Al-Jasser Hall at King Saud University where he distributed architectural heritage prizes named after him. Investment opportunities for companies including the construction of heritage hotels and infrastructure facilities will be available, he added.
He pointed out that plans are under way to arrange training programs for representatives from the interested companies that come forward to participate in the proposed projects. “Developing heritage sites is a specialized field and we need to offer training to develop the skills of the people who are involved in these projects.”
The prince also announced that arrangements are being made to host the International Conference on Architectural Heritage that will be held under the patronage of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah in April this year. “The program will highlight the architectural heritage and its potential among the participating Islamic countries and will also explore the ways and means of developing them for the social and economic development of the respective countries.”
Prince Sultan, who is president of the Supreme Commission for Tourism and Antiquities, said the representatives of the participating countries would be able to exchange experience and transform them into useful resources for their country’s development.
Osama Al-Jowhari, secretary-general of the Prize Committee, said the prince was interested in honoring people who have shown innovation and creativity in their work. The prize, he said, was aimed at increasing public awareness about architectural heritage and encouraging students and researchers to show greater interest in the subject. Al-Jowhari stressed the importance of architectural heritage in highlighting the identity of a society and its position in history. “It is a reference to determine the origin of a nation,” he said. He added that many Saudi cities had lost their architectural identity in the wake of massive development projects. “This means taking immediate steps to take care of the country’s architectural heritage in order to benefit from it while making future plans,” he said. “This is the significance of the Prince Sultan bin Salman Prize,” he added.
The prize was instituted about 10 years ago during a Saudi Architectural Science Society meeting. The prize was first distributed on March 25, 2006, while the second prize distribution ceremony was held on June 24, 2008.
Prince Sultan is the chairman of the higher prize committee, which includes Madinah Mayor Abdul Aziz Al-Hosain, Ali Al-Qarni, dean of the College of Architecture and Planning at King Faisal University, and Salman Al-Sudairy, chairman of the Saudi Architectural Science Society.
The awards consist of six prizes: For architectural heritage project; for preserving architectural heritage; for architectural heritage research; for life-time achievement, which is given to individuals and institutions; for students of architectural and planning colleges; and for the human dimension.
“We are aiming at changing the public perspective of architectural heritage from mere remnants of the past to a deeper vision and dimension which will leave a greater impact in building nations and cultures,” he said.
