They also signed a contract to manage and operate the village with the Rijal Company.
“The Rijal Almaei project is a joint venture in which eight ministries and cooperative societies owned by the residents of the village will cooperate for the development of the village. The first beneficiary of the project will be the citizens and the nation,” Prince Sultan said while announcing the project.
The Rijal Almaei project is one of the SCTA projects for the development of heritage villages and towns with the cooperation of the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs. The other heritage projects of the SCTA include Al-Mudhnib village in Qassim, Jubbah in Hail, Al-Ola in Madinah, Al-Ghat in Riyadh and Dhil Ayn in Al-Baha.
The prince stressed the importance of the promotion of tourism for the economic development of the Kingdom. He added that the SCTA took the initiative in developing heritage locations in various provinces in the Kingdom with the collaboration of other government departments. The heritage locations will generate employment opportunities to local people of varying educational qualifications and differing age groups, he said.
“The SCTA has made considerable investments for rehabilitation of urban heritage locations to make them economically productive,” the prince said.
Traditional souks, historic buildings of the time of King Abdul Aziz and historic towns were renovated and preserved as part of these projects, he added.
“The projects being implemented by SCTA contribute to transform the urban heritage sites that were on the brink of ruin and make them attractive for investment,” the prince said. He also commended the support given by the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs for the development of heritage locations.
The Rijal Almaei village won the Prince Sultan bin Salman Prize for Preservation of Urban Heritage in 2006.
