King kept a balance between progress, heritage protection

Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) President Prince Sultan bin Salman said Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah was able to maintain a balance between tremendous comprehensive development and dedication to the preservation of rich cultural heritage.
Delivering a keynote speech at a symposium on measures to promote the civilization of Saudi Arabia at the Stevenson Lecture Theatre in the British Museum on Friday, he spoke at length about the Kingdom’s elaborate efforts to preserve its history and heritage. The function was held as part of an ongoing exhibition on horses from Saudi Arabia to Ascot Royal Races.
Prince Sultan said King Abdullah was the force behind preserving the country’s civilization and its history and heritage. “The king was instrumental in spearheading an unprecedented development boom in various fields of Saudi public life. He managed to maintain a balance between comprehensive development and preservation of its rich culture and heritage in addition to exploring new archeological sites and developing them,” Prince Sultan said.
“King Abdullah has directed us to take good care of the Kingdom’s national antiquities and to project them to the world so it can witness the deep-rooted historical civilization of Saudi Arabia and its people. The king also underscored the significance of highlighting the unique position of Saudi Arabia in the history of humanity and making citizens aware of the rich history of their country.”
The SCTA chief said Saudi citizens are proud of the fact that their country hosts two of the holiest sites in Islam where millions of pilgrims come from all over the world annually.
“This increases the Kingdom’s responsibility toward the whole Islamic world and mankind. Accordingly, the Kingdom is exerting continuous efforts to maintain peace and stability across the world,” he said while adding these efforts stem from the sublime values of Islam.
Referring to the economic dimension of Saudi Arabia, Prince Sultan said the Kingdom as the main economic engine in the region plays a positive role in the global economy. “I am proud to say that the Kingdom used its vast economic power to develop its human resources, as well as to build infrastructure projects and extend utility services to become the fastest-growing country in the Middle East,” he said.
He also referred to the Kingdom’s leading position among other countries in extending humanitarian aid to those afflicted with disasters and natural calamities worldwide. “We are hosting more than 8 million foreign workers, and this showed that the Kingdom is capable of embracing people of all nationalities and races, and have a peaceful coexistence with them. These foreigners are leading a normal life, moving from place to place freely and visiting its historic, heritage and archeological sites,” he said.
Prince Sultan also spoke about SCTA and its partners’ efforts in highlighting the Kingdom’s history and civilization and the commission’s various activities in promoting tourism. He also drew attention to studies that claimed the first known domestication of horses was in the Arabian Peninsula, precisely in Saudi Arabia, 9,000 years ago.
Earlier at the opening session of the exhibition, Prince Sultan pointed out that the SCTA was keen to participate in this exhibition to display some of the archeological discoveries in the British Museum. He explained exhibits from the Kingdom consist of edifices of Arabian horses from the Stone Age in addition to other animals tamed by man to use for hunting.