Saudi Arabia’s Beit Hail festival attracts over 68,000 visitors

Festival highlights include a Hijazi village exhibit, alongside live demonstrations of traditional crafts. (SPA)
Festival highlights include a Hijazi village exhibit, alongside live demonstrations of traditional crafts. (SPA)
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Updated 20 July 2024
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Saudi Arabia’s Beit Hail festival attracts over 68,000 visitors

Festival highlights include a Hijazi village exhibit, alongside live demonstrations of traditional crafts. (SPA)
  • The festival includes folk art performances from the Hail and Yanbu regions, a “Made in Hail” pavilion, and an array of traditional foods prepared using heritage methods

RIYADH: The third Beit Hail heritage festival, themed “Your Home Away From Home,” has attracted more than 68,000 visitors since its opening at Aja Park earlier this month, Saudi Press Agency reported.

The 30-day event has drawn visitors of all ages from the region and beyond, offering a showcase of local culture and traditions.




Festival highlights include a Hijazi village exhibit, alongside live demonstrations of traditional crafts. (SPA)

Festival highlights include a Hijazi village exhibit featuring Yanbu’s heritage, alongside live demonstrations of traditional crafts.

Visitors can also observe artisans creating prayer beads, practicing Sadu weaving, crafting leather water bottles, and demonstrating embroidery techniques.

HIGHLIGHT

The 30-day event has drawn visitors of all ages from the region and beyond, offering a showcase of local culture and traditions.

Other showcased skills include hand-woven carpet production, crochet, and the crafting of traditional wooden doors with intricate plaster engravings typical of old Hail residences.




Festival highlights include a Hijazi village exhibit, alongside live demonstrations of traditional crafts. (SPA)

The festival also includes folk art performances from the Hail and Yanbu regions, a “Made in Hail” pavilion, and an array of traditional foods prepared using heritage methods.

Nayef Al-Salhoub, head of the organizing committee, told SPA: “Our goal is to connect younger generations with Saudi Arabia’s rich cultural legacy.”

The event runs daily from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m., featuring a diverse program of folk activities.

Visitors to the festival value the opportunity to explore Saudi Arabia’s ancestral traditions with their children, learning about historical lifestyles and the ingenious use of natural materials in daily life, SPA added.

 


Red Sea Fund opens registration for post-production grants

Red Sea Fund opens registration for post-production grants
Updated 07 August 2024
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Red Sea Fund opens registration for post-production grants

Red Sea Fund opens registration for post-production grants
  • Period for the fourth phase runs until Aug. 21

RIYADH: The Red Sea International Film Festival has opened registration for the fourth phase of the Red Sea Fund, which supports post-production film projects.

The registration period runs until Aug. 21, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Wednesday.

The fund supports films needing final touches after filming. It seeks to attract works in the region from the documentary, fiction, animation, episodic, short, and feature film genres.

The fund accepts applications from directors of Arab and African origin, while the works are required to have a minimum duration of 60 minutes.

The Red Sea Fund has supported more than 250 films, initiated industry support programs, helped to celebrate women, and funded graduation films since its inception in 2021.

It also collaborates with international festivals and provides awards for exceptional projects.

Interested applicants who wish to register for the fourth phase should access redseafilmfest.com/en/red-sea-fund-2/.


118 colleges added to Saudi Cultural Scholarship Program

118 colleges added to Saudi Cultural Scholarship Program
Updated 07 August 2024
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118 colleges added to Saudi Cultural Scholarship Program

118 colleges added to Saudi Cultural Scholarship Program

RIYADH: The Ministry of Culture has expanded its Cultural Scholarship Program, adding 118 colleges to its list of accredited educational institutions, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Wednesday.

The move aims to support national cadres, respond to the growing needs of the labor market and achieve the goals of Saudi Vision 2030 in relation to culture, the ministry said.

The additions take the number of institutions involved in the program to 278 in 15 countries, of which 58 are in the US, 40 in the UK and one in Russia.

Among the newcomers are the University of San Francisco, Arizona State University, University of Colorado Boulder, Royal Holloway, University of London, the University of Liverpool, Padova University in Italy and Lund University in Sweden.

The program offers students the chance to obtain scholarships in 13 cultural and artistic fields. The awards cover the cost of their tuition fees, living expenses, medical insurance and travel. Their academic development is also monitored and evaluated.


Who’s Who: Edward Byrne, new president of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology 

Who’s Who: Edward Byrne, new president of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology 
Updated 07 August 2024
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Who’s Who: Edward Byrne, new president of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology 

Who’s Who: Edward Byrne, new president of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology 
  • Byrne succeeds Tony Chan, who joined KAUST as president in 2018

Edward Byrne was appointed as the new president of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology on Wednesday, with the appointment effective from Sept. 1.

Byrne’s appointment marks a significant milestone for the university as it continues its transformative journey through the implementation of its Accelerating Impact Strategy.

Byrne succeeds Tony Chan who joined KAUST as president in 2018. Chan significantly enhanced KAUST’s alignment with Vision 2030, expanding its global research and academic influence.

Byrne said: “It is an honor to join an academic community at the forefront of translating research into economically productive innovations for the benefit of society across the Kingdom and the world.

“Drawing on my extensive career leading top-ranked global universities and visionary approaches to scientific discovery, I welcome the opportunity to lead an institution that is paving the way for future progress and is committed to making the discoveries that will power tomorrow.”

Byrne has been serving as the global chief medical officer of Ramsay Health Care Group since 2021, where he extended his leadership beyond academia into global healthcare governance and strategic advisory roles.

He is also vice chancellor’s distinguished fellow at The Australian National University and chairs various boards and think tanks.

He was the president and principal of King’s College London from 2014 to 2021, chairing King’s Health Partners and spearheading the university’s Vision 2029.

His efforts made significant contributions to society and positioned KCL at the forefront of the national agenda.

Byrne was the president and vice chancellor of Monash University in Melbourne from 2009 to 2014, where he demonstrated his capacity for innovation and impact by establishing a new campus in Suzhou, China, and fostering a major alliance with the University of Warwick.

He had previously left Australia for London in 2007 and held the positions of executive dean of the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, head of the Medical School, and vice provost at University College London until 2009.


Madinah governor cites King Salman Medical City’s for obtaining accreditation

Madinah governor cites King Salman Medical City’s for obtaining accreditation
Updated 07 August 2024
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Madinah governor cites King Salman Medical City’s for obtaining accreditation

Madinah governor cites King Salman Medical City’s for obtaining accreditation

MADINAH: Madinah Gov. Prince Salman bin Sultan received King Salman Medical City CEO Abdulrahman Al-Harbi in Madinah, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Wednesday.
Prince Salman congratulated the staff of the medical institute for obtaining accreditation from the Saudi Central Board for Accreditation of Healthcare Institutions.
He hailed recent advances in the health sector and encouraged staff to continue improving integrated health services.


Saudi deputy FM meets with Palestine’s representative to UN on sidelines of OIC meeting

Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed Al-Khuraiji meets with the Permanent Representative of Palestine to the United Nations.
Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed Al-Khuraiji meets with the Permanent Representative of Palestine to the United Nations.
Updated 07 August 2024
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Saudi deputy FM meets with Palestine’s representative to UN on sidelines of OIC meeting

Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed Al-Khuraiji meets with the Permanent Representative of Palestine to the United Nations.
  • Al-Khuraiji condemned the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh at OIC meeting, saying it was a “flagrant violation of the sovereignty” of Iran

RIYADH: Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed Al-Khuraiji met with the Permanent Representative of Palestine to the United Nations Riyad Mansour on Wednesday.

During the meeting on the sidelines of an Organization of Islamic Cooperation summit in Jeddah, the two officials discussed the latest developments in the Palestinian crisis.

They also reviewed regional developments, Saudi Press Agency reported. 

Al-Khuraiji also met with Iran’s Acting Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani and Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Nuh Yilmaz, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, Gambian Foreign Minister Mamadou Tangara, and Abu Bakr Mohamed Hanafi.

At the OIC meeting, Al-Khuraiji condemned the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, saying it was a “flagrant violation of the sovereignty of the Islamic Republic of Iran, its territorial integrity and national security, international law and the Charter of the United Nations and constitutes a threat to regional peace and security.”