Rare archaeological finds from pre-Islamic era discovered in Saudi Arabia’s Najran

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The rare finds occurred at Al-Okhdood in Najran. (Supplied)
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Updated 21 February 2023
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Rare archaeological finds from pre-Islamic era discovered in Saudi Arabia’s Najran

  • Najran was a compulsory stop for caravans traveling from the south of the Arabian Peninsula
  • The bronze bull’s head had traces of oxidation, a natural reaction when bronze is exposed to air

MAKKAH/RIYADH: The Heritage Commission announced the discovery of three gold rings, a bronze bull’s head and a southern Musnad inscription on a granite stone — all dating back to the pre-Islamic era — at Al-Okhdood, a village in Najran, on Feb.15.

The rare finds are currently in the hands of professionals and undergoing restoration.

Dr. Salma Hawsawi, an associate professor of ancient history at King Saud University, told Arab News that Najran was a compulsory stop for caravans traveling from the south of the Arabian Peninsula.

“Two commercial routes branch out from it, one of which is towards the northeast, passing through the village of Al-Faw, and ends in the east of the Arabian Peninsula, while the second road heads north to reach Petra and from there to the cities of the Levant and Mesopotamia,” she said.

The inscription is written with unique standing letters using an old South Arabian script, called Musnad. It is 230 cm long and approximately 48 cm high, with the length of the letters 32 cm, making it the longest Musnad inscription found in the region.

It belonged to a former resident of Al-Ukhdood, Wahb El bin Maqen.

“Commemorative inscriptions can be found across most of the Arabian Peninsula in great numbers, which reflects the advanced knowledge and cultural level that the society reached and how much it cared for writing and documenting.

“The inscription also shows that watering was the profession of Wahb El, which consists of delivering water to the houses, including his own. It also shows the common Arabic names of that period, as the owner of the inscription mentions his and his father’s name,” Hawsawi noted.

Another interesting discovery was the bronze bull’s head that had traces of oxidation, a natural reaction when bronze is exposed to air, creating a patina coating that can range in colors.

“The bull head drawings and statues first started to emerge in the south of the Arabian Peninsula around the first millennium BC,” she said.

It is said to have been a symbol of strength and fertility for pre-Islamic groups of South Arabians: Sabaeans, Minaeans, and Qatabanians. It was also known for its versatility in daily life, as it was used to plow the lands, its meat was eaten and its skin was used in various industries.

It symbolizes the moon because of the resemblance of the bull’s horns to the crescent. According to the Hawsawi, the moon was called “Wad” by the Minaeans, and it was known to the Sabaeans and others as “Warkh,” “Al-Maqah,” “Shahr,”“Kahl” and “Sun” in Hadramout.

“The moon is the eldest of deities and precedes them all. It is commonly referred to as ‘Al’ or ‘El’, while the Arabs of the north called it ‘Baal’ or ‘Hubal’. The moon held a very distinguished position, as it was a guide for trade caravans and travelers. This is why it was given titles such as ‘The Wise,’ ‘The Truthful,’ ‘The Wise,’ ‘The Blessed,’‘The Helper,’ and ‘The Protector,’” she said.

Talking about the three gold rings, Hawsawi said: “Through this discovery, we came to know the metals that were used by the people during that period. The golden rings equipped with locks at both ends show that they were used in different ways and places, along with the possibility of adjusting their sizes as needed.

“They were worn on the fingers, on the arm or around the ankles. They were worn for aesthetic purposes by men and women alike.

“When it comes to the rings discovered at Al-Okhdood site, they were used by women based on the way they were made, the golden lobes on them and the butterfly-shaped locks.”

The associate professor highlighted that the profession of goldsmiths was found in ancient Arabic inscriptions.

“This profession spread across the Arabian Peninsula, where the jeweler melted and purified the metals by blowing into the flame to melt the metals before reshaping them.”

Archeologists also found great number of potteries in a variety of sizes with one of them being attic pottery, signifying human settlements in the region that date back to third century B.C.

Hawsawi explained that the site at Al-Okhdood, which they visited recently with a group of researchers and specialists, was located inside walls with around 20 multi-story buildings made of mud bricks. The smallest building on the site is 6 meters tall and the largest is 14 meters.

“Only their foundations remain, which are a group of stone installations, inscribed with drawings of some animals, such as horses and camels. Some of the buildings are engraved with inscriptions in the southern Musnad line, most of which are commemorative inscriptions.”

The site also includes two millstones each used for a different purpose.

“Some researchers suggested that they were for grinding grain while others stated that they were for melting metals, due to their large size, and the inability to be moved by humans because of their weight. Being built of stone, and also because of their large size, it is likely that many animals were used to move these mills,” she said

This is the eleventh season that Saudi experts have fulfilled an archeological excavation project.

The Heritage Commission has conducted exploration of Najran in the past and found many discoveries about the land’s history, culture, and community.

The commission has divided projects into various categories, such as archaeology, urban heritage, crafts, and intangible cultural heritage.

Within each category, a specialized group of people from Saudi Arabia and abroad unravel more of the Kingdom’s heritage, culture, and purpose than ever before.

Reflecting Saudi’s Vision 2030 “vibrant society with strong roots” promise, the Heritage Commission has established great initiatives to expand research of the explored and unexplored parts of Saudi Arabia.


Art exhibition reveals lost worlds buried beneath Lebanon’s surface

Updated 1 min 3 sec ago
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Art exhibition reveals lost worlds buried beneath Lebanon’s surface

  • Rubble of cities, Palestinian refugee camps, and construction sites was rearranged into images and transparent capsules
  • Artists, guided by archaeologists, present the city’s entangled history through sculptural forms echoing both the soil and red sand used to cover the land

BEIRUT: Art lovers may embark on an astonishing exploration with Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige into the depths of the waters and soil of Lebanon in search of the hidden secrets of its unseen subterranean worlds.

At the Sursock Museum on Beirut’s historic Sursock Street, Hadjithomas and Joreige have unveiled the results of a decade of research and experimentation in an exhibition titled “Remembering the Light.”

This exhibition serves as a transcendent experience that explores various expressive forms, delving into reflections on time, memory, and the profound transformations of cities, bodies, and history.

The outcome of this research has taken the form of artistic installations, photographs, and sculptures that narrate the intricacies of archaeology, infused with imaginative elements and references to fragility and permanence.

These works evoke perspectives on materiality, memory, and undiscovered narratives, delving into what is buried, forgotten or obscured, at depths reaching 45 meters in a remarkable journey through time.

The exhibition derives its title from a video produced in 2016, in which the two artists explored the spectrum of light underwater and the glow emanating from its depths, addressing the present by collaborating with geologists, archaeologists, poets, divers, and scientists.

The artists said that through the exhibition’s paintings is shown how “unexpected phenomena occur underwater. Sensory perception changes as one descends deeper into the water. The light spectrum diminishes and colors fade, with red disappearing first, followed by orange, yellow, green, and blue, until everything is engulfed in darkness. However, when the dark seabed is illuminated, the obstacles recall the memory of light and reflect it.”

Hadjithomas and Joreige state that the experience undertaken by the divers they enlisted mirrors the dangers faced by migrants crossing the Mediterranean Sea. They accompanied this with a scene of a scarf cascading downward, symbolizing memories of a war submerged over time.

The exhibition features a pile of earth layers bearing the material traces of archaeological and geological times in the cities of Beirut, Nahr Al-Bared in northern Lebanon, and Tripoli, completed over the past decade.

The rubble of cities, Palestinian refugee camps, and construction sites was rearranged into images and transparent capsules, revealing shattered scenes of people’s lives over time. The land has therefore turned into a notebook on which Hadjithomas and Joreige recorded the erased stories.

One unfolds in Nahr Al-Bared (Cold River Bed) camp, which was established in 1948 and destroyed after the 100-day conflict in 2007 between Fateh Al-Islam and the Lebanese Army. As reconstruction efforts began and rubble was cleared, layers of archaeological ruins unexpectedly surfaced: the remains of the mythical Roman city of Orthosia, believed to have been destroyed by a tsunami in 551 AD.

At the exhibition, the artists, guided by archaeologists, present the city’s entangled history through sculptural forms echoing both the soil and red sand used to cover the land.

A slideshow of images or testimonies narrates a story that vertiginously weaves together human displacement, military conflict, and archaeological discovery.

Matter extracted from core samples — soil, rocks, clay, and limestone — is carefully stored for analysis by engineers, prior to any construction.

Guided by those archeologists and geologists, the artists collected and re-sculpted these remains of buried worlds to make visible the imprints of successive human occupations, ecological upheavals, and lost civilizations.

History does not unfold as a coherent succession of chronological layers, but rather as a dynamic entanglement of epochs, marked by ruptures, where traces and civilizations intermingle.

Joreige dedicated part of the exhibition to his uncle, who was abducted in 1985 during the Lebanese civil war, piecing together some of his memories.

He gathered whatever undeveloped films he could from his abandoned home, each lasting 180 seconds, and before they faded, he printed them on blank sheets, producing faint impressions that could only be deciphered by looking closely.

Joreige describes them as “an attempt to resist disappearance.”

He said: “It’s a form of mourning that has yet to find closure, memories that have faded but won’t disappear.”


Photographs in Doha’s Tasweer photo festival explore belonging, identity and home in the Arab world

Updated 11 May 2025
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Photographs in Doha’s Tasweer photo festival explore belonging, identity and home in the Arab world

DOHA: A young Sudanese man sits in a chair dressed in an elegant off-white three-piece suit. He holds a small shotgun in one hand which he eyes solemnly while resting against the wall behind him on a crimson red tapestry is a rifle. The photograph is titled “Life Won’t Stop” and is one of several images by Sudanese photographer Mosab Abushama documenting his friend’s wedding in Omdurman, Sudan, a city constantly targeted by airstrikes.

The photograph is on view as part of the show “Tadween,” referring to the concept of recording of news and emotions through writing, photography, audio or video, and is one of several exhibitions in the third edition of Doha’s Tasweer Photo Festival, which runs until June 20.

“Life Won’t Stop” is one of several images by Sudanese photographer Mosab Abushama documenting his friend’s wedding in Omdurman, Sudan. (Supplied)

“Despite the clashes and random shelling in the city, the wedding was a simple but joyous occasion with family and friends,” wrote in the caption for the work. “The war in Sudan, which began in April 2023, brought horrors and displacement, forcing me to leave my childhood home and move to another part of the city. It was a time none of us ever expected to live through. Yet, this wedding was a reminder of the joy of everyday life still possible amidst the tragedy and despair.”

Abushama’s photograph earned recognition at the 2025 World Press Photo Awards in the Singles Africa category.

Abushama’s poignant image is one of many on show this year in the Tasweer Photo Festival that prompt deep reflection and compassion.

One of the numerous exhibitions on view is “Obliteration — Surviving The Inferno: Gaza’s Battle for Existence.” The images are displayed outside in Doha’s Katara Cultural Village unfolding in five stages to capture each chapter thus far of the war on Gaza. Each image, such as Abdulrahman Zaqout’s “When Food and Water Become Weapons,” has been shot by a Gazan photographer on the ground to witness and experience the catastrophe. From children extending bowls for food to mothers comforting terrified children, each image recounts the tales of horror that continue to unfold as the war in Gaza continues.

One of the numerous exhibitions on view is “Obliteration — Surviving The Inferno: Gaza’s Battle for Existence.” (Supplied)

“As I Lay Between Two Seas,” another exhibition in the festival, is at the Doha Fire Station. Curated by Meriem Berrada, an independent curator and artistic director of the Museum of Contemporary African Art Al Maaden in Marrakech, the exhibition is a poignant and poetic display of 25 photographers from the Arab world and its diasporas grappling and coming to terms with ideas of identity, belonging and home.

“(The exhibition) approaches belonging not as a fixed state, but as a fluid, evolving condition shaped by memory, distance, rupture, and imagination,” Berrada told Arab News. “The exhibition unfolds through a non-linear narrative that invites diverse temporalities and perspectives to coexist.”

“As I Lay Between Two Seas,” another exhibition in the festival, is at the Doha Fire Station. (Supplied)

The title of the exhibition is drawn from a photographic series by Ali Al-Shehabi that conjures up a metaphor that speaks to the fluid, ever changing idea of understanding the self.

“Guided by the metaphor of the sea — shifting, unstable, and expansive — it draws inspiration from poets of the region whose writings on exile and longing offer a conceptual and emotional foundation,” Berrada said. “The selected works span a wide spectrum from documentary to conceptual and abstract practices. These works examine family and community dynamics, spiritual and philosophical relationships, and the sociopolitical structures that influence selfhood. They explore the symbolic ties to one’s roots, often shaped by personal memory and collective histories.”

From Lebanese artist Ziad Antar’s dreamy and edgy photographs of abandoned and unfinished buildings in Beirut and on the Lebanese coast and Saudi artist Moath Alofi’s series of desolated mosques along the winding road to Madinah, Saudi Arabia, to Palestinian Taysir Batniji’s “Just in Case #2” (2024), portraying images of a series of keys representative of feelings of loss and exile, the photographic works on show oscillate between feelings of pride, belonging, loss and longing.

The "Al Mihrab" exhibition at Doha Fire Station. (Supplied)

A poem by Palestinian poet and author Mahmoud Darwish titled “I Belong There,” appears on one wall between the display of several photographs reflecting through words many of the feelings expressed in the images on display. “I belong there. I have many memories. I was born as everyone is born […] I have lived on the land long before swords turned man into prey. I belong there.”

Elsewhere in Tasweer, a solo exhibition at Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art on the works of Moroccan photographer and filmmaker Daoud Aoulad-Syad titled “Territories of the Instant” presents the essence of Moroccan popular culture and remote regions in the country. Another exhibition, “Threads of Light: Stories from the Tasweer Single Image Awards,” presents 31 captivating images from 2023 and 2024 awards highlighting the extraordinary in daily life, including sacred traditions in Oman, dynamic street scenes in Yemen and moments of contemporary change in Iraq and picturesque marine views of traditional boats in Doha.

As Berrada said of the festival, which can arguably apply to numerous works and shows in Tasweer this year: “It also reflects on the photographic medium itself — how image-making can question fixed and often deterministic categories of belonging and become a powerful tool for reimagining identity in a deeply interconnected world.”

 


Saudi ‘farm for experimentation’ on show in Milan exhibition 

Updated 09 May 2025
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Saudi ‘farm for experimentation’ on show in Milan exhibition 

  • The curators of the Saudi Pavilion at the Triennale Milano discuss their Al-Ahsa-inspired work 

AL-AHSA: Saudi Arabia’s lush oasis of Al-Ahsa will be in full bloom in Italy next week at the 24th Triennale Milano International Exhibition, which runs from May 13 to Nov. 9 at Milan’s Palazzo dell’Arte. 

Al-Ahsa is officially recognized as the world’s largest oasis, and is home to more than 2.5 million date palms.  

The Kingdom’s debut pavilion at the exhibition is “Maghras: A Farm for Experimentation,” which, according to the exhibition’s website, is “structured as a transplanted maghras — a unit of land demarcated by four palm trees” and “symbolically frames the dialogues, material traces, soundscapes of field recordings, and speculative gestures emerging from the space.” 

Date harvest spread across two maghras_Image by Alejandro Stein. (Supplied)

The pavilion, commissioned by the Architecture and Design Commission under the Ministry of Culture, and curated by longtime friends Lulu Almana and Sara Al-Omran, along with US-based creative director Alejandro Stein, is inspired by Al-Ahsa’s Al-Sbakh Farm, established by the late Noura AlMousa. The farm is now managed by the Abdulmonem Alrashed Humanitarian Foundation (named after its founder, AlMousa’s son) and the Noura AlMousa House for Culture and Arts, housed in AlMousa’s former home. 

“We’re really continuing on the lineage of the matriarch,” Al-Omran tells Arab News when we meet the curators at the farm. “Her spirit feels very present because she really cared about craft and culture.” 

Almana and Al-Omran commissioned three Saudi artists to work on the pavilion: Leen Ajlan, a London-based designer from Jeddah; Mohammad Alfaraj, a contemporary artist whose family have been farming in Al-Ahsa for generations; and Tara Aldughaither, founder of Sawtasura, an audio research and learning platform focused primarily on female voices.  

(Supplied)

Through videos, sound installations, and participatory programs, the pavilion will invite visitors to engage with the evolving agricultural ecosystems of Al-Ahsa.  

The maghras concept symbolically ties the exhibition to the land, offering an immersive experience that bridges past traditions with contemporary agricultural practices. 

“Technically, there are three participating artists but it’s more than that — there is a big team,” Almana says. “Then there’s all the research that’s being displayed through illustrations and maps and texts that the team worked on. There’s also all the programs and workshops that have been a big part of it.” The fruits of this collective effort will be published in a book later this year.   

Al-Omran explains that her grandparents are from Al-Ahsa. “I always hear, particularly from my grandfather, these stories of Al-Ahsa. And when he speaks about it, it feels like this mythical place that doesn’t really connect to what I see here (now),” she says. “I grew up in (Alkhobar), but would come here every week. Many of my best memories were here; running around on the farm, seeing the frogs and the rabbits and the sheep and playing around. And also understanding seasons and seeing crops and produce. But through conversations with him, I saw this contrast of the place that he talks about and the place I’m witnessing. And I realize that it’s really within a lifetime that the environment has shifted so much.” 

A workshop in the ancient village of Battaliyah_Image courtesy of Maghras. (Supplied)

Al-Omran’s family, including her grandfather, attended the opening event at Al-Sbakh Farm last autumn, where they saw their hometown celebrated in a new light. 

“They’re proud. They’re really happy to see that Al-Ahsa is spoken about,” Al-Omran says. “They see that it’s not just about the past, but a way of thinking about the future.” 

The unfolding narrative of the project has emphasized community engagement. “It was really nice and natural,” says Almana. “It didn’t feel forced in any way. People were saying, ‘You’re doing something important.’ It felt impactful despite its small gestures.” 

After nearly a decade of living abroad in large, congested cities including London and New York, Almana says the initial intention for this project, for her, “was that I needed to get rooted into a place, build knowledge, and build a community of like-minded people who share similar concerns, questions and values: How do we preserve the identity of a place that’s constantly changing? How do we share our concerns and ideas for regeneration, for reviving certain things? It matters to build a community around these questions. Then everything becomes more meaningful and interesting.” 

Almana had only visited Al-Ahsa briefly up until five years ago, during COVID, when she finally spent a significant amount of time there. She found the place inspirational. “It hit me that there’s this urban-rural tension. The big cities get attention, but the rural, historic agricultural places are overshadowed. I wanted to dive into agriculture and build a community of like-minded people,” she says. 

Almana’s partnership with Al-Omran added an insider’s perspective to the project. In Milan, visitors will experience the “true essence” of Al-Ahsa, the pair say.  

“We really wanted to represent Maghras in the most authentic way,” Almana explains. “It’s a community-based project within a morphing landscape, not just a static thing.” 

And Milan, she hopes, is just the start. “We want this to grow into something longer-term, and we’ve conveyed that to the ministry, which supports this vision,” she says. 

Al-Omran stresses the amount of research that was involved in creating the pavilion. “We’re looking at a display of research material that we assembled for our first event back in October. And at that point we had spent about three or four months looking at archival research and doing a lot of interviews.” 

The first activation was both a presentation and a checkpoint.  

“We wanted to take a moment to sift through the material we’d come across and the conversations we’d listened to. It was important to do that during the opening, where we welcomed the community and spoke about the project, because it was important to hear people’s reflections on the research as it emerges; we felt that would influence the direction,” she says. 

“Sometimes we don’t really realize what’s lost until generations have passed. And it felt like we were in a moment where the shifts are happening,” she continues. “So it felt urgent to talk about it now, while that generation is still around.” 


Recipes for Success: Chef Soner Muran offers advice and a tasty fried mussels recipe 

Updated 09 May 2025
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Recipes for Success: Chef Soner Muran offers advice and a tasty fried mussels recipe 

DUBAI: Soner Muran may have sharpened his culinary skills at one of Turkey’s top schools, but it was his grandmother’s cooking that lit the initial fire. 

“My earliest memory is grilling sardines with my grandmother. The smell of the sea and the fire stayed with me. I knew early on this was what I wanted to do,” Muran tells Arab News. 

“I started studying in the most famous chef school in Turkey (Bolu Mengen Culinary School) when I was 14. After four years of education, I started working in Istanbul’s fine-dining restaurants,” he continues. 

Muran is now head chef at Sur.Dubai. (Supplied)

Muran is now head chef at Sur.Dubai — inspired by SurBalik, a seafood restaurant that has been a cornerstone of Istanbul’s culinary scene for 20 years. Sur.Dubai has a Mediterranean-inspired menu that highlights the coastal heritage of Turkey’s Aegean and Mediterranean regions. 

“We cook fish over a wood fire, which is rare in Dubai,” says Muran. “That fire adds depth, smoke, and tradition. Our flavors are bold but simply focused on quality seafood, modern touches, treated with respect.” 

Here, Muran talks about his love for seafood and his favorite dish to cook, and shares a simple fried mussels recipe. 

What was the most common mistake you made when you were starting out?  

I used too many ingredients. I thought more meant better. But great cooking is about balance, not showing off. Now, I focus on fewer elements, greater techniques, and give extra care to every single ingredient in a dish. 

Sur.Dubai is inspired by SurBalik, a seafood restaurant that has been a cornerstone of Istanbul’s culinary scene for 20 years. (Supplied)

What’s your top tip for amateur chefs (cooking at home)? 

Reduce ready-made items. If possible, avoid buying them altogether. Good food takes a little time, even if it’s simple. Take your time to cook better food.  Also, taste as you go. Trust your senses. 

What one ingredient can instantly improve any dish?  

Olive oil. A splash of acidity can lift flavors, balance richness and bring freshness. Especially with seafood, it’s magic. 

When you go out to eat, do you find yourself critiquing the food?  

Yes, it’s hard to switch off. I don’t judge harshly, but I notice details.

Sur.Dubai has a Mediterranean-inspired menu that highlights the coastal heritage of Turkey’s Aegean and Mediterranean regions. (Supplied)

What’s the most common issue you find in other restaurants? 

The most common issue is lack of seasoning or dishes that try to do too much.  

What’s your favorite cuisine?  

Seafood, always. I like to see how other chefs handle it — how fresh it is, how it’s cooked, what flavors they use. It tells me a lot about the restaurant. And I just love seafood; it’s clean, light, and full of character. 

What’s your go-to dish if you have to cook something quickly at home?  

A simple risotto with parmesan and lemon. It’s comforting, quick if you keep stirring, and you can adjust it based on what you have — like peas, herbs, or shrimp. It feels special even when it’s simple. 
 
What customer request most frustrates you?  

When guests ask for a perfectly cooked fish, then ask for it well done. Or when people expect fast-food timing from a wood-fire kitchen. Good things take time. 

What’s your favorite dish to cook?   

Olive oil braised root vegetables with a nicely grilled wild seabass together with some butter-glazed mussels. 

What’s the most difficult dish for you to get right (whether on your current menu or not)?  

Bouillabaisse. It’s a traditional French seafood stew, but making it properly is complex. The broth needs depth from the fish bones, shellfish, and herbs. Timing is everything — each seafood needs different cooking times. It’s a dish that tests your control and your palate. 

As a head chef, what are you like? Are you a disciplinarian?  

I’m focused but fair. I don’t shout — I lead by example. I want my team to love what they do but also take pride in doing it well. Respect is key, both ways. 

Chef Soner’s fried mussels recipe  

Mix 1 cup flour, 1/2 cup cornstarch, salt, pepper, and cold sparkling water into a thick batter. 

Dip cleaned mussels in batter. 

Deep fry at 180°C until golden (2–3 mins). 

Drain and serve hot with tarator sauce. 

Tarator Sauce 

Soak and squeeze stale bread (1 cup). 

Blend with 1/2 cup walnuts, 3–4 garlic cloves, 3 tbsp lemon juice, 1/2 cup olive oil, and salt. 

Add water if needed for a smooth texture. 

Serving Tip: 
Serve with pickles and fresh coriander leaves for extra flavor. 


Deal signed to promote Saudi cultural heritage 

Updated 07 May 2025
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Deal signed to promote Saudi cultural heritage 

  • MoC signs agreement with Boutique Group
  • Agreement covers several cultural fields

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Culture has signed a cooperation agreement with Boutique Group to promote the Kingdom’s rich heritage.

Deputy Minister of Culture for National Partnerships and Talent Development Noha Kattan signed the agreement with Boutique Group CEO Christophe Mares in Diriyah. 

Kattan emphasized that the partnership aligns with the ministry’s goals of preserving the nation’s heritage and culture, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

She added that the agreement honors the Kingdom’s rich history and contributes to building a future that values tradition and encourages global cultural creativity.

Mares expressed his company’s pleasure in the new partnership, which will focus on providing a unique and luxurious experience that reflects Saudi Arabia’s cultural identity.

He said the company will represent each region’s culture by incorporating its visual styles, sounds, and traditions into palace operations.

The agreement covers several cultural fields to showcase the Kingdom’s heritage in creative and contemporary ways, the SPA reported.

This will be achieved by integrating Saudi cuisine into the culinary experience, dressing hotel staff in traditional attire, and infusing palace designs with cultural symbols.