Riyadh: The year 2025 has been designated the “Year of Handicrafts” in the Kingdom to reinforce traditional arts and crafts as authentic cultural heritage.

The initiative aims to promote the practice, preservation, documentation and integration of handicrafts into modern life, celebrating a cultural legacy central to national identity, a Saudi Press Agency report said.

It seeks to support artisans, enhance their skills and prevent traditional crafts from disappearing. It emphasizes manual crafts made using simple tools, without modern technology.

Prominent crafts include Sadu weaving, mud building, wood carving, pottery, hand embroidery, and palm frond products such as baskets and mats.

Engraving on doors with Najdi motifs is another traditional art for which the Najd region is renowned, the SPA reported.

Artisan Ali Al-Jasser, known for Najdi door engraving, shared his journey from basic wooden installations to intricate three-dimensional pieces blending tradition with contemporary art.

He noted regional variations — at Najdi in the center, Al-Qatt Al-Asiri in the south, Rawashin in the west, Bab Al-Bahr in the east, and Sadu in the north.

Another artisan, Nouf Al-Suwailim, highlighted that Najdi door engravings were key elements of traditional Najdi architecture, reflecting its cultural and urban identity.

She described the doors’ elegant designs, featuring geometric and floral patterns enhanced by decorative iron nails.

RIYADH: Six Saudi students won six medals at the 29th Junior Balkan Mathematical Olympiad in North Macedonia from June 24 to 29, with 135 students from 23 countries participating.

The Saudi team earned two gold, two silver and two bronze medals, showing their strong performance internationally, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Sunday.

This success follows years of training led by the King Abdulaziz and His Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity, in partnership with the Ministry of Education, aimed at preparing gifted students for global contests.

Team members were chosen through rigorous tests under the National Program for Gifted Identification and trained by local and international experts, the SPA added.

This was Saudi Arabia’s 14th participation in the Olympiad, bringing its total medals to 11 gold, 24 silver and 29 bronze.

In the previous event, Saudi Arabia won one silver and four bronze medals.

The Olympiad, launched in 1997, is held annually for students under 15, with up to six participants per country. It rotates among Balkan countries and Cyprus and is a respected regional mathematics competition.