How Malika Favre’s Arab News cover image of a woman driving made its mark in Saudi Arabia

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French artist Malika Favre
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Updated 29 August 2022
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How Malika Favre’s Arab News cover image of a woman driving made its mark in Saudi Arabia

  • An image that wrapped the special Arab News edition of June 24, 2018, took off as a popular symbol of the historic day
  • The French artist, whose mother is Algerian, is known for her minimal style and popular New Yorker covers

JEDDAH/RIYADH: An image by French artist Malika Favre, marking the day that women were allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia for the first time, has been formally recognised with a slew of awards after it became something of a cultural sensation.
The picture, commissioned to cover the special “Start Your Engines” edition of Arab News in June last year, took off as a popular symbol of that historic moment. It was downloaded as mobile wallpapers, replicated on hats, painted on a wall mural in Riyadh and, to celebrate its one-year anniversary, Arab News is giving away bumper stickers with it in today’s print edition.


It wasn’t just the masses that embraced the image. It went on to become the success story of the newspaper awards season, clinching seven design gongs, including the Society for News Design’s Award of Excellence for cover story illustration.
“For Arab News to be recognized on a global scale with so many awards is a great honor,” said Simon Khalil, global creative director at Arab News. “This highlights just how important this moment in history was for women across the Kingdom. We hope Malika’s work and our cover will empower women across the whole region.”
Favre, whose mother is Algerian, is an illustrator for The New Yorker, New York Times, Vanity Fair and Penguin Books. She’s known for her minimal style, with designs that are easily linked back to her through her use of vibrant colors and positive/negative spacing.
“As a champion of women for years through her unique creative style, Malika Favre was the obvious choice for our cover, and her illustration brilliantly captures the significance of this moment on the day Saudi Arabia changed forever,” said Khalil.
Favre’s illustration is of a Saudi woman in her headscarf, with her hands on a steering wheel reflected in her sunglasses (in the animated online version, her hands and the wheel move). “A story within a story,” the artist described it.
The artwork has resonated with a lot of people, to the extent that even those who were not Arab News readers at the time shared it and downloaded it in droves. Favre thinks that’s because it is about “empowering women and looking forward to the changes to come.”
Favre is a firm believer in celebrating even the smallest milestones in life. “The cover holds a very positive message, and I think this is what resonated with people out there, and especially the women of Saudi Arabia,” she said from her base in London.
Favre was not expecting Saudi Arabia’s reaction to the cover. “It is always an amazing feeling when an illustration starts having a life of its own.”
One Saudi female artist was especially moved by the cover. For a Panorama Mall contest in which she participated, Noha Al-Johar recreated Favre’s design as mural on the wall of the mall’s parking lot.
Al-Johar told Arab News that she went into the competition blindly, but then saw Favre’s illustration and knew what she had to do. For three days she replicated the design faithfully, right down to the street details in the oversized sunglasses.
When Favre came across a photo of the homage painted by Al-Johar, she shared it on her social media accounts. Al-Johar was very humbled by the attention. “I want to thank her,” she said. “She’s the definition of a visionary.”
Favre expressed delight at how her illustration has been received. “As an artist, getting awarded for a piece is very fulfilling,” she said.
“This cover was very important for me on a personal level as a woman, and I was really happy to see the image being shared, emulated and celebrated by other artists.”

From the archives: More about artist Malika Favre and her Arab News cover illustration


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Saudi industry minister tours Danish technology, pharmaceutical hubs

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RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s minister of industry and mineral resources has toured key industrial and scientific sites as part of his current trip to Denmark.

Bandar Al-Khorayef’s visit to the Nordic country is focused on boosting industrial cooperation and exploring joint investment opportunities.
 
His tour included stops at pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk and the Technical University of Denmark Science Park.
 
At Novo Nordisk, a global leader in diabetes care, Al-Khorayef examined cutting-edge insulin and biopharmaceutical production technologies. He highlighted the strategic partnership between the company and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund via Lifera, aimed at localizing production of GLP-1 drugs and insulin within the Kingdom.
 
At the DTU Science Park, Denmark’s premier technology and innovation hub, the minister was briefed on advanced research and development units, key industrial research projects and innovative solutions driving industrial growth and sustainability.

The Science Park fosters a competitive environment for scientific research, innovation and modern technology development.
 
The visits underline the Kingdom’s dedication to bolstering strategic international partnerships, facilitating the exchange of expertise and enabling technology and knowledge transfer. Such efforts aim to localize promising industries within Saudi Arabia and realize the goals of Saudi Vision 2030 in diversifying the national economy.


Built by hand, rooted in history: National Historical Palace in Taif is one man’s tribute to Saudi heritage and Islamic history

Updated 11 May 2025
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Built by hand, rooted in history: National Historical Palace in Taif is one man’s tribute to Saudi heritage and Islamic history

  • Built by Majid Al-Thabiti, the site blends Islamic history with contemporary design, rooted in the symbolism of the number seven
  • Spanning 70,000 sq. meters, the palace features seven museums, seven facades, seven gates and almost 7 million stones cut and laid by the man himself

MAKKAH: In the heart of Wadi Qarn in Taif governorate, one man’s vision has resulted in one of Saudi Arabia’s most striking heritage landmarks: the National Historical Palace for Islamic Civilization.

Built by Majid Al-Thabiti, the site blends Islamic history with contemporary design, rooted in the symbolism of the number seven.

In an interview with Arab News, Al-Thabiti said: “The number symbolizes perfection and completeness in several Qur’anic verses, including the seven heavens, the seven earths and the seven shaded by God in his shadow, among others.”

The palace includes flooring adorned with colored stones and inspired by the historical art of Sadu, an intangible cultural heritage recognized by UNESCO.  (SPA)

The project was born out of Al-Thabiti’s strong will. He believed in his dream and devoted his effort, time and energy to bring it to life.

Spanning 70,000 sq. meters, the palace features seven museums, seven facades, seven gates and almost 7 million stones cut and laid by the man himself.

The museums offer distinct cultural and education experiences. Exhibits cover Islamic architecture, local heritage, plastic arts and sculpture, rare collections, astronomy, military history documenting the unification of the Kingdom and an agricultural museum featuring seeds mentioned in the Holy Qur’an.

The palace includes 600 square meters of flooring adorned with colored stones and inspired by the historical art of Sadu, an intangible cultural heritage recognized by UNESCO.

Al-Thabiti said that he personally cuts, shapes and stacks the stones himself. “The manual labor is what gives the project its true spirit, as every corner bears (my) imprint, effort and dedication,” he added.

He used seven types of stone sourced from across Saudi Arabia, including basalt, quartz and shale. His attention to detail is reflected in features such as hand-shaped facades, floor mosaics inspired by Sadu art and stonework colored in seven hues that mirror the Kingdom’s geological diversity.

Majid Al-Thabiti used seven types of stone sourced from across Saudi Arabia, including basalt, quartz and shale. (SPA)

Highlights at the palace include an Abbasid-style minaret with a water fountain in honor of Zubaida, the wife of Harun Al-Rashid; an observatory used to track the crescent moon; and stone engravings of Saudi megaprojects like NEOM and The Line.

The site also includes engravings on stone of the Kingdom’s military vehicles, such as a fighter jet and ship.

Al-Thabiti also built a 700-meter sports track along the banks of Qarn valley, a stable for purebred Arabian horses, as well as replicas of symbolic gates like Makkah Gate, Taif Gate and King Abdulaziz Islamic Gate, with stones from Mounts Al-Nur, Thawr and Uhud. Other exhibits, like Diriyah and Yawm Badina (The Day We Began), commemorate key moments in Saudi history.

According to Al-Thabiti, his goal is to transform the palace into a cultural and educational destination that celebrates the Kingdom’s history and heritage.

“We possess a great civilizational legacy and a deep-rooted history. It is our duty to present it to the world in the finest way. This palace is the beginning,” he said.
 


Ancient terrace farming technique shapes Asir’s agricultural heritage

Updated 11 May 2025
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Ancient terrace farming technique shapes Asir’s agricultural heritage

  • Together, the thumalah and mughayyid systems stand as a testament to early innovation sustaining life in one of Saudi Arabia’s most challenging landscapes

 

RIYADH: For centuries, the people of Saudi Arabia’s Asir region have cultivated food on steep mountain slopes using stone terracing systems.

They began with the construction of stone retaining walls known locally as “thamayil,” the Saudi Press Agency reported.

Each individual wall, called “thumalah,” is anchored into bedrock and can rise two to six meters in height.

They serve as critical infrastructure for mountain agriculture by creating level growing surfaces on otherwise impossible terrain.

Each individual wall, called “thumalah,” is anchored into bedrock and can rise two to six meters in height. (SPA)

“The thumalah represents a stone containment system designed to capture sloping mountain terrain,” Ahmed Al-Bariqi, an architectural heritage researcher, said in an interview with the SPA. “After building the stone barrier, the enclosed space is filled with a mixture of clay, soil and rocks to create a flat, arable surface suitable for both farming and habitation.”

Local builders adapted to their surroundings, often reinforcing these structures with juniper and sidr tree trunks, as well as massive stones to withstand the pressure of heavy seasonal rains.

Water management is equally sophisticated. The “mughayyid” regulates irrigation and controls flooding by channeling water flow between terraced fields.

The “mughayyid” regulates irrigation and controls flooding by channeling water flow between terraced fields. (SPA)

“Ancient builders displayed remarkable engineering precision in the mughayyid’s construction,” Al-Bariqi has said in his book “Antiquities and Heritage in Bariq Governorate.”

He added: “Square or elongated stones formed the base structure, while carefully polished flat stones were placed at the top, precisely leveled to allow water to flow at calculated rates between terraces.”

Positioned at strategic elevations, the mughayyid retains optimal water volumes while preventing destructive flooding that could compromise the entire terrace system.

Terraces were reinforced by stone retaining walls known locally as “thamayil.” (SPA)

These terraces do more than support agriculture. According to Dr. Ghaithan bin Jurais of King Khalid University, they reflect a deep-rooted civilization in Asir dating back thousands of years.

“These structures preserve soil resources, establish clear property boundaries between neighboring farms, and historically served as recognized markers of family and tribal land ownership,” he said.

Together, the thumalah and mughayyid systems stand as a testament to early innovation sustaining life in one of Saudi Arabia’s most challenging landscapes.
 


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Updated 10 May 2025
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Saudi, British foreign ministers discuss regional and international developments

  • Two ministers also discussed Saudi-UK relations

RIYADH: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan on Saturday spoke with his British counterpart David Lammy, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The two ministers discussed Saudi-UK relations, as well as regional and international developments and the efforts being made in this regard, SPA added.

The call came on the same day as Prince Faisal's meeting with Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi in Jeddah.