Academy launches second Arabic language program for non-native speakers

A female teaching member teaching Arabic to speakers of other languages at ABJAD Center's Arabic language program. (Supplied)
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Updated 17 February 2024
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Academy launches second Arabic language program for non-native speakers

  • Initiative aims to give students grounding in written, spoken Arabic
  • Classes start on Septempter 1, 2024

RIYADH: The King Salman Global Academy for the Arabic Language has begun accepting applications for its second study program for non-native speakers at the Abjad Center in Riyadh.

The program supports the goals of the Human Capability Development Program under Saudi Vision 2030 and underscores the Kingdom’s commitment to promoting the Arabic language and culture.

HIGHLIGHT

The program comprises four levels, each of which runs for two months, totaling 160 educational hours. Students are expected to gain a working knowledge of grammar, vocabulary, sounds and spelling for both reading and writing. The classes start on Sept. 1.

“We aim to empower trainees to attain proficiency in the Arabic language and assist them in integrating into society through an engaging educational environment,” said Saad Al-Qahtani, head of the academy’s educational programs.

The program comprises four levels, each of which runs for two months, totaling 160 educational hours. Students are expected to gain a working knowledge of grammar, vocabulary, sounds and spelling for both reading and writing. The classes start on Sept. 1.




Dr. Saad Al-Qahtani, Head of the Educational Programs Sector at the King Salman Global Academy for Arabic Language. (Supplied)

The Abjad Center provides internationally accredited education for non-native speakers, as well as giving students the chance to learn about local culture and history.

More than 16,000 people from around the world applied for the first phase of the program, of which 150 were selected.

Al-Qahtani said students from 31 nations had already taking part in the program and that that number was set to rise to 42 in the coming months.

 


Saudi artistry blooms in floral sculptures

Sara Abdullah’s two art collections, Alstroemeria (2024) and Anemone (2023), are each dedicated to the spotlighted flower.
Updated 13 sec ago
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Saudi artistry blooms in floral sculptures

RIYADH: Saudi artist Sara Abdullah’s delicate floral sculptures find inspiration in the nuances and harmony between humanity and nature.

To the artist, nature signifies creativity, inspiration and deep magical meaning, she told Arab News.

“Both (art and nature) are means of exploring the deeper aspects of the human existence. As artists, we can capture and express the intangible aspects of our lives that defy simple verbal descriptions,” she said.

Sara Abdullah’s two art collections, Alstroemeria (2024) and Anemone (2023), are each dedicated to the spotlighted flower. (Supplied)

Abdullah credits her artistry to her role model, her father, who introduced her to a multifaceted world of art at a young age.

“My story is like my dad’s — we started by painting characters and self-portraits but eventually transitioned to creating nature artwork,” she said.

“My father’s deep love for art and trying to convey his artistic message to the world is what makes me continue to search more for the deep meaning between art and nature and how to transform my ideas into a valuable work of art that includes a purposeful message that touches people.”

Sara Abdullah’s two art collections, Alstroemeria (2024) and Anemone (2023), are each dedicated to the spotlighted flower. (Supplied)

Her two art collections, Alstroemeria (2024) and Anemone (2023), are each dedicated to the spotlighted flower.

In the Alstroemeria collection, her sculptures begin with the design of the wood base, which is curved to reflect the feeling of containment and support.

She handcrafts pieces of the flower with twisted and connected edges, representing the petals from the beginning of their life until their flowering.

“Its distinction lies in its longevity among the flowers, and this is what adds to the true meaning of the artwork, which is connection, stability, love, friendship … feelings and bonds that are established after a long period of relationship,” the artist explained.

The message of the artwork is the “close connections and depth of feelings between people and the ability to support and contain each other as we go through life’s experiences.”

Abdullah describes her Anemone collection as “nature embodied in abstract sculptures … a harmonious dance between light and shadow.”

The wildflower has long inspired artists and storytellers, appearing in various works of Arabic literature, including in poems, stories and folk tales.

Anemone flowers generally grow open and wide, with a dark center.

Through this collection of sculptural works, Abdullah embodies the feeling of joy accompanied with dancing.

“When something happy happens in your life, then you start dancing as if you seem to be dancing lightly in the open air and you feel that you are open to the world due to the influence of this happiness. This simile reflects when you see the cold and light wind between the flowers, making them sway between each other lightly,” she said.

“When I prepare to create an art collection, I always try to choose pastel colors that are calm and comfortable to look at as natural colors, in addition to using materials to highlight some pieces or lines in the painting, which adds a three-dimensional touch to the artwork.”

Abdullah also described her outlook on life: “Try to deal with life as if you are like a flower that grows in its beautiful shape … and no matter how the wind blows on her at the end, she blooms beautifully again. Be always like flowers bloom.”

 

 


Saudi FM expresses Kingdom’s solidarity with Iran after helicopter crash

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan spoke with Iran’s acting Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani on Monday.
Updated 2 min 53 sec ago
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Saudi FM expresses Kingdom’s solidarity with Iran after helicopter crash

  • Iranian president, foreign minister and seven others died when the aircraft they were traveling in went down on Sunday in a remote area of northwestern Iran

RIYADH: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan expressed the Kingdom’s solidarity with Iran and its people following the death of President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in a helicopter crash on Sunday. 

During a phone call with Iran’s acting Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani on Monday, Prince Faisal expressed his condolences over the deaths of the president and his accompanying delegation.

Raisi, 63, his foreign minister and seven others died when the aircraft he was traveling in went down on Sunday in a remote area of northwestern Iran, where the wreckage was only found on Monday morning.


267,657 pilgrims have arrived so far in Saudi Arabia ahead of Hajj

Updated 20 May 2024
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267,657 pilgrims have arrived so far in Saudi Arabia ahead of Hajj

  • This year’s Hajj, for the Hijri year 1445, is expected to begin on June 14 and conclude on June 19

RIYADH: As of May 19, 267,657 pilgrims had arrived in Saudi Arabia via air, land and sea ahead of Hajj, according to the General Directorate of Passports.
The directorate said it is using all of its resources to ensure entry procedures for pilgrims at all arrival points run as smoothly as possible by providing platforms that use the latest technical advances and fully trained staff proficient in many languages, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
This year’s Hajj, for the Hijri year 1445, is expected to begin on June 14 and conclude on June 19. Flights carrying pilgrims began to arrive in the Kingdom on May 9.


New scheme set to improve pilgrim services during Hajj season

Scheme focuses on taking care of the sick, the elderly, and people with disabilities who are visiting the two holy mosques.
Updated 52 min 54 sec ago
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New scheme set to improve pilgrim services during Hajj season

  • Scheme focuses on taking care of the sick, the elderly, and people with disabilities who are visiting the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque

RIYADH: The Presidency of Religious Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque recently launched the Humanitarians (Ensaniyoun) initiative as part of the 2024 Hajj season, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The scheme aims to enrich the experience of pilgrims by humanizing the services provided by the presidency. It focuses on taking care of the sick, the elderly, and people with disabilities who are visiting the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque, creating an appropriate worship environment for them.

Sheikh Dr. Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais, head of Religious Affairs at the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque, said: “The Humanitarians initiative aims to enhance behavior and humanize the services provided by the presidency across its various sectors and departments ... creating an appropriate worship environment for pilgrims, and facilitating their access to religious services without effort or hardship.”

The initiative encourages specialization among employees and the use of flexible technology and digitization to meet religious needs, Al-Sudais said.

He added: “This commitment to humanitarian responsibility, amid the extensive religious work in the Two Holy Mosques and their global outreach, reflects the belief that balanced institutional giving leads to human and global success stories. By maintaining this balance, we achieve success in the rituals of Hajj and in serving pilgrims.”

The Humanitarians initiative aligns with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 by enhancing the religious and humanitarian services provided to pilgrims.


Saudi Reef program provides $37.3m of support to Kingdom’s honey industry

Updated 20 May 2024
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Saudi Reef program provides $37.3m of support to Kingdom’s honey industry

  • Sustainable Agricultural Rural Development Program celebrates World Bee Day by highlighting its achievements in its support of the sector
  • Honey production in the Kingdom reached 3,120 tons last year; aim is to produce 7,500 tons a year by 2026 and become self-sufficient

RIYADH: About SR140 million ($37.3 million) in funding for the honey industry in the Kingdom has helped 10,584 beneficiaries since 2020, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The recipients of the support, provided by Saudi Arabia’s Sustainable Agricultural Rural Development Program, also known as Saudi Reef, come from all parts of the country but the program said those in Asir, Hail, Makkah and Al-Baha regions benefited the most.
Saudi Reef marked World Bee Day on Monday by highlighting its notable achievements so far in supporting the local honey industry. It said production in the Kingdom reached 3,120 tons in 2023, a 41 percent increase compared with 2021, and the aim is to increase annual production to 7,500 tons by 2026 and achieve self-sufficiency.
The program said it has supported several projects vital to the sector, including the establishment of queen bee rearing and package bee production facilities in areas such as Hail, Najran, Jazan, Medina, Tabuk and Taif.
It also supplies modern beekeeping tools and spreads awareness of the latest techniques, and has set up three mobile laboratories to investigate and diagnose bee diseases and pests, along with four mobile clinics.
The program said it remains committed to providing support for beekeepers and implementing projects that benefit the honey industry, in keeping with efforts to achieve sustainable and comprehensive development in the Kingdom.
Saudi Reef aims to support environmental sustainability and diversification of the agricultural production base in the Kingdom, by aiding the development of rural communities and efforts to achieve food security.
It added that its projects provide job opportunities, help improve incomes and standards of living for small farmers, and enhance agricultural capabilities in keeping with the objectives of the Saudi Vision 2030 development and diversification plan.