RIYADH: “Roads of Arabia,” a premier exhibition on Saudi archaeological masterpieces through the ages, has been successfully hosted by 13 international museums in Europe, the United States and Asia, with the US holding the distinction of hosting the prestigious exhibition a record five times.
The expo, considered the most important mobile Saudi exhibition highlighting the cultural heritage of the Kingdom all over the world, was started in 2010 and was launched for the first time in Europe at the Louvre Museum in Paris, France on Feb. 13, 2010.
It then went to La Caixa Foundation in Barcelona, Spain, the Hermitage Museum of Art and Culture in Saint Petersburg, Russia, the Pergamon Museum in Berlin, Germany, and the Vittoriano Museum in Rome, Italy, before it moved to the US.
In the US the exhibition was first hosted by the famous Arthur M. Sackler Gallery and the Freer Gallery of Art, which form the Smithsonian Institution’s national museums of Asian art in Washington, DC, followed by the Carnegie Museum of Pittsburgh in western Pennsylvania, the Fine Art Museum in Houston, Texas, the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, Missouri, and finally by the Asian Arts Museum in San Francisco, California.
The Asian Arts Museum was the exhibition's fifth and final stop in the US before it went on an Asian tour at the National Museum in Beijing (2016), the National Museum in Seoul (2017) and the National Museum in Tokyo (2018) -- the last stop so far.
During its tour in the US, the exhibition achieved remarkable success noticed in the heavy turnout and interaction by the public and the people concerned with culture, heritage and antiquities. This reflected the strong cultural ties between the Kingdom and the US, and now many international museums are now competing with each other to host it.
Speaking to Arab News Majed Al-Sheddi, director general of media relations at the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH), said Wednesday: "It is indeed a great feeling that the US hosted the exhibition the highest number of times.The exhibition has contributed to highlighting the Saudi history and heritage amid distinguished engagement by visitors, who admired the archaeological pieces for getting an opportunity to learn first-hand about the Arabian peninsula.”
The importance of "Roads of Arabia" lies in its exposure of the Kingdom’s great heritage and antiquities, which date back to ancient successive civilizations and great cultures in the Arabian peninsula through the ages, he added.
He said these invaluable archaeological treasures are not widely known to a large number of countries, hence it is important to introduce to various parts of the world their great heritage and leading role in human as well as Islamic civilization.
A joint initiative of Saudi Aramco’s King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture and the SCTH, the expo displays more than 400 antiques that identify the Kingdom through different ages. It also focuses on the influence of ancient trade routes that crossed the Arabian Peninsula and allowed for trade and cultural exchange between different civilizations.
The relics cover many historical periods starting from the Paleolithic period, then the late Arab kingdoms, followed by the prophetic era, the Umayyad, Abbasid, the middle and late Islamic periods, and the unification of Saudi Arabia, followed by a period of significant progress and prosperity in various walks of life.
Most of the archaeological masterpieces are taken from the National Museum, King Saud University Museum, King Fahad National Library, King Faisal Center for Islamic Research and Studies, King Abdul Aziz Library, and a number of regional museums in the Kingdom.
The idea of the exhibition came about in 2006 in response to the directives of the late King Abdullah. It was also in response to the suggestion by former French President Jacques Chirac on his visit to the Kingdom during the opening of “Masterpieces of Islamic Art” exhibition, which was organized by the SCTH at the National Museum in Riyadh in March 2006.
‘Roads of Arabia’ expo plays crucial role in enhancing Saudi-American cultural ties
‘Roads of Arabia’ expo plays crucial role in enhancing Saudi-American cultural ties
Red Sea Global unveils Botanica, its first guest experience dedicated to regenerative tourism
- Botanica becomes the latest offering at The Red Sea
RIYADH: Red Sea Global, the developer behind the flagship regenerative tourism destinations The Red Sea and AMAALA, announced on Tuesday the rebranding of its latest brand, Botanica.
Previously known as The Red Sea Landscape Nursery, Botanica is dedicated not only to supplying sustainable greenery across RSG’s developments but also to offering guests immersive, nature-based experiences.
Operational since 2020, Botanica has already grown and supplied more than 7 million plants to landscape RSG’s destinations, with ambitions to deliver 30 million plants by 2030.
From this month, it opens its doors to guests at The Red Sea, AMAALA, and beyond, offering a new way for visitors to engage with the natural environment.
“Botanica is more than just a nursery, it’s a step toward regenerating Saudi Arabia’s rich biodiversity,” said John Pagano, group CEO of RSG.
“After providing us with more than 7 million plants for landscaping our destinations, the nursery now becomes our first guest experience that caters uniquely to the RSG DNA of regenerative tourism. Visitors have the opportunity to enjoy immersive, hands-on experiences that reconnect them with nature,” he added.
Guests visiting Botanica can explore the nursery through guided tours, participate in planting their own flora, and enjoy refreshments at the Botanica Cafe, which serves breakfast and lunch.
They can also visit a garden shop and a tropical area.
Covering over 1.8 million square meters, Botanica is the largest landscape nursery in the region. The nursery also plays a significant role in supporting the local economy, with around 400 people employed on site, 25 percent of whom come from nearby communities.
Botanica becomes the latest offering at The Red Sea, following the launch of WAMA, specializing in water sports; Galaxea, offering underwater adventures; and Akun, which delivers land-based exploration experiences.
The Red Sea welcomed its first guests in 2023 and currently has five hotels open.
Upon full completion in 2030, the destination will feature 50 resorts, providing up to 8,000 hotel rooms and more than 1,000 residential properties spread across 22 islands and six inland sites.
The development will also include luxury marinas, golf courses, entertainment venues, dining, and leisure facilities.
NCVC launches plan to combat desertification, sand encroachment and drought mitigation
- Project is part of Saudi Arabia’s efforts under its COP16 presidency and aligned with initiatives to address climate challenges
- Plan aims to strengthen national resilience against desertification and drought by developing and implementing effective strategies
RIYADH: The National Center for Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification, or NCVC, has launched an executive plan for combating desertification, sand encroachment and drought mitigation.
The move is part of Saudi Arabia’s efforts under its COP16 presidency and in alignment with global initiatives to address environmental and climate challenges.
According to an NCVC press release, the plan aims to strengthen national resilience against desertification and drought by developing and implementing effective strategies that align with national policies, regional initiatives and international commitments.
It focuses on formulating sustainable policies and programs based on a comprehensive assessment of current conditions, global practices and an integrated approach to natural resource management, the statement said.
In addition to enhancing readiness and response mechanisms, the plan seeks to develop early warning systems, implement mitigation and adaptation strategies, and foster cooperation among relevant entities in planning and execution.
It also includes efforts to establish sustainable financing mechanisms and facilitate the transfer of knowledge and advanced technologies to ensure the successful implementation of its initiatives.
The project consists of two primary scopes: The executive plan for combating desertification and the executive plan for integrated drought management.
NCVC continues its mission to restore and preserve vegetation cover by rehabilitating degraded lands and protecting biodiversity in natural ecosystems, the press release said.
It also oversees the conservation and sustainable management of rangelands, forests and national parks, combats illegal logging, and safeguards Saudi Arabia’s natural resources.
These efforts align with its vision to foster a thriving and diverse vegetation cover that promotes environmental sustainability and enhances the quality of life.
Tarjama launches Arabic.AI based on model that outperforms GPT-4o in Arabic
- Arabic-first large language model is said to outperform industry leaders on key benchmarks
- Software understands “nuances of Arabic across multiple dialects and contexts,” founder says
RIYADH: In a market saturated with English-first large language models, Tarjama is flipping the narrative.
The UAE-based technology company today launched its Arabic.AI platform, based on the Pronoia V2 Arabic-first large language model that it claims has outscored industry leaders ChatGPT, DeepSeek and Cohere on key Arabic benchmarks.
Designed to process Arabic with near-human understanding, Pronoia touts itself as a tool for a range of uses including legal analysis, translation and proposal writing.
“It was a big surprise for us that this small model for specific niche tasks, can be better than (ChatGPT) 4o,” Andrii Klyman, senior AI product manager at Tarjama, told Arab News at a recent event in Riyadh.
Founder Nour Al-Hassan in a statement: “For too long, Arabic has remained an afterthought in the global AI landscape,
“We’ve built something fundamentally different—an autonomous system that actually understands the nuances of Arabic across multiple dialects and contexts.”
In testing, Pronoia V2 achieved an average score of 76.8 percent across Arabic language benchmarks, outperforming GPT-4o by more than 18 percentage points.
While the model can handle multilingual text, its strength lies in high-context Arabic. Tarjama has already developed several applications on top of it, including a spell-checker, legal contract analyzer, and its most recent interface, Arabic.AI — a tool for business users.
In one live demo, the system restructured an Arabic contract and highlighted risks based on local law.
In another, a user uploaded a PowerPoint file, and the system not only translated the slides but reversed their direction — adapting layout and language simultaneously.
A third version, Pronoia V3, is now in testing. Tarjama says it will deliver even stronger performance across Arabic dialects and achieve a COMET score above 94 — a key benchmark for translation quality.
Tarjama’s push to dominate Arabic AI is both technical and cultural. For years, the Arabic language has been underserved by leading AI tools, which often fail to understand its grammar, dialects, or even its script direction. Pronoia, by contrast, was purpose-built to fill that gap.
KFUPM launches research project to improve green hydrogen feasibility
- Project aims to reduce the cost of producing the element to make the process more economically viable
- Uses a portable solar panel to power a process known as water splitting, which separates the hydrogen atoms from oxygen in water
RIYADH: A research project to improve the feasibility of green hydrogen production has been launched by the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals.
Led by Prof. Mohammed Gondal, the project aims to reduce the cost of producing the element to make the process more economically viable.
It uses a portable solar panel to power a process known as water splitting, which separates the hydrogen atoms from oxygen in water.
This setup has several advantages: It operates at a lower energy input compared to traditional electrochemical water splitting, produces valuable byproducts, and utilizes the abundant solar energy available across Saudi Arabia.
The project also uses methanol, the oxidation of which traditionally results in hydrogen and CO2 emissions.
However, KFUPM’s method focuses on selectively converting methanol into valuable chemicals without CO2 emissions, significantly boosting the overall efficiency of the process.
Electrochemical water splitting carries some environmental challenges, as a large amount of energy is required for the reaction and there is a risk of mixing the two gases, hydrogen and oxygen.
Through the project, Gondal was able to overcome major challenges faced in hydrogen production, improving the output and quality of the byproducts such as formate and formic acid.
Looking forward, the project aims to scale up production by interlinking multiple cells, demonstrating the feasibility of industrial-scale green hydrogen generation using locally synthesized materials.
Hydrogen holds potential value as a fuel source for shipping, aviation and the automotive industry.
It can also be used to decarbonize heavy industries, including steel production.
Saudi Arabia is making a significant push into the production of green hydrogen, or hydrogen produced from completely sustainable sources.
It is building one of the world’s largest green hydrogen plants at the megacity of NEOM, powered by solar and wind energy.
