JEDDAH: When Amirah A-Turkistani left Boston in 2015 after earning a graduate degree, friends mocked her decision to ship her beloved pistachio-colored bicycle back home to Saudi Arabia.
“They told me, ‘What will you do with it in Jeddah, hang it on the wall?’” she laughed, referring to her hometown on the Red Sea coast.
Riding in public was unthinkable at the time in the Kingdom, where religious police patrolled public spaces to enforce modest dress, prayer-time store closures and the mixing of unrelated men and women.
Fast forward three years and Amirah is riding regularly on the seaside corniche, alone or with her husband and children.
On the bike, the 30-year-old wears an abaya, the loose-fitting, full-length robe symbolic of religious faith and still required public dress for Saudi women.
But instead of traditional black, she chooses from a range of pastels she designed herself, trimmed with lace and sporting patches of bright colors.
“Jeddah today isn’t the same as Jeddah five, six years ago,” she said.
“The scrutiny on clothes (has eased), there’s more places to go, working opportunities for women are the same as for men.”
Saudi Arabia is now changing by the day.
Under a reform program aimed at modernizing the kingdom and transforming its economy away from oil, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has eased social restrictions, sponsoring public concerts and ending a nearly 40-year ban on commercial cinemas.
The government has also announced plans to allow women to drive cars starting this summer, and Amirah is raring to hit the road.
“It’s not like I want to drive just because I want to drive,” she said. “It’s a need.”
The mother of two has a full-time job teaching graphic design at Jeddah International College and freelances on the side. Selling her homemade abayas brings her fulfilment and a little extra income.
Fluent in English, Arabic and Turkish and trained in ballet, Amirah is part of a young generation of Saudi women seizing new opportunities in spite of a guardianship system that still requires women to have a male relative’s approval for certain key decisions like traveling abroad.
In her spare time, she does yoga and trains at a Crossfit studio.
Yet she realizes that not all women in this country of 32 million have the same opportunities.
“There’s a change, that’s true, but I’m talking about something very minuscule,” she said. “I don’t know about other places, other cities. I’m just talking about Jeddah,” she said.
Cycling in Jeddah: Saudi women embrace change
Cycling in Jeddah: Saudi women embrace change
- Riding in public was unthinkable at the time in Saudi Arabia
- Saudi Arabia is now changing by the day
Madinah culinary arts club hosts Cooking Challenge 2 as part of winter events
- Event celebrated the distinctive culinary heritage of Madinah while enhancing the skills of local chefs
MADINAH: The Culinary Arts and Hospitality Club in Madinah on Wednesday hosted Cooking Challenge 2 as part of its winter activities in the region.
The event celebrated the distinctive culinary heritage of Madinah while enhancing the skills of local chefs, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
From a pool of 350 club members, two contestants were selected to compete in preparing Madinah’s traditional kabli dish, which was judged by a panel of experts.
The evaluation criteria included taste, adherence to food health and safety protocols, professional safety standards, creativity and innovation, quality standards, and mastery of cooking techniques.
The challenge featured Chef Alaa Al-Ahmadi and Chef Asmaa Al-Attas with the latter emerging as the winner.
Chef Enayat Khan, head of the Culinary Arts and Hospitality Club in Madinah, explained that the club’s mission is to unite chefs in Madinah under one platform to exchange knowledge and expertise.
A key focus is preserving traditional Madinah dishes as well as Saudi cuisine as a whole.
Khan highlighted the club’s diverse pool of national talent, encompassing professionals and passionate amateurs, and expressed the club’s ambition to display Madinah’s culinary excellence on the global stage.
Chef Abdul Wahab Al-Dawi, director of public relations and marketing at the Culinary Arts Club, emphasized the richness and diversity of Saudi cuisine, shaped by the Kingdom’s geography and the integration of animal, marine, and agricultural products.
He noted that Saudi cuisine has made a notable impact at international exhibitions, reflecting its growing global recognition.
He said the club continues to host culinary events aimed at enhancing the skills of aspiring chefs, nurturing culinary talent, and discovering new creators in the Madinah region.
Saudi initiative launches pioneering care center for people with disabilities
- Integrated residential care facility is expected to serve over 280 beneficiaries annually
- Project designed to serve as model for development of similar facilities
RIYADH: A Saudi social care project worth SR83 million ($22.1 million) is set to transform support services for people with disabilities in Saudi Arabia’s Qassim Region after a trilateral agreement was signed on Thursday.
The Sakhaa Program, the Abdulaziz Al-Ohali Charitable Foundation, and the Onaizah Association for Development and Human Services, known as Taheel, have joined forces to establish an integrated residential care facility which is expected to serve over 280 beneficiaries annually, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The initiative aligns with the program’s efforts to support the community through creating sustainable development opportunities and enabling benefactors to actively participate in achieving social and economic development in the Kingdom.
Deputy Secretary-General Nasser bin Mohammed Asiri signed on behalf of the Sakhaa Program, alongside Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al-Ohali, chairman of the Al-Ohali Foundation’s board of trustees, and Musaad bin Yahya Al-Saleem, vice chairman of Taheel Association.
The memorandum of understanding outlines an ambitious project to establish a center that will provide a comprehensive and supportive environment to meet the needs of people with disabilities, according to the SPA.
The facility will offer integrated services, including full residential care supported by specialized rehabilitation programs, comprehensive healthcare covering both therapeutic and preventive aspects, as well as recreational and educational activities to enhance residents’ social and psychological well-being, ensuring their independence and enabling active community participation.
The project’s funding model combines government support, community contributions, and nominal fees to ensure sustainable, high-quality care delivery. Infrastructure development, equipment, and operational costs are included in the total investment.
The project is designed to serve as a model for developing similar centers in the future, the SPA added.
AI cannot replace human creativity in literature, expert says
- Dr. Anas Al-Ghamdi: Certain fields will benefit by using AI, but it cannot create great literature
- Al-Ghamdi: When you read a text translated by a machine, you feel the translator’s feelings, not the writer’s
JEDDAH: Artificial intelligence cannot replace the creativity of human beings in literature, according to an expert attending the Jeddah Book Fair 2024.
Dr. Anas Al-Ghamdi, an academic, researcher and author specializing in AI, made the statement in a discussion during a symposium titled: “Artificial Intelligence and the Future of the Book.”
The session was moderated by Mohammed Basalama, an entrepreneur in the cultural sector, who opened the symposium by raising a few questions about the impact of artificial intelligence in the book sector, asking: Will AI be a partner that enhances creativity or a competitor that threatens the human values of literary texts?
He mentioned the main themes of the symposium, which included: the role of AI in improving writing and publishing, its impact on literary creativity and the human value of books, as well as the ethical and legal challenges related to the ownership of produced texts, in addition to using AI as a tool to enhance innovation rather than compete with it.
Al-Ghamdi replied by saying that no doubt AI has become an integral part of life and it can provide a huge amount of information to people in no time, but it cannot create special feelings and the free flow of imagination as human authors do in their writings.
“If we do not use it, others will. Of course, certain fields will benefit by using AI, but it cannot create great literature,” he said.
Al-Ghamdi said that there is a role for AI in enhancing the work of publishing houses by improving marketing, production, and sales.
But, he said, machine translation still suffers from emotional gaps, saying: “When you read a text translated by a machine, you feel the translator’s feelings, not the writer’s.”
The symposium explored how modern technology can reshape the writing and publishing experience, emphasizing the need to use AI as a tool to support human creativity.
It also discussed the ethical and professional challenges related to the ownership of texts produced by AI, while presenting innovative visions for employing this technology to achieve a sustainable future that combines human creativity and technological innovation.
Al-Ghamdi affirmed that AI is not a substitute for human creativity, but a tool that can enrich this creativity if used properly.
European Muslims arrive in Madinah
- The Ministry of Islamic Affairs received the pilgrims, who come from 14 different countries
- The 250-strong group will visit the Prophet’s Mosque and tour historic sites
RIYADH: A new group of Muslim pilgrims arrived in the holy city of Madinah from Europe on Thursday to perform Umrah as part of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Guests Program for Hajj, Umrah and Visit.
The Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Dawah and Guidance, which supervises the program, received the 250 visitors, who come from 14 different countries. The ministry will provide the group services during their stay.
As well as visiting the Prophet’s Mosque and Quba Mosque the pilgrims will tour historic sites including the King Fahd Glorious Qur'an Printing Complex, the Uhud Martyrs’ Cemetery, and the International Fair and Museum of the Prophet’s Biography and Islamic Civilization.
They will then head to the holy city of Makkah to perform Umrah rituals.
Australian deputy PM highlights Saudi Arabia’s strategic importance during visit
DUABI: Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Richard Donald Marles underlined the importance of Saudi Arabia as a key partner for Australia, highlighting its position as the country’s second-largest trading partner in the Middle East.
In a statement issued by his office on Thursday, Marles said his visit to Saudi Arabia is focused on enhancing cooperation within the G20 framework and other multilateral institutions, as well as reaffirming Australia’s commitment to a rules-based global order.
Marles described Saudi Arabia as a pivotal partner in addressing shared global challenges, emphasizing the significance of deepening economic and diplomatic ties. He added that the visit offers an opportunity to explore new avenues for collaboration and strengthen the relationship between the two countries.
