Visitors see AlUla in new light during nighttime tours

Queen Shaklith Historical Re-enactment play taking place to familiarize the audience with Nabatean history (AN photo by Huda Bashatah)
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Updated 09 November 2021
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Visitors see AlUla in new light during nighttime tours

  • Ancient monuments illuminated as part of 4-week Hegra After Dark program
  • Up to 3,000 battery operated candle lights have been set up around the historic site

AlUla: Visitors to the ancient sites of AlUla are being offered the chance to see the Saudi destination in a whole new light — through a series of illuminated nighttime tours.

Tourism chiefs at the UNESCO World Heritage Site have launched a four-week program titled Hegra After Dark, allowing visits to some of the area’s most significant monuments.
The Royal Commission for AlUla came up with the idea for the star-lit trips while conducting tourist research during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic lockdown period.
Andrew Hall, the commission’s executive director for site and asset management, told Arab News: “COVID-19 has affected us in the past year. We have learned a lot about the sites over that time, and also learned that people like to visit places at night.




Hegra site illuminated with 2000-3000 electric candles (AN photo by Huda Bashatah)

“I think this is the first time we have activated it on a major scale, especially at Hegra. People get a different feeling of the place, and it is part of a strategy to attract people back for second visits.”
As part of the Awaken the Senses attraction, up to 3,000 battery operated candle lights have been set up around the tomb at Hegra to give onlookers a fresh perspective on the historic site.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Tourism chiefs at the UNESCO World Heritage Site have launched a four-week program titled Hegra After Dark, allowing visits to some of the area’s most significant monuments.

• Tourists arriving after sunset are greeted by people dressed in traditional clothing before going on to explore the grounds and then being served with warm Nabataean drinks made from locally grown ingredients.

Hall said: “Awaken the Senses is a way to visit, relax, and enjoy the ambiance in a beautifully lit-up place. The lights create a wonderful atmosphere; we don’t do heavy explanations or anything like that, we just want it to be a place of contemplation.”
By illuminating the heritage sites, officials hope to heighten the natural senses of visitors, helping them to experience what it must have like living there for the ancient Nabataeans.
Tourists arriving after sunset are greeted by people dressed in traditional clothing before going on to explore the grounds and then being served with warm Nabataean drinks made from locally grown ingredients.




Queen Shaklith Historical Re-enactment play taking place to familiarize the audience with Nabatean history (AN photo by Huda Bashatah)

Khulood Ahmad, a journalist visiting the site, said she had noticed a big difference from her previous trip to AlUla in 2018.
“It is very different from how you would see it during the daytime. The best way I can describe these sites at night is by saying that they are poetic. The weather made the experience so much better,” she added.
To add to the atmosphere, actors also perform a play about Nabataean history and the reign of Queen Shaqilat, a warrior empress, telling how the land and its people became prosperous as migrants were drawn to the oasis from other countries.




Queen Shaklith Historical Re-enactment play taking place to familiarize the audience with Nabatean history (AN photo by Huda Bashatah)

Battle scenes are also re-enacted, and visitors are led to Al-Farid Palace where they learn about the importance of the stars and night sky to the Nabataeans.
“It has come a long way and I can really see the effort put into every single detail of AlUla, from the hotels and food to the sites. I can also see the amazing opportunities on the horizon for the people of AlUla.
“It brings me joy to see the openness in AlUla that will give the locals a chance to show their land,” Ahmad said.


Henan University boosts academic ties with visit to KAU

Updated 4 sec ago
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Henan University boosts academic ties with visit to KAU

  • Delegation met KAU’s Acting Vice President Prof. Hana Abdullah Al-Nuaim to discuss strategies for joint initiatives in research, training and education
  • Visiting delegation commending KAU’s state-of-the-art research and training capabilities

JEDDAH: A delegation from Henan University in China visited King Abdulaziz University, or KAU, in Jeddah on Wednesday to explore opportunities for strengthening academic collaboration.

During their visit, the delegation met KAU’s Acting Vice President Prof. Hana Abdullah Al-Nuaim, to discuss strategies for joint initiatives in research, training and education.

The Chinese delegation toured several facilities at KAU, including the King Faisal Convention Center, the Central Library and the Sports Village. Their visit also included the Chinese Culture and Science Institute, a bridge for cultural and knowledge exchange between the Kingdom and China.

The visiting delegation expressed their admiration for the academic standards of KAU, commending its state-of-the-art research and training capabilities.

They underscored the importance of the visit in deepening academic collaboration between the two universities and facilitating the exchange of expertise and knowledge across academic and research domains.


Saudi reforms have ‘reinforced unwavering principles of justice, equality,’ says HRC president

Updated 3 min 20 sec ago
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Saudi reforms have ‘reinforced unwavering principles of justice, equality,’ says HRC president

  • Since Vision 2030 launched, Kingdom has ‘witnessed unprecedented openness’: Hala bint Mazyad Al-Tuwaijri
  • ‘Number of women serving as chairpersons or vice-chairpersons of boards reached 327, and the number of women board members reached 1005,’ delegation says

GENEVA: Saudi Arabia has implemented sustained reforms that have reinforced its unwavering principles of justice and equality, the president of the Kingdom’s Human Rights Commission said on Wednesday.
Since the launch of Vision 2030, the Kingdom has “witnessed unprecedented openness to diverse races, cultures and religions,” said Hala bint Mazyad Al-Tuwaijri.
She is heading the Kingdom’s delegation to the 114th session of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination in Geneva, Saudi Press Agency reported.
Al-Tuwaijri said: “The Kingdom’s territory is now home to over 13 million residents of more than 60 nationalities, constituting over 40 percent of the population.”
She added that these residents enjoy equal rights and protection from racial discrimination.
The HRC chief highlighted the issuance and amendment of regulations promoting protection from discrimination.
She said that national policy to encourage equal opportunities and treatment in employment and occupation is a key initiative to eliminate labor market discrimination.
Al-Tuwaijri highlighted national policy to prevent child labor. She also pointed to the establishment of labor courts as a qualitative advancement in the realm of labor justice.
The late King Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman established the Kingdom on the bedrock principles of justice, equality and the rejection of racism and discrimination, she said.
Under the Saudi leadership, a contemporary interpretation of these steadfast principles has led to the development of a comprehensive legislative, institutional and judicial framework to combat racism and racial discrimination, she added.
Meanwhile, a statement issued by the Saudi delegation to the CERD session said that many regulations and bylaws in the Kingdom have been amended to achieve equality between men and women.
These include the Travel Documents Law, Civil Status Law, Labor Law and Social Insurance Law.
As a result, by the third quarter of 2024, women’s participation in the labor market reached 35.4 percent, with a change rate of 108 percent since 2017, surpassing Vision 2030 targets, the statement said.
“The number of women serving as chairpersons or vice-chairpersons of boards reached 327, and the number of women board members reached 1005. Women held 43.8 percent of mid and senior management positions in the private sector.
“The number of female ambassadors abroad stood at six, with 204 female diplomats and 246 women working in international institutions abroad,” the statement said.


Saudi interior minister, Algerian president hold meeting

Saudi Interior Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz met Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune in Algiers
Updated 19 min 47 sec ago
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Saudi interior minister, Algerian president hold meeting

RIYADH: Saudi Interior Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz met Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune on Thursday.

During the meeting at the presidential palace in Algiers, they reviewed Saudi-Algerian relations and security cooperation between the two countries, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

Prince Abdulaziz passed on the best wishes of King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and expressed hope for Algeria's “continued success and prosperity.”


Saudi Arabia, Brazil partner on space technology

Updated 28 November 2024
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Saudi Arabia, Brazil partner on space technology

  • Scheme will promote the sustainable use of orbital resources and enable the use of modern technologies in space data analysis
  • Forms part of the commission’s efforts to enhance international partnerships and leverage its expertise in communications, space and technology

RIYADH: The Saudi Communications, Space and Technology Commission has launched an initiative for a research study in space sustainability in collaboration with Brazil’s National Telecommunications Agency.

It is the result of a previous agreement between the two parties.

The scheme will promote the sustainable use of orbital resources and enable the use of modern technologies in space data analysis.

It was launched on the platform of the 2024 International Forum on Non-Terrestrial Networks, where Mohammed bin Saud Al-Tamimi, governor of the commission, invited the international community to take part and support research on space sustainability for the benefit of future generations.

The scheme is part of the commission’s efforts to enhance international partnerships and leverage its expertise in communications, space and technology.


Saudi FM meets with GCC ministers ahead of Supreme Council session in Kuwait

Updated 28 November 2024
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Saudi FM meets with GCC ministers ahead of Supreme Council session in Kuwait

  • Israeli military campaign in Gaza, ceasefire in Lebanon is discussed during a preparatory GCC ministerial meeting
  • Saudi ambassador to Kuwait attended meeting

RIYADH: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan took part on Thursday in a preparatory ministerial meeting ahead of a GCC Supreme Council session due to take place in Kuwait on Sunday.

The meeting was chaired by Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Abdullah Al-Yahya, Saudi Press Agency reported.

Prince Faisal discussed with his counterparts the latest developments in regional and international issues, including the Israeli military campaign in the Gaza Strip, achieving a comprehensive solution to the Palestinian issue and the ceasefire deal between Israel and Lebanon.

The GCC ministers also discussed the progress in implementing the decisions agreed upon during the former 44th session of the GCC Supreme Council, as well as dialogue and strategic cooperation among GCC members and international organizations.

Prince Sultan bin Saad, Saudi ambassador to Kuwait; Abdulrahman Al-Rassi, Saudi undersecretary of multilateral international affairs; Mohammed Al-Yahya, an adviser to Prince Faisal; Walid Al-Samaeel, the director-general of Prince Faisal’s office; and Anas Al-Wassidi, the director of the GCC department in the Foreign Ministry, attended the meeting.

Prince Faisal will attend on Sunday the 45th session of the GCC Supreme Council in Kuwait City. The session will include leaders and top officials from GCC countries, including Oman, Qatar, the UAE and Bahrain.

Earlier on Thursday, Prince Faisal was received at Kuwait International Airport by his Kuwaiti counterpart; Prince Sultan; and the secretary general of the GCC, Jasem Al-Budaiwi.