All eyes on Riyadh bid for World Expo 2030 as Saudi Pavilion in Dubai holds closing ceremony

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Updated 29 March 2022
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All eyes on Riyadh bid for World Expo 2030 as Saudi Pavilion in Dubai holds closing ceremony

  • Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman announced Saudi bid to host Expo 2030 last year
  • Saudi Arabia has already won multiple international endorsements for its formal bid

DUBAI: Saudi Arabia’s award-winning pavilion held its closing ceremony at Expo 2020 Dubai’s Opportunity District on Monday night, after organizing workshops, shows and exhibitions for six consecutive months during which the Kingdom’s culture, development and investment potential were in the international limelight.

As the Arab region’s first ever World Expo draws to a close this week, Saudi Arabia has emerged as a strong contender to host Expo 2030, having already won multiple international endorsements for its formal bid launched late last year.

The consensus view is that the combination of a record-breaking pavilion and attention-grabbing program of events at Expo 2020 Dubai has greatly strengthened Saudi Arabia’s case for hosting the prestigious global event in its capital, Riyadh, in 2030.

“For Saudi Arabia, Expo 2020 Dubai provided a major and highly visible platform to highlight the exciting opportunities and experiences available in the Kingdom, especially as it opens up to the world at an unprecedented scale,” Hussain Hanbazazah, the Saudi pavilion’s commissioner general, told Arab News.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman announced the Saudi bid to host Expo 2030 in October last year and the Kingdom submitted its formal application in December to the Bureau International des Expositions, the organization behind the expo.

In its presentation to the BIE in December, Saudi Arabia outlined bold plans to transform Riyadh and the rest of the country into a world-class venue for global connectivity, culture and climate action.

Saudi Arabia’s bid is based on the theme “The Era of Change: Leading the Planet to a Foresighted Tomorrow.” If the Kingdom is successful, the expo would take place in Riyadh from Oct. 1, 2030, to April 1, 2031.

“The BIE is pleased to receive this letter of candidature from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the fifth country to seek the organization of World Expo 2030,” Dimitri S. Kerkentzes, secretary general of the BIE, said upon receiving the formal application from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

He added: “The strong interest in hosting World Expo 2030 attests to the global desire to reconnect with each other and to build a future that is more sustainable, by fostering innovation and cooperation.”

As part of the Saudi bid, Fahd Al-Rasheed, CEO of the Royal Commission for Riyadh City, announced in December last year that the Kingdom plans to build one of the world’s biggest public transport networks, establish a green space in the heart of the city that is four times the size of New York City’s Central Park, plant 15 million trees, and turn the Saudi capital’s streets into works of art.

“The transformation is not occurring only in Riyadh, it is sweeping the country,” Al-Rasheed said. “Riyadh will be more than ready to host the World Expo. It will be a perfect manifestation of what the World Expo aims to achieve to bring together the world’s best minds, ideas and solutions.”

Central to Riyadh’s urban redevelopment plan is sustainability, according to Al-Rasheed, with environmental preservation and the goal of cutting carbon emissions by half in less than a decade at the forefront of the project.

“As a first time competitor, Saudi Arabia’s candidature represents an important and symbolic challenge for our nation and one that we will embrace with full commitment,” he said.

Five countries, including Saudi Arabia, Italy, South Korea, Russia and Ukraine, are in the running to host the event. Many believe that owing to the conflict in Ukraine and the package of stringent sanctions placed by Western countries on Russia, it is unlikely that the latter two will succeed in their bids.

Saudi Arabia has already won significant backing for its expo bid. In November, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation pledged its support for the Kingdom’s application.

Since then, several African nations have also registered their support for the Saudi bid, including Djibouti, Morocco, Mauritania and Zambia.

Saudi Arabia first participated in a World Expo in 1958 when the event was hosted in the Belgian capital, Brussels. It has actively participated in World and Specialized Expos ever since.

The Kingdom’s enthusiasm and engagement in these events has not gone unnoticed. At a Specialized Expo 2008 in the Spanish city of Zaragoza, Saudi Arabia was handed a silver award for its pavilion design. This was topped two years later with a gold award at the World Expo 2010 Shanghai in China.

The tradition of World Expos began in London in 1851 with the Great Exhibition — a monumental celebration of scientific and technological advancement, but also a fascinating display of curiosities from around the world, reflecting an age of accelerating transport and communications, and seemingly boundless potential.

Since then, World Expos have been occasions to share and celebrate the innovations and discoveries of the day, while also reflecting on the shared challenges facing humanity in the hope of identifying shared solutions. The next World Expo is due to be held in Osaka, Japan, in 2025.

These global events, which are held roughly every five years and take place over a period of six months, take visitors on immersive journeys built around a common theme. Welcoming tens of millions of visitors, World Expos allow participating countries to build extraordinary pavilions, transforming host cities for years to come.

By all accounts, Expo 2020 Dubai has been a resounding success, drawing some 10 million visitors to the UAE’s biggest city since the event opened on Oct. 1 last year. By March 25, the Saudi Pavilion alone had welcomed some 4.6 million visitors, including 7,566 school visits.

The pavilion hosted more than 230 unique programs, including 35 that were tailored specifically towards children to teach them about Saudi history and culture in a playful and engaging setting.

The pavilion also hosted 11 business programs with the objective of driving growth and investment, while also promoting tourism and entertainment opportunities in the Kingdom. Several of these events were co-curated with other pavilions with the aim of building cross-cultural bridges and identifying common commercial interests.

Central to the Saudi pavilion’s events and exhibits, and key to its bid to host Expo 2030, are the objectives of the Kingdom’s economic and social reform agenda, Vision 2030.

“Expo 2020 Dubai is the first expo that Saudi Arabia has participated in since the launch of Vision 2030, our national transformation strategic framework, which is ushering in big changes in our country,” said Hanbazazah.

The agenda, launched by the crown prince in 2016, aims to transform Saudi Arabia into a global investment powerhouse, to diversify its economy away from oil and to embrace sustainable high-tech industries with the ultimate aim of becoming the world’s 15th largest economy by the end of the decade.

The jewels in Vision 2030’s crown are undoubtedly the Kingdom’s new giga-projects, from the Red Sea Project, a luxury sustainable tourism development taking shape on the Kingdom’s west coast, to NEOM, the clean energy-driven smart city of the future under construction in the Kingdom’s northwest.

To promote these investment opportunities, the Saudi pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai included a “Business Park,” an innovative platform connecting investors from around the world to forge partnerships and discuss opportunities, and a “Discovery Center,” where visitors were invited to learn more about the Saudi economy, its competitiveness and the unprecedented reforms that have taken place in the Kingdom.

“We are very proud that our national pavilion was very popular, with one in every four Expo visitors visiting our pavilion,” said Hanbazazah.

“We invite everyone who hasn’t visited it yet to come and live the experience for themselves before the expo closes its doors on March 31.”


Muslim pilgrims pray at Mount Arafat in Hajj apex

Updated 56 min 32 sec ago
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Muslim pilgrims pray at Mount Arafat in Hajj apex

  • Some pilgrims arrive early to take advantage of the relatively cool morning
  • Authorities have mobilized more than 40 government agencies and 250,000 officials

MOUNT ARAFAT, Saudi Arabia: Muslim pilgrims prayed atop Mount Arafat on Thursday during the high point of the annual Hajj pilgrimage, as Saudi officials called on participants to refrain from being outside during the hottest hours of the day.

Thousands of pilgrims began to gather before dawn around the hill and the surrounding plain where the Prophet Mohammed is believed to have given his last sermon.

While some arrived early to take advantage of the relatively cool morning, carrying colorful umbrellas, many pilgrims will remain for hours of prayers and Qur’an recitals until the evening in the most arduous portion of the Hajj.

After sunset they will head to Muzdalifah, halfway between Arafat and the sprawling tent city of Mina, where they will gather pebbles so they can perform the symbolic “stoning of the devil.”

PHOTO GALLERY: Pilgrims pray at Mount Arafat for Hajj 2025

“This is something that I used to see every year on the TV screen during Hajj and I always thought: ‘I wish I could be here’,” said 33-year-old Ali from Pakistan, one of 1.5 million pilgrims who had arrived in Saudi Arabia for the pilgrimage.

“I’ve been trying to get here... for the past 3 years,” he added as he gazed at the mount. “I feel very blessed.”

Hundreds of pilgrims dressed in white dotted the mount itself, with many more at its foot praying or taking pictures.

Earlier this week, Saudi authorities called on pilgrims to stay inside their tents between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, when the desert sun is at its harshest.

Fans spraying mist and providing cool air were dispersed at the foot of the mount.

Temperatures this year have already exceeded 40° Celsius (104° Fahrenheit) as one of the world’s largest annual religious gatherings, bringing together devotees from around the globe, kicked off earlier this week.

“I came here early to (avoid) the sun and later I will pray inside my tent,” said 54-year-old Adel Ismail, from Syria.

To make this year’s pilgrimage safer, authorities have expanded infrastructure, deployed thousands of extra personnel and relied on an arsenal of high-tech tools to help better manage crowds.

Authorities have mobilized more than 40 government agencies and 250,000 officials, doubling their efforts against heat-related illness.

Shaded areas have been expanded by 50,000 square meters (12 acres), thousands more medics will be on standby, and more than 400 cooling units will be deployed, the Hajj minister has said.

Through tears of joy, Iman Abdel Khaleq said she had wanted to perform the Hajj for 10 years and was overwhelmed with emotion as she arrived at Arafat.

“It’s a big dream for me that I had almost given hope up of realizing,” the woman in her fifties said from the foot of the mount.


Historic Egyptian Hajj Road is a legacy of faith

Updated 25 min 59 sec ago
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Historic Egyptian Hajj Road is a legacy of faith

  • Connected Islamic world with Makkah and Madinah
  • Currently on UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List

CAIRO: The Egyptian Hajj Road is recognized by historians and travelers as one of the most important pilgrimage and trade arteries connecting the Islamic world to the Arabian Peninsula.

Used by pilgrims since the dawn of Islam, this route transcends mere religious significance, embodying a rich cultural, civilizational, and archaeological legacy, the Saudi Press Agency reported recently.

Its importance has earned it a place on the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List, which is a precursor to the World Heritage List.

Saudi Arabia made its submission in 2015, in which it outlined the route linking Egypt to Makkah and Madinah.

Map showing land and sea routes of the Hajj in the early 20th century. (Courtesy of AramcoWorld)

The document states that the route “benefited pilgrims coming from Egypt, Sudan, Central Africa, Morocco, Andalusia and Sicily, as they meet in Egypt, then travel through Sinai to Aqaba then march across two trails.”

The road starts from the town of Haqel on the Gulf of Aqaba and ends in Makkah.

Several Muslim rulers over the centuries established structures on the road including pools, canals, wells, barricades, bridges, castles, forts and mosques, the document stated.

And “on the road near the camps are numerous Islamic inscriptions and commemorative writings, engraved by pilgrims as they passed through the road.”

It also noted that rulers and wealthy patrons built caravanserais, supplied water and provided protection along these roads to Makkah and Madinah to ease the pilgrims’ journey.

“Individual Muslims, in the name of charity, helped others to make the journey,” it added.

Historians have divided the ancient Egyptian Hajj Road into four chronological periods.

The first period from about the year 1150 featured both overland and coastal routes to the Arabian Peninsula.

The second from 1042 to 1268 had the North Sinai passageway ended and pilgrims opting for sea travel from Egypt to Jeddah.

The third from 1269 to 1884 had pilgrims reverting to using the coastal overland route.

The fourth period, from 1884 to contemporary times, marked the discontinuation of the overland route, replaced first by sea travel from Suez, and subsequently by air travel to Jeddah.

Used by pilgrims since the dawn of Islam, this route transcends mere religious significance, embodying a rich cultural, civilizational, and archaeological legacy.  (SPA)

The route’s importance for pilgrims from Africa and the Maghreb is particularly notable.

Caravans from Moroccan cities including Marrakech, Fez and Sale, sometimes including pilgrims from Senegal, would travel either by land along the Mediterranean or by sea.

These caravans would then converge with pilgrims from Algeria, Tunisia and Libya, passing through cities including Mahdia, Sfax, Sousse, Tripoli, Barqa and Tobruk.

They would then cross Egyptian land, often along the coast, to reach Alexandria and Rashid.

From there, pilgrims would take Nile boats to Cairo, joining the Egyptian Hajj caravan at modern-day Al-Baraka. The combined caravans would then continue by land to Suez.

From Suez, pilgrims either continued the land route through Sinai and along the Red Sea to Jeddah, or sailed across the Red Sea to Jeddah, then proceeded by land to Madinah and Makkah.


Saudi interior minister inspects Hajj preparedness at holy sites

Updated 05 June 2025
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Saudi interior minister inspects Hajj preparedness at holy sites

RIYADH: Saudi interior minister conducted a field tour on Wednesday to inspect the readiness of the Al-Mashaaer Al-Mugaddassah (Holy Sites) Metro Line as pilgrims move to the holy site of Arafat.

Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud, who also heads the Supreme Hajj Committee, was briefed on the mechanisms of dispatching and scheduling train trips, in full integration with the relevant security and regulatory authorities, ensuring smooth operations and the safety of pilgrims the Saudi Press Agency said.

The minister boarded a train ride to the Mina 3 (Jamarat) Station, where he inspected the station’s readiness and facilities to receive pilgrims. 

The metro line is a high-capacity rail system in Makkah that operates for only seven days a year, during Hajj, as a shuttle service to take pilgrims to and from holy sites. It has a capacity of up to 72,000 passengers per hour. 

Prince Abdulaziz also visited the Facilities Security Forces, who regulate pedestrian movement and crowd management in the areas surrounding the metro stations, and was briefed on the forces’ plans and role in supporting and assisting the Hajj Security Forces. 


Saudi Press Agency launches Saudi Photo Platform to expand global access to visual archive

Updated 04 June 2025
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Saudi Press Agency launches Saudi Photo Platform to expand global access to visual archive

  • Was unveiled during second edition of the Hajj Media Forum

MAKKAH: Saudi Arabia’s minister of media and chairman of the Saudi Press Agency, Salman bin Yousef Al-Dosari, on Wednesday launched the Saudi Photo Platform, a new digital initiative designed to offer free access to SPA’s vast archive of authenticated images.

Unveiled during the second edition of the Hajj Media Forum at the Makkah Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s Exhibition and Events Center, the platform will allow users worldwide to browse, use, and share images under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License.

The forum was attended by local and international media representatives.

Acting SPA President Ali bin Abdullah Al-Zaid said the platform reflected its strategy to make its visual archive more widely available to content creators around the globe, while preserving intellectual property rights and promoting creativity in a regulated digital environment.

He added that launching the platform from Makkah held symbolic significance, reinforcing the city’s historic role in conveying Saudi Arabia’s message to the world, and said it marked an important step toward enhancing the Kingdom’s visual presence in the digital space.

The Saudi Photo Platform, which can be reached on cc.spa.gov.sa, features high-resolution images, sorted by category and accompanied by detailed metadata, including event descriptions and publication dates.

The archive is continuously updated to document key national and international events, and the site is fully supported in both Arabic and English.

The initiative is part of SPA’s broader digital transformation agenda, aimed at modernizing publishing tools and fostering new partnerships with media outlets and online users worldwide, it said.


How NEOM is rewilding Saudi Arabia and reviving ancient falconry traditions

Updated 05 June 2025
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How NEOM is rewilding Saudi Arabia and reviving ancient falconry traditions

  • NEOM is combining heritage and science to protect biodiversity in one of Saudi Arabia’s most diverse landscapes
  • Falcons are returning to the wild thanks to efforts to revive their natural habitat and bolster their numbers

RIYADH: As the world marks World Environment Day, a global celebration of nature and a call to protect our planet, attention turns to an ecological transformation taking place in northwestern Saudi Arabia.

NEOM, the Kingdom’s futuristic megacity project, is rapidly becoming a haven for biodiversity — and at the heart of this effort is a renewed commitment to falcon conservation.

Under the banner of the Hadad Program, NEOM is working in partnership with the Saudi Falcons Club and other national entities to reintroduce native falcon species to the Arabian Peninsula, rebuild local ecosystems, and revive an ancient cultural tradition.

Under the Hadad program, NEOM, the Saudi Falcons Club have successfully released eight pairs of the very rare barbary falcon in NEOM's Nature Reserce.  (Supplied)

The work being done in NEOM is about more than saving birds; it is about restoring balance to a landscape often misunderstood as barren and bringing nature back to the center of modern development.

Since 1973, June 5 has been observed as World Environment Day. Led by the UN Environment Programme, it serves as a platform to raise awareness and prompt action on pressing environmental issues from climate change and pollution to biodiversity loss.

Announced in 2017 as part of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 reform agenda, NEOM is a $500 billion mega-project designed to reshape the future of urban living, sustainability and technology.

FASTFACT

• World Environment Day, held on June 5 since 1973, raises awareness on global issues like climate change and biodiversity loss.

Encompassing 26,500 square kilometers of mountains, desert, and coastline along the Red Sea, NEOM’s planners aim to build a zero-emission, high-tech region powered entirely by renewable energy.

Yet beyond the cities of the future lies a growing commitment to the past — particularly in preserving and restoring the Kingdom’s natural heritage.

This photo taken on April 19, 2024 shows Tarek Qaddumi (R), executive director of the Saudi Arabia mega-project NEOM, giving a briefing on NEOM sites at a visual culture exhibition in Hong Kong. (AFP/File)

“People tend to assume that this part of the world is an empty desert, but NEOM is stunning for its habitat diversity,” Paul Marshall, head of nature conservation at NEOM, told Arab News.

Indeed, NEOM’s terrain is anything but barren, from mountain peaks reaching 2,600 meters above sea level to oceanic depths plummeting 1.5 kilometers. In between are red sand deserts, canyons and caves, and spectacular shores with crystal-clear waters and coral reefs.

This biologically rich region is home to creatures great and small: from hyrax, ibex and oryx to hedgehogs, gazelles and a wide variety of birds and insects.

“From those plants we have insects and mammals. Then, we have the large mammals, of course,” Marshall said.

Paul Marshall, head of nature conservation at NEOM. (Supplied)

Before human encroachment, the region was even home to apex predators such as cheetahs, lynx and leopards. Now, through conservation, NEOM is seeking to recreate conditions that allow such species to return.

“For all of our biodiversity, it is still a fundamentally arid ecosystem,” he said. “The species here have adapted to survive with very low rainfall and because of that, they are able to thrive despite the conditions.”

The Hadad Program supports NEOM’s rewilding strategy by reintroducing native falcon species, most notably the lanner and barbary falcons. “This is a really exciting program,” Marshall said. “It is one of many programs we are doing to restore the full ecosystem in the NEOM area.”

NEOM and the Saudi Falcons Club signed a strategic partnership to enhance falcon habitats within NEOM's Nature Reserve during the Hadad Annual Meeting in November 2024. (SPA/File)

Despite the climatic conditions, several types of plants were able to grow and uniquely adapt to different parts of NEOM’s ecosystem.

“From those plants we have insects and mammals. Then, we have the large mammals, of course,” he said.

He added: “This is a really exciting program. It is one of many programs we are doing to restore the full ecosystem in the NEOM area.”

Falcons used to be widespread throughout the whole of the Arabian Peninsula. But, through a combination of hunting and capturing for sports, in many places, Marshall said, that these animals are hard to find. Today, efforts are underway to bring them back.

Under a partnership between NEOM and the Saudi Falcons, authorities hope to see native falcon species throughout the whole of the Arabian Peninsula. (NEOM photo)

With the rich habitat and the efforts to safeguard the falcons, they are creating an environment where the species can be released with the best chances of survival.

They successfully released eight pairs of barbary falcons, which are a very rare type; very few of them are left in the wild.

“We are committed to caring for falcons as a cultural and historical heritage and supporting all related activities through a set of regulations and organizational frameworks adopted by the club,” Talal Abdulaziz AlShammisi, CEO of the Saudi Falcons Club, told Arab News.

“This includes promoting and preserving falconry heritage, organizing falcon auctions, collaborating with universities, colleges, research centers and health institutions to conduct falcon-related studies and scientific research.”

Talal Abdulaziz AlShammisi, CEO of the Saudi Falcons Club 

Falconry is not just a pastime in Saudi Arabia; it is a centuries-old tradition deeply woven into the fabric of national identity.

“Falconry has been practiced by our ancestors across the deserts of the Kingdom for centuries and today the country is home to thousands of falcons and passionate falconers,” said AlShammisi.

“Local species such as the lanner falcon and the barbary falcon are native to the Saudi environment and hold significant ecological value as essential components of environmental balance.”

The barbary falcon, once on the brink of extinction in parts of the Arabian Peninsula, is now making a comeback. Thanks to the Hadad Program’s careful release, rehabilitation and monitoring strategies, the birds are beginning to reclaim their place in Saudi skies.

The initiative’s success is underpinned by a network of partnerships.

FASTFACT

26,500

Area (square kilometers) of NEOM spanning mountains, desert and Red Sea coastline.

NEOM is working with the Saudi National Center for Wildlife, the Saudi Falcon Club and the Special Forces for Environmental Security to monitor these falcons, to protect them and give them not only the best chances of survival but appearing and breeding.

Soon, the first new generation of barbary falcons is expected to hatch in NEOM.

While falcons are among the stars of NEOM’s rewilding efforts, the program goes much further. More than 1,100 animals once absent from the region — including oryx, ibex, mountain gazelles and sand gazelles — have been reintroduced to help restore a natural ecological balance.

More than 1,100 animals once absent from the region — including oryx, ibex, mountain gazelles and sand gazelles — have been reintroduced by Saudi Arabia's National Center for Wildlife to help restore a natural ecological balance. (SPA photos)

The reintroduction of different species of animals is not only a victory for biodiversity but also a chance to restore natural food chains and ecological interactions that sustained this environment for millennia.

With plans to extend across 95 percent of megacity project’s total land area, the NEOM Nature Reserve represents one of the most ambitious conservation zones in the world.

Through projects such as the Saudi Green Initiative and the Middle East Green Initiative, the Kingdom aims to plant billions of trees, reduce emissions, and protect vast swaths of land and sea.

As World Environment Day shines a spotlight on the urgent need to protect and restore our natural world, NEOM stands as a compelling example of how large-scale development and ecological stewardship can go hand in hand.