How heritage sites will make Saudi Arabia a magnet for cultural tourists

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AlUla, Saudi Arabia's leading heritage site, is a living museum that is home to ancient civilizations and archaeological wonders dating back 200,000 years. (Shutterstock)
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Updated 23 September 2022
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How heritage sites will make Saudi Arabia a magnet for cultural tourists

  • Each of the six World Heritage sites shows that Saudi roots run far deeper than many might have imagined
  • Carefully preserved and protected, Diriyah is the jewel in the crown of one of Saudi Arabia’s largest giga-projects

LONDON: Even as Saudi Arabia writes the next chapter in its story, defined by the ambition of its Vision 2030 blueprint for the future, it is rediscovering and embracing a past destined to play a central role as it opens up to the outside world.

Since 2008, Saudi Arabia has had no fewer major six sites of “outstanding universal value” inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage list.

There are 10 more on its Tentative List — properties being considered for nomination — including the Hejaz railway, three historic pilgrimage routes and the Al-Faw archaeological area at the northwestern edge of the Empty Quarter, a site of human occupation from prehistoric nomadic times to the growth of a thriving ancient caravan city in the second half of the first millennium B.C.

Certainly, there is no shortage of locations from which to choose for future nominations; there are more than 10,000 historical sites on Saudi Arabia’s National Antiquities Register. 




Diriyah served as the capital of the Emirate of Diriyah under the first Saudi dynasty from 1727 to 1818. (Supplied)

Each of the six World Heritage sites is one piece of a fascinating mosaic that shows not only that Saudi roots run far deeper than many might have imagined, but also that Saudi heritage is a vital component in the broad sweep of human history.

And this is living history. Each site will play — and in some cases is already playing — a crucial role in the opening up of the Kingdom as a destination for cultural tourists from around the world.

One of the most breathtaking of the UNESCO properties is the Hegra archaeological site, centerpiece of plans by the Royal Commission for AlUla to develop sensitively as a major destination more than 22,000 square kilometers of the spectacular landscape of the AlUla region, with its lush oasis valley and towering mountains. 

The jewel in AlUla’s crown is the ancient city of Hegra, the southern capital of the Nabataeans, who also built Petra in modern-day Jordan.




AlUla, Saudi Arabia's leading heritage site, is a living museum that is home to ancient civilizations and archaeological wonders dating back 200,000 years. (Supplied)

Yet the astonishing collection of over 100 hand-carved tombs, many with elaborate facades and inscriptions, cut into sandstone outcrops, is merely the tip of an archaeological iceberg.

There are currently a dozen international archaeology teams exploring the past cultures of AlUla and the nearby Harrat Khaybar volcanic field, from prehistory to the early 20th century. The astonishing volume of the finds they have already documented is prompting a radical rethinking of the prehistory of the Arabian Peninsula.

One team, from the University of Western Australia, has spent the past four years identifying and cataloging all the visible archaeology of AlUla county and the nearby Harrat Khaybar volcanic field. The tens of thousands of structures found, most between 4,000 and 7,000 years old, tell a story of a landscape and a climate that was once lush and temperate. 

In all, the Aerial Archaeology in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia project has identified 13,000 sites in AlUla and an extraordinary 130,000 in Khaybar county, dating from the Stone Age to the 20th century, with the vast majority from prehistory.

A “core” 3,300 square meter area of AlUla was surveyed separately by UK-based Oxford Archaeology which, working with staff and students of King Saud University in Riyadh, identified in excess of another 16,000 archaeological sites.




A panoramic view of the Dadan District, site of the ancient city of Dadan, a predecessor to Hegra.  (Supplied)

Dr. Hugh Thomas, a senior research fellow at the University of Western Australia, said that in the past archaeologists had concentrated on the Fertile Crescent. “But as we do more and more research, we’re realizing that there was so much more here than small, independent communities living on nothing much and not doing much in an arid area,” he told Arab News. 

“The reality in that in the Neolithic period, these areas were significantly greener, and there would have been really sizeable populations of people and herds of animals moving across these landscapes.”

Among the most intriguing finds cataloged by the AAKSA team are the mysterious mustatils — often huge, rectangular structures, built by an unknown prehistoric people over 8,000 years ago. Possibly unique to the Arabian Peninsula, they are thought to have had some kind of ritualistic purpose.

More than 1,600 are now known to exist across 300,000 square kilometers of northwestern Saudi Arabia, concentrated mainly in the vicinity of AlUla and Khaybar.

More evidence of Saudi Arabia’s prehistoric past can be found in the world’s largest and most impressive collections of Neolithic rock carvings, or petroglyphs, located at two sites 300 kilometers apart in the Hail province, together adopted by UNESCO as a World Heritage site in 2015. 




Camel and oryx images depicted on the vertical surface of Jabal Umm Sinman, in association with several Thamudic inscriptions, are found in Hail region in northern Saudi Arabia. (Supplied)

The first is at Jabal Umm Sinman, a rocky outcrop to the west of the modern town of Jubbah, the origin of which dates back to the dawn of Arab civilization, when the surrounding hills once overlooked a lake, lost beneath the sands of the Nefud desert some 6,000 years ago.

It was on the hills of Umm Sinman, in the words of the UNESCO nomination document, that the ancestors of today’s Saudis “left the marks of their presence, their religions, social, cultural, intellectual and philosophical perspectives of their beliefs about life and death, metaphysical and cosmological ideologies.”

The second site is at Jabal Al-Manjor and Jabal Raat, 220 kilometers southwest of Jubbah, near the village of Shuwaymis. 




The Cultural Rock Arts in Hima Najran consists of rock art images made over millennia ago by armies and travelers who passed this way along an ancient desert caravan route in the southwest of the country. (Supplied)

Together, the twin sites tell the story of over 9,000 years of human history, from the earliest pictorial records of hunting to the development of writing, religion and the domestication of animals including cattle, horses and camels.

The rock art in the Hail region is regarded as one of the world’s most significant collections, “visually stunning expressions of the human creative genius by world standards, comparable to the messages left by doomed civilizations in Mesoamerica or on Easter Island…of highest outstanding universal value.”




The Cultural Rock Arts in Hima Najran consists of rock art images made over millennia ago by armies and travelers who passed this way along an ancient desert caravan route in the southwest of the country. (Supplied)

Saudi Arabia’s other UNESCO sites include the most recently inscribed, the Hima Cultural Area, listed in 2021. It also consists of a substantial collection of rock art images made over 7,000 years ago by armies and travelers who passed this way along an ancient desert caravan route in the southwest of the country.

Historic Jeddah, inscribed by UNESCO in 2014, was established in the seventh century as the major port on the Red Sea and grew rapidly as the gateway for pilgrims to Makkah who arrived by sea. Jeddah, which developed into “a thriving multicultural centre” was “characterized by a distinctive architectural tradition, including tower houses built in the late 19th century by the city’s mercantile elites,” many of which can still be seen today. 




Jeddah's old village of Al Balad, one of the UNESCO world heritage sites in the Kingdom, is host to plenty of old buildings. (Shutterstock photo)

Al-Ahsa, a “serial cultural landscape” in the Eastern Province, is home to the world’s largest, and almost certainly oldest, oasis, a sprawling collection of 12 separate elements and 2.5 million palm trees scattered over a total area of 85 square kilometers.

Listed by UNESCO in 2018 as “an evolving cultural landscape,” Al-Ahsa “preserves material traces representative of all the stages of the oasis history, since its origins in the Neolithic to the present.”

Al-Ahsa, which lies between the rock desert of Al-Ghawar to the west and the sand dunes of the Al-Jafurah desert to the east, is associated with the Dilmun civilization that flourished in the third millennium B.C. in what is now eastern Saudi Arabia. Pottery finds from the Ubaid period, dating back roughly 7,000 years, also suggest the Al-Ahsa region may have been among the first in eastern Arabia to have been settled by humans.




Al-Ahsa governorate in the Eastern Province boasts of the largest date-palm oasis in the world. (Supplied)

Pride of place, in the hearts of Saudis at least, must go to the Turaif district of Diriyah, which is considered the birthplace of the Kingdom and was listed by UNESCO in 2010. 

Nestling in a bend of the Wadi Hanifah, a few kilometers northwest of the modern metropolis of Riyadh, are the preserved remains of a breathtaking collection of mud-brick palaces, houses and mosques, “the pre-eminent example of Najdi architectural style, a significant constructive tradition that developed in central Arabia…and [contributed] to the world’s cultural diversity.”

First settled by the ancestors of the House of Saud in the 15th century, the oasis of Diriyah became the capital of the First Saudi State, established in 1744.

Diriyah was destroyed in 1818 after a six-year campaign by a vengeful Ottoman Empire, alarmed by the challenge posed by the First Saudi State to its grip on Arabia and the Holy cities of Makkah and Madinah.

Ultimately, it was Al-Saud that would prevail, as history relates. In 1902, Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman Al-Saud, better known to the wider world as Ibn Saud, famously recaptured Riyadh, going on to unite the kingdoms of Nejd and Hejaz in 1932 as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. 




Diriyah, where the first Saudi state was founded 300 years ago, is being developed as an iconic tourist destination. (Supplied)

The Turaif district of nearby Diriyah, left in ruins by the Ottomans, would never be occupied again. Carefully preserved and protected, however, it is now the jewel in the crown of one of Saudi Arabia’s largest giga-projects — the development of the wider area by the Diriyah Gate Development Authority as “one of the most amazing cultural gathering places in the world.”

The $50 billion plan to transform Diriyah into a global historical, cultural and lifestyle destination will create 55,000 job opportunities and attract 27 million visitors every year. They will be able to immerse themselves in the history and culture of a kingdom that, in less than 300 years, has grown from an idea born in a small desert community to become one of the world’s most influential nations.

Awaiting visitors on the site of 7 square kilometers will be museums, galleries, world-class hotels, restaurants, shops, homes and educational and cultural facilities, all created in the traditional Najdi architectural style.

But at its heart will be Turaif, which, like so many of Saudi Arabia’s historic sites, is a priceless piece of the past now helping to shape the Kingdom’s future.


How Saudi Arabia is using innovation, research, and regulation to turn waste into a circular economy success

Updated 05 July 2025
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How Saudi Arabia is using innovation, research, and regulation to turn waste into a circular economy success

  • Engineering, AI and cross-sector partnerships are driving sustainable solutions to manage 110 million tons of waste annually
  • New laws, financial incentives and rising investor interest are reshaping the Kingdom’s waste management and recycling landscape

RIYADH: As Saudi Arabia accelerates toward a circular economy under Vision 2030, experts say universities, research institutions, and business leaders are playing a crucial role in developing innovative waste management solutions that align with national sustainability goals.

In early 2024, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture announced a waste management plan aiming to recycle up to 95 percent of waste and add SR120 billion ($31.99 billion) to the Kingdom’s gross domestic product.

Saudi Arabia generates more than 110 million tons of waste each year, much of it originating from cities like Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dammam. Its waste management market is projected to grow from $5.97 billion in 2025 to $8.72 billion by 2030, according to Mordor Intelligence.

To meet this challenge, academic partnerships, regulatory reforms and emerging technologies are coming together to reshape the sector, Sultan Al-Muaythir, chairman of the civil engineering department at Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University, told Arab News.

Forming knowledge-sharing agreements with leading countries in waste management, he said, is a strategic step toward building a sustainable, locally adapted system that draws on global best practices and aligns with Saudi Arabia’s circular economy ambitions.

To drive innovation in the sector, Al-Muaythir emphasized the importance of interdisciplinary support. Fields like civil engineering, landfill and waste management, geotechnical engineering, and soil sciences all contribute to the design and development of critical infrastructure.

Sultan Al-Muaythir, chairman of the civil engineering department at Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University. (Supplied)

Mechanical engineering plays a key role in advancing collection and treatment equipment, while chemical, agricultural and biotechnology engineering disciplines help analyze waste composition and develop transformation processes.

Electrical engineering, he added, is essential for operating smart systems and managing energy generated through treatment.

Al-Muaythir also pointed to the Kingdom’s updated regulatory landscape, particularly the introduction of the Waste Management Law and its executive regulations, as a strong foundation for encouraging innovation and investment in sustainable practices.

He explained that the next phase calls for faster plan implementation, broader international research collaboration and direct incentives for advanced processing technologies — steps that would speed up the Kingdom’s progress toward its environmental and development goals.

While government action is essential, Al-Muaythir said innovation in waste management is not a luxury, but a necessity for building a clean environment and a functioning circular economy.

He added that individual responsibility plays an equally important role. “Adopting conscious behaviors towards waste and committing to sorting and reuse/recycling constitute the first building blocks in creating a more sustainable future,” he said.

Expanding on this vision, Abdullah Alakel, chairman of the Saudi Scientific Research and Innovation Association, said waste management innovation is a cornerstone of Vision 2030’s broader goal to build a circular and sustainable economy.

Abdullah Alakel, chairman of the Saudi Scientific Research and Innovation Association. (Supplied)

He told Arab News that scientific research is a key driver in tackling environmental challenges — from recycling and waste-to-energy technologies to the use of artificial intelligence to improve sorting and collection processes — ultimately boosting operational efficiency and reducing environmental harm.

To support this ecosystem, the association provides business incubators and innovation accelerators, offering technical and financial assistance. It also facilitates connections between researchers, donors and investors to help turn ideas into market-ready solutions.

Alakel noted that several joint initiatives with academic and industrial partners are already underway, including efforts to convert organic waste into economic products such as fertilizers and biofuels.

DID YOU KNOW?

 

• Saudi Arabia aims to recycle up to 95 percent of its waste by 2040. Waste management sector is projected to contribute $32bn to GDP by 2040.

• Half of the Kingdom’s waste comes from Riyadh (21 percent), Jeddah (14 percent) and Dammam (8 percent).

(Sources: Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture and the National Center for Waste Management)

Other projects aim to develop scalable recycling technologies and improve overall waste management efficiency.

Beyond research, the association works to foster a culture of sustainability across society. Alakel said it organizes public awareness campaigns, educational workshops in schools and universities, and national competitions that encourage creative, environmentally responsible solutions.

He added that the association plays a critical role in bridging academia and implementation by hosting scientific conferences, building strategic partnerships and supporting national innovation deployment in alignment with Vision 2030’s environmental goals.

Farah Al-Gharib, CEO of Precision & Choice Environmental Solutions, echoed those views, underscoring the opportunity to enhance coordination between stakeholders as Saudi Arabia moves toward a circular economy.

Farah Al-Gharib, CEO of Precision & Choice Environmental Solutions. (Supplied)

She told Arab News that aligning regulations, expanding infrastructure for sorting and collection, and stimulating private investment remain key challenges. Raising public awareness and promoting innovation are also essential to achieving sector-wide transformation.

To accelerate progress, Al-Gharib called for a more integrated and flexible system that encourages public-private partnerships. Activating source-level sorting and offering financial incentives to investors, she said, would help drive growth in the sector.

Clear metrics, such as waste reduction, cost savings and job creation, should be used to measure success.

KAUST's waste collection fleet is equipped with technology that supports efficient operations, from online vehicle tracking to waste bin management. (Photo courtesy of KAUST)

Looking ahead, she expects more companies to invest in smart technologies and expand their collection and treatment networks. Seamless integration across the entire waste value chain — from source to processing and redistribution — is essential, she said, to avoid bottlenecks and uphold the core principles of the circular economy.

“Based on our experience in the sector, we believe that unifying and updating regulations under a single, clear, and transparent regulatory framework would directly contribute to attracting investors, reducing the complexity of procedures and the classification of recyclable products, thereby accelerating regulatory processes and stimulating production,” said Al-Gharib.

She concluded that clear legislation and coordinated responsibilities across authorities are key to scaling up circular economy initiatives effectively and sustainably.
 

 


Hayy Cinema hosting classic movie program for children in Jeddah

Hayy Cinema, which is an Art Jameel initiative, provides a unique approach to film presentation. (@hayyjameel)
Updated 04 July 2025
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Hayy Cinema hosting classic movie program for children in Jeddah

  • The program includes twice daily screenings of classic Arab cartoons that have left a lasting impression on viewers and a complementary range of artistic activities inspired by the films

JEDDAH: Hayy Cinema in Jeddah is running an entertainment program that provides an interactive experience to evoke childhood memories and strengthen cultural bonds between generations.

The program includes twice daily screenings of classic Arab cartoons that have left a lasting impression on viewers and a complementary range of artistic activities inspired by the films.

Hayy Cinema, which is an Art Jameel initiative, provides a unique approach to film presentation. Its facilities include a 168-seat theater, private screening room, multimedia library and an educational exhibition, all designed with architectural inspiration drawn from the history of Gulf cinema.

The children’s program runs until Sunday.

 


Falcon breeders auction to be launched in August

Updated 04 July 2025
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Falcon breeders auction to be launched in August

  • The season will start with the International Falcon Breeders Auction, running from Aug. 5-25, showcasing top local and international falcon farms

RIYADH: The Saudi Falcons Club has announced its schedule for the current year, featuring six major events spanning a total of 122 days in Malham, north of Riyadh, and other venues across the Kingdom.

The event is designed to engage a broad audience interested in falconry, hunting and related cultural traditions.

The season will start with the International Falcon Breeders Auction, running from Aug. 5-25, showcasing top local and international falcon farms.

The Saudi Falcons Club Auction will run from Oct. 1 to Nov. 30, serving as a key platform for presenting top local falcons and providing a reliable economic avenue for falconers.

The International Saudi Falcons and Hunting Exhibition, the largest of its kind in the region, will take place from Oct. 2-11. It will feature exhibitors from both within and outside the Kingdom, showcasing the latest equipment and supplies for falconry, hunting, travel, weapons and outdoor adventures.

 


Saudi transport officials conduct more than 317,000 inspections in June

Updated 04 July 2025
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Saudi transport officials conduct more than 317,000 inspections in June

  • Makkah region reported the highest number of offenses at 21,000, followed by Riyadh at 13,000, Eastern Region at 4,508, and Madinah at 3,557

RIYADH: The Saudi Transport General Authority carried out more than 317,000 inspections covering land, sea, and rail transport activities across the Kingdom in June, identifying 51,143 offenses.

Of these, 27,756 were detected through field inspections and 23,387 through automated monitoring, while all efforts involved collaboration with relevant authorities, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

Compliance rates were robust, with land transport achieving 94 percent compliance and maritime transport recording an impressive 99 percent. These figures highlight licensees’ strong adherence to the rules and regulations.

Makkah region reported the highest number of offenses at 21,000, followed by Riyadh at 13,000, Eastern Region at 4,508, and Madinah at 3,557. Qassim recorded 1,914 violations, Tabuk 1,316, and Aseer 1,073, while the remaining violations were from other parts of the Kingdom.

 


Japan’s crown prince visits Saudi pavilion at Osaka Expo

Updated 04 July 2025
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Japan’s crown prince visits Saudi pavilion at Osaka Expo

  • Visited in the company of Saudi Ambassador to Japan Ghazi Faisal Binzagr.

TOKYO: Japan’s Crown Prince Fumihito and Crown Princess Akishino visited Saudi Arabia’s pavilion at the Osaka-Kansai Expo on Thursday, in the company of Saudi Ambassador to Japan Ghazi Faisal Binzagr.

“We were deeply honored by the visit of their Imperial Highnesses,” Binzagr told Arab News Japan. “It was a beautiful visit.”

He noted how much the pair had enjoyed the music of the oud, which was being played as the imperial guests entered the courtyard of the pavilion and which echoed throughout the building owing to the design of the walls and corridors to amplify the sound.

“The imperial couple also enjoyed Saudi coffee and (a selection of various) dates,” Binzagr said, adding that the variety and color of Saudi dates is influenced by the minerals in the soil of each region where they are grown in the Kingdom.

Binzagr said they had discussed the similarities in the cultures of Saudi Arabia and Japan, adding that despite appearing different, they shared a deep pride in their heritage and history, and both countries' ability to link the East and West.

He added that Japan is authentic with what it has but is also able to blend it with foriegn best practices with its great openness. Binzagr said that he believes this makes for something very special that Saudi Arabia also shares with Japan.

“We both value our roots and connectivity, and we both seek to celebrate balance in everything we do,” he said.

At the pavilion, the imperial couple viewed the plan for Riyadh Expo 2030 and indicated they were keen to visit at that time or even before, Binzagr said.

“We are keenly looking forward to more visits between members of Japan’s Imperial Family and members of our Royal Family of Saudi Arabia,” Binzagr added.

”Such visits add a special dimension to an already special relationship.”