AlUla’s rich cultural heritage beckons travelers from far and wide
Geological diversity, inscriptions and rock carvings are attractions
Hegra, the UNESCO World Heritage site, features Nabatean tombs
Updated 26 August 2024
Arab News
JEDDAH: Culture is a fundamental component of the tourism offering in AlUla, which is situated in the Kingdom’s northwest, the Saudi Press Agency reported recently.
Every visitor to AlUla is eager to learn about the region’s ancient heritage, reflected in its rich history spanning thousands of years. This makes it a bucket-list destination for history and travel enthusiasts.
AlUla is centered around an ancient town that emerged in the 12th century, featuring around 900 houses built from mud bricks, the SPA reported.
In the past, trade caravans laden with incense passed nearby, overlooking palm oases with around 3 million trees.
A towering fortress, standing 45 meters tall, was constructed within it, serving as a watchtower and defensive fortification for the town’s wall, which included 14 gates, the report explained.
The town now has several local shops, restaurants and cafes, providing a retreat for families and tourists from various countries.
The old town of AlUla was selected as one of the best tourist villages in the world by the World Tourism Organization in 2022, among 32 from around the globe, for meeting all the selection criteria.
AlUla offers its visitors numerous tourism options. Amidst its natural landscape distinguished by geological diversity and stunning rock formations, visitors can experience desert trips, camping, stargazing in its clear skies, nature reserves, and mountain climbing.
Jabal Ikmah is one of the most prominent historical sites in AlUla, popularly dubbed “the largest open-air library” in the Arabian Peninsula due to its hundreds of ancient inscriptions and rock carvings.
At the same time, visitors can explore historical and archaeological sites, most notably the Hegra area, which is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Here one can discover Nabatean tombs, various inscriptions, and excavation sites.
Every year, the Royal Commission for AlUla organizes several diverse artistic and cultural events, including the upcoming Winter at Tantora Festival.
The event features traditional sports of horseback archery and tent pegging, as well as exploratory tours, art and cultural exhibitions, including the Ancient Kingdoms Festival, and much more.
DUBAI: Here are the major acts performing at this year’s festival, which runs Sept. 19-21 in AlUla.
James Blake
(Getty Images)
The UK singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, Grammy winner, and in-demand DJ and producer has managed the rare feat of maintaining both critical and commercial success for the majority of his career since first coming to prominence in his homeland with his eponymous 2011 debut album. That’s a feat which is even more impressive when you consider his penchant for stylistic experimentation, inspired by his love of electronic music. But whatever’s going on musically, his soulful soprano and smart, honest lyrics are a constant — his popularity as a collaborator among hip-hop’s A-listers tells you plenty about the latter.
Top tracks: “I Need A Forest Fire,” “Coming Back,” “Say What You Will,” “Where’s The Catch?”
The Blaze
(Getty Images)
Paris-based ambient electronic music duo consisting of cousins Jonathan and Guilluame Alric. They’re not the most prolific of acts — releasing just eight singles and two albums in seven years — but the high-quality of their output, not just in terms of songs, but visually too (their music videos have led to headlines like Fader’s “Somebody Give The Blaze an Oscar Already”), suggests that’s a wise strategy. Their music is a slow-burn delight that combines elements of pop, house, and dub to create something all their own. “Blaze” is French slang for “name,” but, Guillaume told Fader, “the principal meaning is warm and strong things — love, and hope.”
Top tracks: “Territory,” “Heaven,” “She,” “Places”
Ben Bohmer
(Getty Images)
Critically acclaimed German DJ-producer whose live shows generally see him embellish his tracks with live synthesizers and effects. He’s known for his progressive house sound, which also incorporates indie electronica elements. The Azimuth audience may well get to hear some as-yet-unreleased material too, as his new album, “Bloom,” drops Sept. 27.
Top tracks: “Breathing,” “Begin Again,” “Home”
Jamie Jones
(AFP)
The Los Angeles-based Welsh DJ-producer is a busy man. Not content with putting out a regular stream of his own music and being a good enough DJ to top Resident Advisor’s rankings in 2011, he’s also a member of the band Hot Natured, head of a record label, host of a radio show, and founder of online store House of Hot, which sells clothing, records, and artwork. In an interview with Wales Online, Jones credited his mother for giving him the emotional support to pursue his dreams of a career in music. He recalled that she told him she didn’t care what he did as long as he was happy, “and I think to hear that from your parent at an early age allows you the freedom to not care about some of the other pressures that life throws at you.”
Top tracks: “Lose My Mind,” “Fine Fine Baby,” “Summertime,” “La Musa”
Seth Troxler
(Getty Images)
The American DJ-producer famed for his mammoth live sets topped the Resident Advisor Top 100 DJs poll the year after Jamie Jones, in 2012. Like Jones, he’s a keen entrepreneur — founder of several labels and also owner of a barbeque restaurant in London, Smokey Tails. He’s known primarily on house and techno music, with a solid grounding in the Detroit (he’s a Michigan native) and Chicago sounds. But that’s not the sum of his music by any means. As he told Forbes in an interview last year, “The best genre is no genre. I try really not to be definable.”
Top tracks: “(still) WON’T4GETU,” “Hate,” “Dead Room; Trust; Dexter”
Ghostly Kisses
(Getty Images)
French-Canadian singer-songwriter Margaux Sauve heads up this musical project, which is also a collaboration with producer Louis-Etienne Santais, her real-life partner. Sauve’s singular vocals and gift for melodic melancholy have brought Ghostly Kisses international acclaim, although their most-recent album “Darkroom” saw a shift in atmosphere. Sauve told Montreal Rocks shortly before its release, “So far our music has been felt, mainly, for our introvert fans, but we wanted them also to feel it in their body and be able to move with the music. That was kind of a goal. I think this album is a bit more affirmative and maybe a bit more confident.” In that same interview, Sauve also mentioned that Ghostly Kisses’ fans are “mainly from” overseas, citing Saudi Arabia as one of the countries where her music is most popular.
Top tracks: “Empty Note,” “Golden Eyes,” “There’s No More Space”
‘The Camel Through the Ages’ exhibition opens at Ithra
New exhibition ties in with Ministry of Culture’s Year of the Camel
Updated 13 September 2024
Jasmine Bager
DHAHRAN: The King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) is currently hosting “The Camel Through the Ages” exhibition at its Dhahran headquarters in collaboration with the Riyadh-based Layan Cultural Foundation. The show runs until Nov. 1 in a year designated by the Ministry of Culture as the Year of the Camel.
“Camels have long occupied a special place in the societies of the Arabian Peninsula, including the kingdom of Saudi Arabia; they were a means of transportation across vast distances, crossing mountains, valleys, and deserts, similar to ship movements within the sea waves,” Ithra said in a statement.
In an emotional keynote speech at the opening of the exhibition, LCF founder, Prince Faissal bin Abdullah bin Mohammed, expressed the significance of the camel to the Kingdom’s cultural heritage and as a symbol of strength and resilience.
Prince Faissal bin Abdullah at the opening of 'The Camel Through the Ages.' (Supplied)
Ghada Al-Tobaishi, executive director of the LCF said: “We are very pleased to cooperate with Ithra (on this) exhibition. This academic and cultural project aims to enrich the knowledge of many important facts of cultural heritage of past eras.”
Last year, the LCF published a two-volume Arabic-language book about camels, in cooperation with the King Abdulaziz Public Library. That was the inspiration for the current exhibition at Ithra. Some of the works were commissioned specifically for the exhibition, while others were part of the book. The show is curated by Kumail Muhammed Almusaly with the help of Maryam Al-Dossary.
“We, at Ithra, reached out to Layan Cultural Foundation to collaborate on an exhibit specifically for the Year of the Camel,” Almusaly told Arab News. “And it fits very well with the intent of this gallery, which focuses on the history of Saudi Arabia.
Digital mosaics created at the Layan Cultural Foundation for 'The Camel Through the Ages.' (Supplied)
“We came up with five themes in order to create a journey in which the visitor could flow freely between the artworks — it is not a linear journey,” he added.
The five themes are: the camel as an iconic symbol of the Arabian identity; the camel as a meditative or spiritual connection — especially through Qur’anic verses; the camel as a source of pride in camel races and as part of the family; camels as part of oral or folk history; and camels as a companion, in times of rest and travel.
The first thing visitors see on entering the exhibition space is a collection of paintings, including a 2013 work by Saudi artist Abdulrahman Al-Soliman entitled “The Camel is not a Ship.”
'The Camel Through the Ages,' the two-volume book that was the inspiration for the exhibition. (Supplied)
“This is a statement by a pioneering artist,” Almusaly said. “(It’s) a piece that ‘corrects’ our perception toward camels. He is using text over the painting, which states that the camel is ‘not the ship of the desert.’ He wants to convert that perception back to the reality that the camel is a creature — it is not an object.”
This section of the exhibition also includes digital mosaics created by the LCF, alongside works from international and local artists. “There is a part where we switch to how Western artists have looked at Eastern culture — how they are examining the camel and Arabic culture from their perspective,” Almusaly explained.
After the paintings, the show moves on to sculptures of various styles and sizes, to photographs, to old coins and a few traditional garments. Arabic calligraphy is a part of many of the pieces.
According to Almusaly, the LCF has been instrumental in “maintaining culture, maintaining history and preserving culture through these materials,” bringing in experts to examine each object and in order to elevate our overall understanding of the camel.
The exhibition provides an opportunity to examine the camel through the eyes of various artists, and through a visual language that is steeped in Saudi identity, highlighting the vital role the camel has played in the Kingdom’s cultural and economic progress throughout history.
Saudi rapper Asayel discusses her debut single, ‘Asliyah’
Updated 13 September 2024
Adam Grundey
DUBAI: Saudi rapper, singer and songwriter Asayel Bishi (who uses just her first name as an artist) has released her debut single, “Asliyah” on MDLBeast Records. In it, according to a press release, she “addresses naysayers and doubters with a playful smirk, her words laced with Hejazi slang (Bishi was born and raised in Makkah but now lives in Jeddah) and a wisdom beyond her years.”
The song is billed as “a statement of intent” and will serve, for most, as an introduction to Bishi’s music. Her flow, on this track at least, is deliberate, closer to a spoken-word performance than a rap. And that was a conscious decision, she says.
She released her debut single, “Asliyah” on MDLBeast Records. (Supplied)
“I’m actually telling a story. I’m not really rapping and I’m not singing,” she says. “It’s like I’m talking to someone. This is stuff that really happened to me and stuff that I really want people to know. I’m basically telling how people have mocked my style. And the reasons why they don’t like my style. And at the end, I’m saying, like, ‘OK. I’m here. And I’m entering the scene.’”
The colorful accompanying video was shot on the streets of Jeddah.
“All the locations in the video are very famous (here). The director (Ahmed Lebleb) wanted to reflect the image that, here in Jeddah, you can do these (creative) things. It’s not just about the beach and swimming,” Bishi explains.
The colorful accompanying video was shot on the streets of Jeddah. (Supplied)
“Asliyah,” Bishi tells Arab News, was the first song she wrote in Arabic.
“When I started out, I was writing in English, but when I started working with MDLBeast, they told me, ‘OK, now you need to focus on the Arabic side because you need to communicate with your community,’” she says. “They also told me about other artists — local artists — I should be listening to, like Moayad and Dafencii.”
It’s been an inspiring change, Bishi explains. “I have purpose now,” she says. “I want to do it to improve myself, but also to encourage other girls to go out and to sing, to perform, to write, to rap… to build this female music community.”
Founder of Saudi Arabia’s fine art movement Safeya Binzagr dies at 84
Pioneer forged a path of opportunities for many artists to follow
Her first exhibition was in 1968
Updated 13 September 2024
Arab News
JEDDAH: Saudi artist Safeya Binzagr, best known as the pioneer of the Kingdom’s fine art movement, died on Thursday and will be buried tomorrow after Friday prayers. She was 84.
Jeddah and Our Sweet Days Foundation mourned her death in an obituary post on X saying: “With great sadness and sorrow, Jeddah and Our Sweet Days Foundation mourns the esteemed professor Safeya Binzagr, who passed away today Sept. 12, 2024. Prayers will be held for her tomorrow, immediately after Friday prayers, at Al-Jafali Mosque, and her body will be buried in the cemetery of Umna Hawwa.”
Born in 1940, Binzagr forged a path of opportunities for many artists to follow.
Along with her friend, Mounirah Mosly, she was one of two female artists to hold the first art exhibition in the Kingdom in 1968.
Born in Jeddah, Binzagr began her education in Cairo, completed high school education, and spent three years at a finishing school in England. In 1976 she obtained a diploma in art and design at Central Saint Martins, London.
In 1964 in Jeddah, Binzagr witnessed the rapid changes impacting all aspects of life, in clothes, customs and habits. She began her artistic journey inspired to record social history, traditions and folklore.
Her first exhibition was in 1968. Binzagr authored the books “Saudi Arabia: An Artist’s View of the Past” and “A Three-Decade Journey with Saudi Heritage.”
In 1995, she established “Darat Safeya Binzagr,” a cultural center containing her artwork, cultural collection, studio, and an art and literature library.
She was honored in 2017 by King Salman bin Abdulaziz for her contribution to Saudi art and culture with the King Abdulaziz Medal-First Class.
Faisal Samra: ‘If I’m not an artist, then I don’t exist’
The Saudi-Bahraini artist discusses his roots and how it helped develop his experimental style
Updated 12 September 2024
Rawaa Talass
DUBAI: The seasoned Saudi-Bahraini artist Faisal Samra always knew what he wanted to achieve in his life, and faced down resistance with his rebellious nature.
“Everything was fixed and planned,” he says, looking back on his formative years. “Since my childhood, I knew what I wanted to do.”
Born in Bahrain in 1956, Samra is the descendant of a Saudi family that had settled in British-ruled Bahrain, where, he says, work opportunities were, at the time, more readily available than in the Kingdom. Samra, who is based between Bahrain and Spain, describes his early years in Bahrain, spent in a large and old Khaleeji-style house, as crucial to his future career.
“As a child, when my family had people over for big meals, they cooked over fire and wood, which transformed into charcoal. I took this charcoal and made lines on walls,” he tells Arab News with a laugh. “It all started from this moment. This was an important stage because I still work with charcoal. My parents would paint over the scribbles, but I drew again. I wasn’t just drawing on walls at home, but also on the streets. At school, I was drawing on tables and I couldn’t control myself; I was obsessed. When I was six or seven, my art teacher told me, ‘Instead of drawing on tables, here is a piece of paper and some coloring pencils,’ and it was through him that I discovered colors. My parents never bought for me art materials to encourage me, but I kept drawing until this day.”
“Performance 36” from Faisal Samra’s “Distorted Reality” series, 2007. (Supplied)
At the age of 12, Samra and his family moved to Saudi Arabia, settling in the Eastern Province. At school, he continued his pursuit of art and theater. He and his friends, he says, became “the talk of town.” When he was 14, he received his first art book — a collection of Michelangelo’s drawings. All in all, art was, and still is, his life.
“Art is not separate from me. It is not a job, but an activity of making life. On a daily basis, whether I am working on a project or not, I have to draw something,” he says. “If you truly want to do art the right way and live in it, it has to be a disease. You can’t get rid of it, as if you’re pressing a ‘Stop’ button. True art has to live inside your body and surround you every moment. It’s a question of existence: If I’m not an artist, then I don’t exist.”
During the 1970s, in his late teens, Samra decided he wanted to study art abroad, specifically in Paris — an idea that was quickly rejected by his family. He says that back then the regional art scene lacked both mentors and access, so he wanted to go where the action was: Europe.
“In one way or another, I had to leave,” he says. “And I didn’t want to study art (just) anywhere: I wanted Paris, I wanted the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts because it was the most challenging art school to get into at that time.”
To save up money, Samra worked as a clerk at the petroleum company Aramco, while applying for delegations, via Riyadh, for educational opportunities abroad. And, in 1974, aged 18, he travelled to Paris, thanks to support provided by the Ministry of Media. It was there that he would learn about modern and contemporary European artists, and also attend art critique sessions.
During the 1980s, Samra spent his time in Saudi Arabia and, later, in France, where he took on the role of art consultant at the Institut du Monde Arabe, the then-newly founded cultural center for Arab affairs. As for his own art, a few exhibitions were set up in Paris in the late Eighties and early Nineties. Today, his works have been acquired by, among others, the British Museum, the Jameel Art Foundation, Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, and the Bahrain National Museum, and he is currently represented by Ayyam Gallery in Dubai.
Over the years, Samra has experimented with film, performance, painting and photography. “I don’t like still water; I like it to be moving. I’m exploring to find something different,” he says. “The core of my research is man’s existence in our world, and how we react to it, and how the world reacts to him.”
A recent Faisal Samra exhibition in Dubai. (Courtesy of Pia Torelli)
A sense of disturbing movement occupies some of his figurative works, as in his recent painting series “Immortal Moment (Coping With The Shock),” which depicts open-mouthed faces, partially covered with an explosion of paint, as if they have been shot. One of his best-known series, “Distorted Reality,” which was intended to confront media biases in the early 2000s, features covered individuals in blurred motion. In essence, such bold works portray the troubled state of the world, and he doesn’t sugarcoat his words.
“We are living in times of change, but not development — “development” means that you are headed to something better,” says Samra. “If we developed in a certain area, then we destroyed something else. We invented things but we lost things at the same time.”
