Islamic Arts Biennale 2025 features first display of Holy Kaaba’s Kiswah outside Makkah
Islamic Arts Biennale 2025 features first display of Holy Kaaba’s Kiswah outside Makkah/node/2585710/saudi-arabia
Islamic Arts Biennale 2025 features first display of Holy Kaaba’s Kiswah outside Makkah
The Holy Kaaba in the Grand Mosque in Makkah is adorned with Kiswah, a decorative embroidered cloth replaced annually. (Supplied)
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Updated 27 January 2025
Arab News
Islamic Arts Biennale 2025 features first display of Holy Kaaba’s Kiswah outside Makkah
Exhibition will highlight ’s key role in serving Islam and Muslims
Kiswah of the Holy Kaaba is “considered the highest form of creative production in Islamic arts”
Updated 27 January 2025
Arab News
JEDDAH: ’s Islamic Arts Biennale 2025 will feature, from Jan. 25 to May 25, the first public display outside Makkah of the whole Kiswah of the Holy Kaaba.
The Diriyah Biennale Foundation is hosting the unprecedented event at the Western Hajj Terminal of King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, titled “And All That Is In Between.”
Visitors can admire the intricate weaving and embroidery of the Kiswah, the cloth that adorns the Holy Kaaba in the Grand Mosque in Makkah, featuring silk, gold and silver threads.
Since 1927, the King Abdulaziz Complex for Holy Kaaba Kiswa has been producing decorative embroidered clothes for the Holy Kaaba, which is replaced annually.
The Diriyah Biennale Foundation said that the Kiswah of the Holy Kaaba, with its distinctive inscriptions and ornamentations, is “considered the highest form of creative production in Islamic arts” and holds significance in the lives of Muslims worldwide.
The exhibition will highlight ’s key role in serving Islam and Muslims over the decades and showcase the exceptional skills and craftsmanship of the Kiswah Factory of the Holy Kaaba.
Alongside the Kiswah display, the Islamic Arts Biennale 2025 will exhibit a collection of historical Islamic artifacts and contemporary artworks. The organizers aim to surpass the 600,000 visitors who attended the 2023 event.
The event also aims to enhance pilgrims’ religious and cultural experiences while preserving the Kingdom’s Islamic heritage as part of ’s Vision 2030.
Saudi leadership offers condolences to Qatari emir after diplomats’ deaths in Egypt
King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman expressed sympathy with the Qatari people
Qatari embassy in Cairo announced that the injured and the deceased would be repatriated later on Sunday to Doha
Updated 12 October 2025
Arab News
RIYADH: King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman expressed their condolences to the emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, following the death of three Qatari diplomats in Egypt.
The leaders of each sent a cable to the emir on Sunday.
“We send to Your Highness, the family of the deceased and the people of Qatar our deepest condolences and sincere sympathy,” King Salman said in a cable, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
In a separate message, the Saudi crown prince and prime minister conveyed his condolences and sympathy to the Qatari emir and the families of the deceased, wishing a speedy recovery to the injured, according to the SPA.
The three Qatari diplomats were killed and two others were injured in a car crash on Saturday while traveling to Egypt’s Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, roughly 50 km (31 miles) from their destination.
The Qatari embassy in Cairo announced that the injured and the deceased would be repatriated later on Sunday to the capital, Doha.
KSrelief chief receives Germany’s ambassador to Yemen
Schneider praised the humanitarian aid provided by the Kingdom through KSrelief to alleviate the suffering of people in need around the world
Updated 12 October 2025
Arab News
RIYADH: Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, supervisor general of KSrelief, received Germany’s Ambassador to Yemen Thomas Schneider at the agency’s headquarters in Riyadh on Sunday.
During the meeting, the two sides discussed topics of common interest related to relief and humanitarian affairs, and ways to support humanitarian work in Yemen, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Schneider praised the humanitarian aid provided by the Kingdom through KSrelief to alleviate the suffering of people in need around the world.
The project trains local demining engineers and provides them with modern equipment. (Supplied)
Updated 12 October 2025
Arab News
Saudi project clears 815 explosive devices in Yemen
Ousama Al-Gosaibi, the initiative’s managing director, said that 518,633 mines have been cleared since the project began in 2018
Updated 12 October 2025
Arab News
RIYADH: Members of ’s Project Masam removed 815 explosive devices from various regions of Yemen last week.
The total included 748 unexploded ordnances, 56 anti-tank mines, six anti-personnel mines and five improvised explosive devices, according to a recent report.
Ousama Al-Gosaibi, the initiative’s managing director, said that 518,633 mines have been cleared since the project began in 2018.
The total included 748 unexploded ordnances, 56 anti-tank mines, six anti-personnel mines and five improvised explosive devices. (Supplied)
The explosives were planted indiscriminately and posed a threat to civilians, including children, women and the elderly.
The demining operations took place in Marib, Aden, Jouf, Shabwa, Taiz, Hodeidah, Lahij, Sanaa, Al-Bayda, Al-Dhale and Saada.
The project trains local demining engineers and provides them with modern equipment. It also offers support to Yemenis injured by the devices.
Teams are tasked with clearing villages, roads and schools to facilitate the safe movement of civilians and delivery of humanitarian aid.
Saudi scholar and former MWL chief Abdullah Naseef passes away at 86
Naseef held several key local and international positions, including president of King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah
In 1991, he received the King Faisal Prize for Service to Islam for his leadership and contributions to Islamic education and international cooperation
Updated 12 October 2025
Arab News
RIYADH: Abdullah Omar Naseef, former secretary-general of the Muslim World League and deputy chairman of the Saudi Shoura Council, passed away at the age of 86.
The funeral prayer was held on Sunday at Al-Juffali Mosque in Jeddah, followed by burial at Al-Asad Cemetery.
Colleagues, friends, and members of the public expressed their condolences and paid tribute to his life and work.
Faisal bin Muammar, founding secretary-general of the King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Center for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue and the King Abdulaziz Center for National Dialogue, wrote on X: “My deepest condolences and sympathy on the passing of Abdullah Omar Naseef, who departed this life after a distinguished journey filled with scholarly and humanitarian contributions.
“We had the honor of working together on numerous occasions — in the National Dialogue, the World Scouting Organization, and other forums — where he was always a symbol of balance and wisdom, a model of noble character, and a man whose social and humanitarian legacy will be fondly remembered.”
Naseef held several key local and international positions, including president of King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah, chairman of the International Islamic Relief Organization, president of the World Muslim Congress, and secretary-general of the International Islamic Council for Dawah and Relief.
He also served on the World Scout Committee, led the International Union of Muslim Scouts, and was a board member of the n Scout Association.
In 1991, Abdullah Omar Naseef received the King Faisal Prize for Service to Islam for his leadership and contributions to Islamic education and international cooperation. (Supplied)
Naseef was active in the Muslim World League, representing at international conferences from 1983 to 1993. He promoted Islamic causes and encouraged dialogue among nations and religions.
As deputy chairman of the Shoura Council, he was respected for his insight and commitment to national interests.
He co-founded Dar Al-Islam in New Mexico, the Islamic College in Chicago, and the Islamic Academy in Cambridge, and served as vice president of the International Islamic University in Islamabad, Pakistan.
He chaired the boards of several institutions, including the Islamic Cultural Centers in Geneva and Sydney, the Institute for the History of Arabic and Islamic Sciences at the University of Frankfurt, the International Islamic University in Chittagong, Dar Al-Ihsan University in Bangladesh, and the Islamic University of Niger.
He also served as vice president of the Saudi National Dialogue Committee for 10 years, secretary-general of the World Islamic Council for Dawah and Relief from 1998 to 2019, president of the International Union of Muslim Scouts, and chairman of the Abdullah bin Omar Naseef Charitable Foundation.
In 1991, he received the King Faisal Prize for Service to Islam for his leadership and contributions to Islamic education and international cooperation.
Born in Jeddah in 1939, Naseef earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from King Saud University in 1964 and later became a fellow of the Geological Societies of London and America.
’s Minister of Communications and Information Technology Abdullah Al-Swaha. (Supplied)
Updated 12 October 2025
Arab News
Saudi delegation heads to US to strengthen ties in tech, AI
The visit will strengthen strategic partnerships in technology, AI and innovation between the two countries
The delegation will meet with US government officials and leaders from leading technology and AI companies
Updated 12 October 2025
Arab News
RIYADH: ’s Minister of Communications and Information Technology Abdullah Al-Swaha will lead a high-level delegation from the Kingdom’s digital economy, space and innovation ecosystem to the US.
The visit will strengthen strategic partnerships in technology, artificial intelligence and innovation between the two countries, according to the Saudi Press Agency.
The delegation will meet with US government officials and leaders from leading technology and AI companies to enhance cooperation in developing advanced computing and AI infrastructure, with a focus on empowering innovators and developers within ’s innovation ecosystem.
This visit underscores the strategic partnership between the Kingdom and the US, and reaffirms ’s position as a global hub for technology and innovation, in line with Saudi Vision 2030’s goal of building sustainable, knowledge-based digital economy.
has rapidly emerged as a global leader in data and artificial intelligence in only six years, a transformation spearheaded by the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority since its establishment in 2019, the Saudi Press Agency noted in a recent report.
The authority has developed a strategic roadmap to boost the Kingdom’s global competitiveness by leveraging data and AI to drive economic growth, enhance human capabilities and support integrated government services.
SDAIA also emphasizes the responsible and ethical use of AI, creating regulatory frameworks aligned with the Personal Data Protection Law to ensure privacy and compliance.
Experts note that these initiatives reflect a broader national commitment to technological leadership.
Muhammad Khurram Khan, professor of cybersecurity at King Saudi University, told Arab News earlier this year: “’s AI journey journey is a direct reflection of visionary leadership, strategic foresight and an unwavering national commitment to technological sovereignty.”
The Kingdom has further strengthened its AI ecosystem through Public Investment Fund-backed entities such as Human, the adoption of the Saudi AI Qualifications Framework, and large-scale talent development initiatives.
The SAMAI initiative will equip 1 million Saudis with AI skills, while a national curriculum integrating AI concepts has reached more than six million students, Khan said.
Since its launch in September 2024, the “One Million Saudis in AI” program, developed in partnership with the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, has already empowered 334,000 citizens with essential AI competencies.
These measures underscore ’s ambition to position itself as a global hub for artificial intelligence, setting the stage for the delegation’s high-level engagement with US leaders in technology and AI.
