Saudi play ‘The Hoop’ premieres at Edinburgh festival

Saudi play ‘The Hoop’ premieres at Edinburgh festival
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Supported by the Saudi Theater and Performing Arts Commission, the play marks a key milestone in the Kingdom’s expanding presence on the global stage. (SPA)
Saudi play ‘The Hoop’ premieres at Edinburgh festival
2 / 2
Supported by the Saudi Theater and Performing Arts Commission, the play marks a key milestone in the Kingdom’s expanding presence on the global stage. (SPA)
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Saudi play ‘The Hoop’ premieres at Edinburgh festival

Saudi play ‘The Hoop’ premieres at Edinburgh festival

RIYADH: The Scottish capital hosted the premiere of the Saudi play “The Hoop,” directed by Fahad Al-Dosari, as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

The festival, one of the world’s largest theater events, is celebrating cultural diversity this year, featuring more than 2,000 artists from 256 countries in 3,350 performances.

Supported by the Saudi Theater and Performing Arts Commission, the play marks a key milestone in the Kingdom’s expanding presence on the global stage, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

Running until Aug. 5, the production is part of the Sitar program — an initiative launched by the commission to support local theater and promote emerging Saudi talent.

Presented in English translation, the play explores modern human life in a bleak, repetitive setting, using symbolic drama to express existential concerns.

’s participation reflects its continued commitment to supporting the arts and strengthening its global cultural presence, the SPA added.

The play previously won Best Contemporary Show at the second Riyadh Theater Festival in 2024 and recently featured in the 79th Avignon Festival in France, as part of a series celebrating the Arabic language.


Saudi scouts showcase heritage, culture in Portugal

Saudi scouts showcase heritage, culture in Portugal
Updated 1 min 38 sec ago

Saudi scouts showcase heritage, culture in Portugal

Saudi scouts showcase heritage, culture in Portugal

Riyadh: The n Scout Association participated in a cultural exchange event during the 16th World Scout Moot in Portugal.

The global event brought together more than 7,100 scouts from 118 associations worldwide, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Sunday.

The Saudi delegation showcased the country’s culture by serving traditional coffee, displaying regional men’s attire, and offering popular local dishes.

The association also performed the traditional Ardah dance and other folk arts reflecting the Kingdom’s rich cultural heritage, the SPA added.

A photo exhibition highlighted Saudi scouts’ community service, especially their support for Hajj and Umrah pilgrims and environmental protection efforts.

Participation reflected the association’s commitment to empowering Saudi scouts to represent the Kingdom on the international stage, expand their global presence, and strengthen their leadership capabilities.

The delegation joined global celebrations of World Scout Scarf Day on Aug. 1, exchanging scarves with other national scout organizations to promote unity and pride in the movement.

The World Scout Moot is held every four years and is designed for young people aged 18 to 25. Those aged 26 and above can participate as members of the International Service Team.


Baha festival honors women’s traditional roles

Baha festival honors women’s traditional roles
Updated 9 min 48 sec ago

Baha festival honors women’s traditional roles

Baha festival honors women’s traditional roles
  • The aim was to highlight and celebrate the vital roles women played in the past, reflecting their daily contributions to their families and communities

BAHA: The eighth Alatawelah Heritage Festival in Baha held a special event celebrating the traditional work of women in the past, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Sunday.

The aim was to highlight and celebrate the vital roles women played in the past, reflecting their daily contributions to their families and communities.

Live demonstrations showcased key tasks traditionally performed by women, including food preparation, wool spinning, basket and mat weaving, and firewood collection.

A group of young girls replicated traditional methods for visitors, offering an immersive glimpse into rural life of the past, the SPA added.

The event drew enthusiastic engagement, especially from children and youth, many of whom captured the moments on their phones.

It was part of the festival’s broader goal to preserve local heritage, strengthen national identity, and deepen connections to the past.

The festival includes a variety of heritage-focused activities, such as booths run by local families showcasing traditional clothing and cuisine, live demonstrations of historic stone building techniques, and displays of agricultural and harvest practices.

A visual arts section is also featured, along with poetry evenings, competitions, and performances of traditional folk arts on the festival stage.


Makkah museum displays massive ϳܰ’a mosaic

A mosaic panel of Surah Al-Fatiha and the beginning of Surah Al-Baqarah is made up of over a million porcelain pieces. (SPA)
A mosaic panel of Surah Al-Fatiha and the beginning of Surah Al-Baqarah is made up of over a million porcelain pieces. (SPA)
Updated 33 min 2 sec ago

Makkah museum displays massive ϳܰ’a mosaic

A mosaic panel of Surah Al-Fatiha and the beginning of Surah Al-Baqarah is made up of over a million porcelain pieces. (SPA)
  • Artwork is based on an original ϳܰ’a manuscript written by calligrapher Mustafa Dhul-Fiqar in 1656

MAKKAH: The Holy ϳܰ’a Museum in the Hira Cultural District in Makkah features a mosaic panel of Surah Al-Fatiha and the beginning of Surah Al-Baqarah, spanning 76.67 sq. meters and composed of over a million porcelain mosaic pieces.

This artwork is based on an original ϳܰ’a manuscript written by calligrapher Mustafa Dhul-Fiqar in 1656, preserved at the King Abdulaziz Complex for Endowment Libraries in Madinah.

As the first museum in Makkah dedicated solely to the Holy ϳܰ’a and located near the historic Mount Hira, it serves as a cultural and civilizational beacon for the holy city, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The museum houses a rich collection of rare artifacts and ϳܰ’a manuscripts from various Islamic eras, showcasing diverse calligraphic styles throughout history.

It also features educational exhibits tracing the evolution of ϳܰ’aic writing, along with modern interactive technologies that highlight the ϳܰ’a’s profound significance.

Visual displays further illuminate the history of ϳܰ’aic documentation through the ages. The museum also holds Guinness World Records for the largest ϳܰ’a and the largest ϳܰ’a stand.


Saudi tech initiative to accelerate AI adoption in industrial, logistics sectors

Initiative aims to create innovation-friendly environment and accelerate adoption of Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies.
Initiative aims to create innovation-friendly environment and accelerate adoption of Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies.
Updated 03 August 2025

Saudi tech initiative to accelerate AI adoption in industrial, logistics sectors

Initiative aims to create innovation-friendly environment and accelerate adoption of Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies.
  • The initiative aims to create an innovation-friendly environment and accelerate the adoption of Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies
  • Also seeks to strengthen public-private partnerships in developing and deploying digital solutions

RIYADH: The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology has launched the third phase of its Technology Adoption initiative, known as AdopTech, supporting 15 projects that showcase artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies in key industrial and logistics facilities.

The initiative aims to create an innovation-friendly environment and accelerate the adoption of Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Sunday.

This phase focuses on enabling technology companies and entrepreneurs to deliver innovative solutions for real-world operational challenges in targeted sectors.

Proof-of-concept projects will be carried out in collaboration with selected industrial and logistics facilities to enhance efficiency and boost sector competitiveness.

The initiative seeks to strengthen public-private partnerships in developing and deploying digital solutions, according to the SPA.

It provides a dynamic environment for participants to test and refine their technologies in real-world settings, improving readiness for wider deployment and market growth.

The ministry has invited interested tech companies and entrepreneurs with relevant solutions to register via mcit.gov.sa/ar/eti.


condemns Ben-Gvir’s ‘provocative practices’ at Al-Aqsa Mosque

 condemns Ben-Gvir’s ‘provocative practices’ at Al-Aqsa Mosque
Updated 23 min 36 sec ago

condemns Ben-Gvir’s ‘provocative practices’ at Al-Aqsa Mosque

 condemns Ben-Gvir’s ‘provocative practices’ at Al-Aqsa Mosque
  • Jordan also strongly condemns extremist minister’s storming of Al-Aqsa mosque compound

RIYADH: The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs denounced on Sunday the “provocative practices” by Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, saying such practices fuel conflict in the region.

“ condemns in the strongest terms the repeated provocative practices by Israeli occupation government officials against Al-Aqsa Mosque and emphasizes that these practices fuel the conflict in the region,” the foreign ministry said.

and said he prayed there, challenging rules covering one of the most sensitive sites in the Middle East. Under a delicate decades-old “status quo” arrangement with Muslim authorities, the Al-Aqsa compound is administered by a Jordanian religious foundation and Jews can visit but may not pray there. 

 

 

“The Kingdom emphasizes its continued demand to the international community to stop the practices of Israeli occupation officials that violate international laws and norms and undermine peace efforts in the region,” the statement added.

had consistently voiced its condemnation of what it described as the continued blatant Israeli attacks on the sanctity of Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Jordan also strongly condemned Ben-Gvir’s storming of Al-Aqsa, and a foreign ministry statement has described the act as “a flagrant violation of international law and international humanitarian law, an unacceptable provocation and a condemned escalation.”

“Israel holds no sovereignty over Al-Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram Al-Sharif,” the statement said.

Ministry spokesperson ambassador Sufian Qudah reiterated Jordan’s “absolute rejection and firm condemnation of the continued, provocative incursions by the extremist minister, as well as the facilitation of repeated settler entries into Al-Aqsa Mosque by Israeli police.”

 

 

Such actions constitute a clear breach of the historical and legal status quo of the mosque and represent an attempt to divide it temporally and spatially, and a desecration of its sanctity, Qudah said.

Qudah warned of consequences of the provocations and violations against Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, which, he said, aimed at “further dangerous escalation and unilateral measures in the occupied West Bank.”