Saudi Arabia’s Unique Civilization and Heritage Promoted by Culture Ministry

Riyadh, July 15, SPA –FANA  The Saudi Press Agency is pleased to present its cultural bulletin titled ” Saudi Arabia’s Unique Civilization and Heritage Promoted by Culture Ministry” as a part of a joint-cooperation agreement with the Federation of Arab News Agencies (FANA).

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has a rich, authentic, culture and civilization that has shaped the morals and customs of its people. The country’s great heritage, ancient traditions, cultural treasures and spectacularly diverse landscape — from golden deserts to seas rich in pearls, green fields and exotic canyons — have informed and shaped its culture, art, literature, thought and sciences, and have also been its citizens’ reason to be proud.
The responsibility of highlighting the culture and civilization of this country has been, for the past five years, since its establishment, the Ministry’s of Culture.

On June 2, 2018, a Royal Decree was issued making the Ministry of Culture an independent entity, separating it from the Ministry of Media. Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan Al Saud was given the portfolio of the new ministry, which, in March 2019, announced its vision and plan to preserve the historical heritage of the Kingdom and, building on it, to create an even richer culture that will drive lifestyle and economic growth, and boost the Kingdom’s international status.

Revealing its strategy that would give a new voice to Saudi culture, strengthen its identity and preserve its legacy, in line with the pillars of the Saudi Vision 2030, the ministry launched a package of initiatives, like the King Salman Global Academy for the Arabic Language, which strives to promote the Arabic language regionally and globally, the Red Sea International Film Festival, the first such event in Saudi Arabia through which the film sector will be lent further support and which will contribute to enriching local film content, the Diriyah Biennale, art academies and cultural festivals.

The ministry seeks to be the contributor of some 3% to the GDP by 2030 through speeding up efforts to refine cultural potentials, promoting culture among citizens and making it a daily component of their lives, carrying out educational programs and training workshops, creating institutes, coming up with empowering initiatives, and organizing a variety of cultural activities and festivals that preserve the country’s authentic identity.
Having chosen the path of creativity, the ministry has come up with novel ideas, like dedicating years to special activities and events.

For example, 2021 was declared “The Year of Arabic Calligraphy” — an art and cultural heritage that originated and grew up in the Arabian Peninsula and that the ministry used on the T-shirts of Saudi footballers, and on the livery of Saudia and Flynas airlines.
2022 was the “Year of Saudi Coffee”; it highlighted the relationship between coffee and the Saudi cultural heritage, and shed light on the Khawlani coffee beans, one of the most important Saudi agricultural crops of the highest quality that grows in the southern parts of the Kingdom mostly in Jazan. 

2023 has been the “Year of Arabic Poetry”, seeing that poetry is a main pillar of the Arab culture, and a fountain of wisdom and knowledge. The ministry has prepared several initiatives and activities to help researchers in this field.

The cultural life in the Kingdom has undergone positive changes, due, in no small measure, to the diligent work of the stakeholders in the field. Cultural activities have multiplied in the country, and arts and culture practitioners have seized the opportunity to participate in various events, revealing their talents and competence. The “Abdea” platform makes it easy for them to obtain licenses and permits.

But cultural activities have not been limited to some people only. All segments of society can partake. Public school students could take part in the “Cultural Skills Competition”, the “Cultural Scholarship” program is an opportunity to study a range of cultural disciplines, and artists who wish to develop their creativity and implement projects could do so through the “Art Residency” program.

Cultural choices and experiences for Saudi citizens and visitors to the Kingdom have multiplied. The ministry’s efforts in this regard have yielded, for example, the “Taif Rose festival”, which introduces these famous flowers to the audience and shows how they have influenced the culture of the community. Yet another such event, the “Guests of Al Tai” festival, celebrates Hatem Al-Tai, a significant Arab poet, the epitome of noble morals and authentic Arab values still held in high esteem.

The Kingdom became an attractive cultural hub that draws seekers of knowledge who come to quench their thirst for learning at its sources. And while the ministry has kept pace with the rapid growth of the country and strove to fulfill the visitors’ desire to discover its wonders, it also worked to consolidate relations and build bridges with other civilizations.

For example, the Kingdom has participated in the G20 Culture Ministers’ Meeting as an extension of the Kingdom’s initiative to hold the first joint meeting of culture ministers in the G20, on the sidelines of the G20 presided over by Saudi Arabia in 2020.

Last year, and for the first time, the Ministry of Culture organized the International Opera Festival in Riyadh; prominent artists took part in it.

At the same time, the Ministry of Culture issues Saudi Cultural Status reports that monitor the cultural movement in the Kingdom and abroad, are updated periodically, and are a helpful point of reference.

The first Saudi Cultural Status Report, in 2019, by observing cultural trends and keeping track of developments in the field has become an official point of reference.
The second Saudi Cultural Status Report, issued in 2020, tackled the issue of “digitization of culture”. The ministry described and analysed the cultural movement in its various manifestations, and noted the digital transformation reflected in activities and events taking place. The report presented information through seven main themes: creativity, production, presence, prevalence, digitization of culture, infrastructure and creative economy. In the third Saudi Cultural Status Report 2021: Culture in the Public Space, the ministry shed light on the return of cultural activities and the growing attendance in the public space after the period of recession due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the latest report, higher education institutions initiated 853 academic programs related to culture and arts between 2019 and 2021, and the number of people wishing to study cultural and artistic disciplines abroad has grown by 132% during the same period. The number of applicants wishing to study topics related to tourism, hospitality, arts, visual production and culinary arts has increased. 

According to the same report, among the cultural activities were over 5 million tourist trips, 70 cultural events held by non-profit organizations, and more than 275 exhibitions held by commercial art institutions and galleries. The report also shows that the number of visits to historical and heritage places grew by 30.3%, 185 local film producers took part in the Red Sea Film Festival and Saudi Film Festival, and 336 books and literary works were translated under the “Tarjim” initiative.

The report also listed six significant archaeological discoveries, 23 archaeological survey projects, four new components of Saudi heritage registered in international lists, 17 cultural competitions, the opening of two creative complexes, the establishment of the Cultural Development Fund and growing numbers of support programs in various cultural fields. The report also says that over 28,000 volunteers worked in cultural fields.

The ministry designed 16 priority sub-sectors that deserve special attention, need to develop and have the ability to lead pioneering initiatives in different cultural fields, including books and publishing, cultural heritage, architecture and design.

In 2020, 11 specialized commissions were established to monitor the sectors’ subsidiary cultural activities, and work to enable them to be highly efficient. These commissions nurture an enabling environment and are responsible for improving capabilities and expertise, concluding partnerships, managing intellectual and physical assets, providing funding to support the activities of the sectors, and implementing strategic plans.

Soon after they were created, the cultural sector witnessed a burst of activity, and started attracting and welcoming creative individuals.

For example, the Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission has been organizing book fairs, including the Riyadh International Book Fair. It also organized key events and initiatives, such as the Riyadh International Philosophy Conference, the Literary Partner initiative — both concerned with arranging for cultural activities in cafés and public places — and the Digital Publishing Program to publish digital books.

All 11 commissions work to make sure that their plans are implemented in their entirety. All made great efforts to keep pace with the cultural sector requirements and keep abreast of the changes.

The “Digital Books Platform” of the Libraries Commission links users with audio and digital books, and the “Munawil” project of the same commission allows for borrowing books for free automatically.

The Heritage Commission excels in protecting the cultural wealth and archaeological sites, and strives to show the historical depth of the Kingdom. Through research and excavation, the commission discovered valuable findings, such as architectural phenomena and artifacts dating to the second and third centuries, on Farasan Islands.

The field survey conducted in the Al-Faw archeological area, the capital of the ancient Kingdom of Kinda, has unearthed remains of human settlements dating back to the Neolithic period, a number of agricultural areas, and rock carvings (petroglyphs).

Following an archeological survey, the first ever discovered carvings, written in the Dadanitic alphabet, in Al-Qassim Province were documented. The carvings describe the road linking the two ancient kingdoms of Dadan and Lihyan, in the northwestern region of the Arabian Peninsula, with the Kingdom of Kinda, with its capital Al-Faw in the middle of Arabia, pointing to the trade relations among ancient Arabian kingdoms in pre-Islamic times.

The Heritage Commission has given all forms of support to craftspeople and launched the Saudi International Crafts Week where more than 200 areas are dedicated to various craftspeople. It also held workshops to revive traditional handicrafts.

The Film Commission launched the “Financial Refund Incentives” program with the aim of encouraging local, regional and international film producers to shoot their movies in the Kingdom; up to 40 percent of the expenses are given as an incentive to encourage cinematic production.

The commission has lent support to Saudi filmmakers, to people born in the Kingdom even if not Saudi nationals, and to children of Saudi women married to foreigners, to help them make short and feature films that take part in the “Light” competition, and to thus enrich the creative content in the Kingdom. 

The Fashion Commission has also had significant contributions to the Kingdom’s cultural heritage; it organized programs and events that give exposure to Saudi Fashion designers, including the Saudi 100 Brand Program, through which internationally renowned experts in the fashion industry give a one-year specialized training and guidance. The commission issued the first comprehensive report on the state of the fashion industry in the Kingdom.

The Theater and Performing Arts Commission effort also contributed to enriching the Kingdom’s cultural and artistic landscape. It launched the “Playwright Competition” to support writers, and organized events like the Qemam International Festival for Mountain Performance Arts in Abha, in Asir region, and the Riyadh Theater Festival.
These concerted efforts have greatly contributed to enhancing the cultural landscape, and showcasing and promoting the Saudi national identity and its unique culture, tradition and history.