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119th Regular Session of the Executive Council of 'ALECSO' Kicks Off in Tunis

The 119th regular session of the Executive Council of the Arab League Educational, Cultural, and Scientific Organization kicked off in Tunis on Saturday - SPA
The 119th regular session of the Executive Council of the Arab League Educational, Cultural, and Scientific Organization kicked off in Tunis on Saturday - SPA
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119th Regular Session of the Executive Council of 'ALECSO' Kicks Off in Tunis

The 119th regular session of the Executive Council of the Arab League Educational, Cultural, and Scientific Organization kicked off in Tunis on Saturday - SPA
The 119th regular session of the Executive Council of the Arab League Educational, Cultural, and Scientific Organization kicked off in Tunis on Saturday - SPA

The 119th regular session of the Executive Council of the Arab League Educational, Cultural, and Scientific Organization (ALECSO) kicked off Saturday in Tunis.

The two-day session will cover various agenda items, including monitoring the implementation of decisions made during previous sessions and assemblies. Additionally, discussions will focus on the educational, cultural, and scientific conditions in Palestine, the threats faced by Jerusalem, and the review of reports and recommendations from specialized ministerial conferences.

Also, proposals from member states will be examined, including the Saudi Kingdom's proposal to launch the ALECSO Forum for Business and Partnerships, as well as the Arab Observatory Center for Translation project.

Representatives from member states, Arab and international bodies, and organizations in Tunisia, along with representatives from the Arab League, took part in the meeting.

The Kingdom's representative and Chairman of the Executive Council, Hani bin Moqbel Al-Moqbel, lead the discussions.

Also present were the Director General of ALECSO, Mohamed Ould Omar, and the Secretary-General of the Saudi National Commission for Education, Culture, and Science (SNC), Ahmed bin Abdulaziz Al-Bulahid.

During the session, the Executive Board of ALECSO commended the success of the "Future of Education, Science, and Culture International Organizations Forum (FESCIOF)," held in Riyadh last March.

They expressed appreciation to the Saudi leadership for hosting the conference for two consecutive terms and recognized the efforts of the SNC in ensuring its international success, SPA reported.

In his speech, Al-Moqbel stated that ALECSO and SNC organized the FESCIOF conference in Riyadh under the slogan "Together for impact in the 21st century." He emphasized that the Kingdom aimed for a new transformative phase characterized by an international perspective, a future-oriented framework, and a comprehensive vision.

This made the initiative, tools, and leadership of the conference truly exceptional, particularly as it was the first of its kind since the inception of the organization over 50 years ago.

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Viking Ship Navigating Seafarers’ Ancient Routes Berths in Adriatic 

A full-size archaeological reconstruction of a 10th-century Viking knarr "Saga Farmann" on its years-long expedition through European rivers, channels and seas, is berthed in Port of Bar, Montenegro, July 20, 2024. (Reuters)
A full-size archaeological reconstruction of a 10th-century Viking knarr "Saga Farmann" on its years-long expedition through European rivers, channels and seas, is berthed in Port of Bar, Montenegro, July 20, 2024. (Reuters)
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Viking Ship Navigating Seafarers’ Ancient Routes Berths in Adriatic 

A full-size archaeological reconstruction of a 10th-century Viking knarr "Saga Farmann" on its years-long expedition through European rivers, channels and seas, is berthed in Port of Bar, Montenegro, July 20, 2024. (Reuters)
A full-size archaeological reconstruction of a 10th-century Viking knarr "Saga Farmann" on its years-long expedition through European rivers, channels and seas, is berthed in Port of Bar, Montenegro, July 20, 2024. (Reuters)

A replica Viking ship has berthed in Montenegro's Adriatic port of Bar on a years-long trip through European waters inspired by the Norse seafarers who set out from Scandinavia to explore, trade and conquer a millennium ago.

The ship, Saga Farmann, is a full-size archaeological reconstruction of a 10th-century Viking cargo vessel, or knarr, made from oak and pine, which was found in Norway as early as 1893 but only excavated in the 1970s.

"This is the type of ship that would travel to Iceland, or Greenland, even North America," said Linda Sten Vagnes, one of the journey's leaders.

The trip, set to end in 2026, was originally planned to follow the Norwegian coast into the White Sea off northern Russia and the Volga River, but it was rerouted to follow the rivers of Europe from West to East.

"We had to the change the route because of the war (in Ukraine)," Sten Vagnes said.

The Viking age, spanning the 8th to 11th centuries AD, saw Norsemen journey from Scandinavia aboard timber longships to stage raids, trade and settle across a wide region, including North America, using their mastery of maritime technology.

The Saga Farman's journey, which started in 2023, was inspired by the sagas about Vikings who travelled to Constantinople, capital of the-then Byzantine empire.

It took years of hard work by enthusiasts, with the support of the governments of Denmark and Norway, to make an exact copy of a knarr. The vessel was launched in 2018, said Axel Hubert Persvik, a ship builder.

"It takes a long time because most of craft we do is by hand, ... it takes many hours to build it."

At the latest leg of the trip, the 21 meters (69 ft)-long and five meters (16 ft)-wide ship sailed from the Aegean Sea into the Adriatic, said Zander Simpson, the ship's captain.

"The next stage of the trip is around Italy, Sicily ... to stay in Rome this winter, before next year's stage which will take her up the Italian coast, the French Riviera ... to Paris."

In addition to sails and oars, the Saga Farmann has four electric motors to propel it upwind and upstream. More than three tons of batteries are stored onboard where they serve for propulsion and as ballast.