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Saudi International Handicrafts Week Kicks Off in Riyadh

Saudi International Handicrafts Week Kicks Off in Riyadh
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Saudi International Handicrafts Week Kicks Off in Riyadh

Saudi International Handicrafts Week Kicks Off in Riyadh

Under the patronage of Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan, the Minister of Culture and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Heritage Commission, the activities of the "Saudi International Handicrafts Week" organized by the Heritage Commission were launched on Tuesday. They will last until June 12, state news agency SPA reported.

The event took place at Riyadh Front in the presence of the Deputy Minister of Culture and Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Heritage Commission, Hamed bin Mohammad Fayez; the CEO of the Heritage Commission, Jasser Al-Harbash; and a gathering of local Arab and international experts and artisans.

The Deputy Minister of Culture delivered a speech at the ceremony in which he stressed the importance of the Saudi International Handicrafts Week in highlighting the creative artwork and craftwork, introducing the rich heritage of the Kingdom, and creating a platform to embrace craft skills and creations.

The Deputy Minister stressed that handicrafts could be described as economic and cultural projects, a field for job seekers and investment opportunities, and having an essential role in preserving cultural heritage and strengthening national identity.

The opening ceremony witnessed a special musical concert, a documentary film about ancient crafts, and the story of the handicrafts’ inheritance hundreds of years ago.

The Saudi International Handicrafts Week is held in an area of 18,000 square meters at Riyadh Front in a design inspired by the heritage and traditional architectural style. The event allows artisans to display and sell their works in 11 sections: metal, textile, palm, leather, wooden and pottery handicrafts, crafts of binding and gilding, ornaments and jewelry, and embroidered handicrafts.

The Saudi International Handicrafts Week opens its doors to visitors this week, from 4 pm to 11 pm, except for Wednesday, June 7, when it opens from 2 pm to 10 pm.

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Trove of Artifacts Recovered from Black Market Goes on Display in Naples

A view of Naples, Italy. (AFP/Getty Images)
A view of Naples, Italy. (AFP/Getty Images)
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Trove of Artifacts Recovered from Black Market Goes on Display in Naples

A view of Naples, Italy. (AFP/Getty Images)
A view of Naples, Italy. (AFP/Getty Images)

Hundreds of once-missing artifacts, hunted down over decades by a special police unit, have been unveiled for the first time in the National Archaeological Museum of Naples, in southern Italy.

In its vaults, the museum preserves 15,000 artifacts seized or confiscated from the black market over the years by a police unit focused on the protection of cultural heritage. It is the loot of raiders who for decades have targeted sites from classical antiquity in southern Italy, such as Pompeii and Herculaneum. Some even used underwater metal detectors, GPS, sonar and drones to extract treasures from the shipwrecks and archaeological sites submerged in the Mediterranean Sea.

From its repository, the museum selected 600 pieces to display for visitors. Among them is a statue that had been in an apartment building's courtyard since the early 20th century until its theft in the 1980s, and which was found in 2009.

There are artifacts from Pompeii that a French archaeologist bought from a local farmer in the 1990s for 50,000 lire (about $28 today). There are also ancient ceramics, coins, bronzes, marbles, pottery, furnishings, weapons and armor dating from the Archaic Period (approximately 650 to 480 BC) to the Middle Ages.

“It is a beautiful exhibition that tells a beautiful story, a story also of redemption for our stolen archaeological artifacts, which often find their way into private property or even international museums,” Massimo Osanna, the head of national museums at Italy’s culture ministry, who helped curate the exhibition, said in an interview. “Thanks to the work of the public prosecutor’s office and the police, together with the ministry, (these artifacts) are finally coming home and to light.”

In 2023, the latest year for which there are complete records, the police unit recovered over 100,000 artifacts which it estimates are worth a total 264 million euros ($299 million).