Jazan University Climbs Global Rankings on Times List

(Jazan University official website)
(Jazan University official website)
TT

Jazan University Climbs Global Rankings on Times List

(Jazan University official website)
(Jazan University official website)

Jazan University has made a new scientific and global achievement in the “Times Higher Education Young University Rankings" list of the world's best universities 50 years old or younger.

 

The university was classified in the 101-150 category and won a place among the best 963 universities included in this classification, ranking 4th at the level of public and private Saudi universities, thus garnering an outstanding achievement by being among the top 12% of Young Universities at the global level.

The Times classification also placed Jazan University among the top 10% of 923 Asian universities, ranking 7th at the level of Saudi public and private universities, SPA reported.

On this occasion, the President of the University, Dr. Marei bin Hussein Al-Qahtani, thanked the Kingdom's leadership for the unlimited support provided to the university, its staff, and its students.



Greek Potter Keeps Ancient Ways Alive, Wins UNESCO Recognition

A drone view of ready handmade pieces in Kouvdis’ family pottery workshop in Agios Stefanos village, near Mandamados on the Greek island of Lesbos, Greece, September 23, 2024. (Reuters)
A drone view of ready handmade pieces in Kouvdis’ family pottery workshop in Agios Stefanos village, near Mandamados on the Greek island of Lesbos, Greece, September 23, 2024. (Reuters)
TT

Greek Potter Keeps Ancient Ways Alive, Wins UNESCO Recognition

A drone view of ready handmade pieces in Kouvdis’ family pottery workshop in Agios Stefanos village, near Mandamados on the Greek island of Lesbos, Greece, September 23, 2024. (Reuters)
A drone view of ready handmade pieces in Kouvdis’ family pottery workshop in Agios Stefanos village, near Mandamados on the Greek island of Lesbos, Greece, September 23, 2024. (Reuters)

In his seaside workshop on the Greek island of Lesbos, Nikos Kouvdis uses ancient techniques to create pottery pieces that have recently been honored with inclusion in UNESCO's National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Kouvdis, 70, and his family have kept an old technique alive near the once humming pottery hub of Mandamados, just as the slow and careful methods of the past have been largely eclipsed by factory machines.

Their pottery is among the last in the Mediterranean to be produced from clay in local soil, using a traditional kiln with olive pits as fuel, with the pieces painted with natural lime.

"It's an honor for me," Kouvdis said with regard to the UNESCO recognition of his work.

He said a mechanized press can work at 10 times the speed of an individual potter. "There’s no continuity. There’s no space for (our) method to continue."

Still, he continues to produce individual pots on an outcrop of land overlooking the Aegean Sea.

"Above all, it’s a passion - trying to create something that fulfils you," he said.