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Saudi Orchestra…Artistic Experience Raising National Music to International Horizons

Since February 2020, the Music Commission has worked to develop the infrastructure for musical culture in the Kingdom (SPA).
Since February 2020, the Music Commission has worked to develop the infrastructure for musical culture in the Kingdom (SPA).
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Saudi Orchestra…Artistic Experience Raising National Music to International Horizons

Since February 2020, the Music Commission has worked to develop the infrastructure for musical culture in the Kingdom (SPA).
Since February 2020, the Music Commission has worked to develop the infrastructure for musical culture in the Kingdom (SPA).

When a group of international musicians stood on the sidelines of the G20’s ministers of culture’s meeting in India to perform “Sur Vasudha”, celebrating the musical heritage of these countries, the head of the Saudi Orchestra appeared in their national garment and Arabic accent to partake in the song, which described the whole world as one family. From India, to France, Mexico, Jordan, and many other countries, the Saudi National Orchestra has played a universal musical language that connects people from around the world, and reminds them of what they have in common.

In every international event, with the participation of around 70 Saudi performers and instrument players, the National Saudi Orchestra and Choir perform a bouquet of folkloric, patriotic, and modern songs that highlight the Saudi musical culture, and the special products of the national music library.

The Saudi Orchestra led unprecedented international events in which it blended the diverse and rich Saudi musical folklore with the music of the hosting countries. On social media, fans shared some of the exceptional pieces the Saudi National Orchestra and Choir performed with other international groups, including the Carlos Chávez Orchestra at Mexico’s National Theater, where the audience genuinely applauded in appreciation of the great performance blending the two musical experiences.

An 80-year-old experience

The Saudi National Orchestra and Choir debuted as an early experience, in 1942, when Saudi Defense Minister, Prince Mansour bin Abdulaziz named renowned artist and one of the first Saudi composers, Tariq Abdul-Hakim to form a military music band, which became the core of an artistic journey that grew with time and helped create a unique Saudi musical identity.

Abdul-Hakim traveled to Egypt in 1952, to start the preparations for a Saudi orchestra. During his trip, he met with esteemed Arabic and Egyptian musicians, who helped shape his musical taste and journey. Back from his trip, which also included Lebanon, he started founding the first military music institute in the kingdom, and a musical group that paved the road for a prospering artistic era.

New phase and promising start

In 2019, in light of a rising momentum in the culture sector, the Saudi Culture Ministry announced the formation of the Saudi National Music Band, and the development of a professional team that represents the kingdom internationally, and promotes the Saudi music and musical heritage around the globe. The ministry chose the Saudi esteemed crooner, Abdel Rab Idris, who convoyed the Saudi music experience since its early days, to build the national team and teach different types of Arabic and international music, as well as supporting and promoting the music industry in Saudi Arabia, and spreading the national musical folklore around the world.

Following the revelation of a new cultural network in the kingdom led by the ministry of culture, which distributed the sector’s missions on 11 specialized commissions, the Saudi Music Commission launched in 2021 its own strategy to develop and support music in the kingdom in accordance with the Vision 2030. As part of its strategy, the commission has supported the outlets that facilitate access to the Saudi music product, enhanced the presence of the Saudi National Orchestra and Choir, an upgraded version of the Saudi National Music Band born in 2019.

Symbolic power and cultural identity

Maestro Imad Zaree said the National Orchestra and Choir represent the Saudi musical heritage on the international level, and provides a support system for the Saudi artists and musician in different fields. He also noted that the national band supports the local artistic movement with the discovery of talents and their qualification through specially-curated programs, as well as supporting the different art fields, promoting the Saudi heritage internationally, and boosting the goals of the Vision 2030, which defines culture, in its different categories, as a symbolic power, cultural identity, and economic addition.

Zaree, who led the National Orchestra and Choir in several international events, hailed the efforts of the ministry in setting plans that resulted in early accomplishments in international events. “We have seen the efforts of Culture Minister, Prince Badr bin Abdullah and their remarkable interest in supporting the foundation of the group and the development of its work. These efforts are manifested in the level of professionalism among the group’s members performing local and Arabic arts,” he added. This serves the interest of the Saudi art and artists, and helps spread the Saudi music experience to the world.

Thriving Saudi music and arts

Music has flourished in Saudi Arabia with many new experiences and entities created to develop the music sector and nurture promising talents. The sector has witnessed new initiatives and the opening of new music institutes for those wishing to develop their potential and engage in the new artistic phase.

Since February 2020, the Music Commission has been working on developing the infrastructure for a musical culture in the Kingdom, offering everyone the opportunity to learn music, as well as discovering, developing and empowering musical talents, spreading awareness of music culture, and establishing a sector that contributes to the domestic economy by creating jobs for both genders, live cultural performances, music recordings and amateur music education centers. The commission has also focused on reviving and documenting Saudi folklore and music performances to grow the national and social sense, developing the musical cultural identity of Saudi Arabia and promoting it regionally and globally, and emphasizing the kingdom’s leading position in the Arab and Islamic world.

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Culture

Riyadh Art Expands Collection with Works by Italian, Indian Artists

Riyadh Art's permanent collection now comprises 75 artworks across the capital - SPA
Riyadh Art's permanent collection now comprises 75 artworks across the capital - SPA
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Riyadh Art Expands Collection with Works by Italian, Indian Artists

Riyadh Art's permanent collection now comprises 75 artworks across the capital - SPA
Riyadh Art's permanent collection now comprises 75 artworks across the capital - SPA

Riyadh Art has announced the installation of two new works in its permanent collection: "Run Beyond" by Italian artist Angelo Bonello and "Family Tree" by Indian artist Subodh Gupta, reflecting Riyadh's continued transformation into an open-air museum woven into the fabric of daily life.

The two works carry complementary themes—the first exploring movement and progress, the second evoking memory and human connection, together expressing a city undergoing rapid transformation while preserving its human and cultural dimension, SPA reported.

Riyadh Art's permanent collection now comprises 75 artworks across the capital, with new works planned for 2026, featuring artists from 47 countries alongside Saudi artists, making it one of the largest public art initiatives globally.

Culture

Saudi Heritage Commission Uncovers 1,774 Archaeological Finds in Madinah Region

The survey recorded 156 new archaeological sites. (SPA)
The survey recorded 156 new archaeological sites. (SPA)
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Saudi Heritage Commission Uncovers 1,774 Archaeological Finds in Madinah Region

The survey recorded 156 new archaeological sites. (SPA)
The survey recorded 156 new archaeological sites. (SPA)

Saudi Arabia's Heritage Commission concluded the second season of archaeological survey work in Al Mahd Governorate, Madinah Region, documenting 1,774 archaeological discoveries across three survey areas: Al Suwayriqiyah, Al Muwayhiyah, and Hadhah, reported the Saudi Press Agency on Tuesday.

The survey recorded 156 new archaeological sites, yielding 461 Islamic inscriptions, 34 Thamudic inscriptions, 1,259 rock art panels, 11 stone structures, three historical palaces, two caravan routes, and four wells.

Among the most notable finds are rock inscriptions bearing the name of Omar bin Al-Khattab, alongside Arabic poetry engraved on rock faces, significantly elevating the site's cultural and historical value.

The commission stressed its commitment to continuing survey and documentation programs, in support of Saudi Vision 2030's objectives to preserve cultural heritage across the Kingdom.

Culture

Between Homer and Hollywood: Troy a Source of Turkish Pride

This photograph shows a general view of the ruins of the ancient city of Troy in Canakkale on June 2, 2026. (AFP)
This photograph shows a general view of the ruins of the ancient city of Troy in Canakkale on June 2, 2026. (AFP)
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Between Homer and Hollywood: Troy a Source of Turkish Pride

This photograph shows a general view of the ruins of the ancient city of Troy in Canakkale on June 2, 2026. (AFP)
This photograph shows a general view of the ruins of the ancient city of Troy in Canakkale on June 2, 2026. (AFP)

A gift from the film set of "Troy", a giant Trojan Horse replica looms over the port of Canakkale on the Dardanelles Strait in western Türkiye.

First related by Homer, then retold for the silver screen in 2004, with Brad Pitt as Achilles, the legend of the ancient city travels to Rome's Colosseum this week, where a major new exhibition opens on Friday.

Keen to showcase the city's Anatolian roots, Türkiye has loaned out more than 220 artifacts that will be on show at the exhibition, "Troy and Rome", which runs until mid-October.

"When you read Homer, you don't get a very clear idea of the Trojans' identity. But at the time of the Trojan War, they were certainly among the Anatolian peoples," said Reyhan Korpe, deputy head of the Troy excavations and an ancient history expert at Canakkale University.

Located on Türkiye's Aegean coastline, the remains of Troy are a UNESCO-listed World Heritage site comprising 185 hectares (457 acres) of stones and crumbling ramparts dotted with poppies and scampering squirrels.

For 30 years, Korpe has walked every inch of this huge site, whose layers tell the story of nine different settlements, the remains of their ramparts intertwined and layered on top of one another.

This photograph shows a view of the ancient theater in the ruins of the ancient city of Troy in Canakkale on June 2, 2026. (AFP)

- Western flank of the east -

"I spent a whole year just walking through the stones, maps in hand, trying to understand how they fit together," he told AFP.

His passion is evident for the site, which was founded in 3,000 BC and was constantly inhabited until being abandoned in the sixth century AD.

"It was the most western part of eastern civilization," which is what gave Troy its significance, Korpe said.

The Trojan War, which took place around 1,200 BC and lasted 10 years, until the siege and the city's defeat -- parts of which are recounted in the Iliad -- "was the first confrontation between the East and the West", he said of the Anatolian world and its Greek equivalent, referring to it as "the first world war".

It is an idea with strong resonance in these wooded hills, which several millennia later witnessed the World War I battles of 1915, when Allied troops suffered a bloody defeat trying to seize the Dardanelles from the Ottoman Empire.

A tourist takes a selfie photograph in front of the Trojan Horse, which was donated to be displayed at Canakkale Square following the release of the movie “Troy” in Canakkale on June 1, 2026. (AFP)

- Luwian hieroglyphics -

Of the hundreds of artifacts Türkiye has loaned to the Rome exhibition, more than 100 come from the Troy museum, some of which will be on display for the first time.

One piece is a bronze seal marked with hieroglyphics that was discovered in 1995, which offers important clues about the city's Anatolian roots.

"It's the only trace of writing found at Troy that was written in an Anatolian language, which proves that the first language spoken there was that of the Luwian peoples," explained museum director Sinem Duzgoren.

The Luwians were an ancient people who lived in western and southern Anatolia during the Bronze and early Iron Ages, whose language played a major role in the Hittite empire.

- From Wilusa to Ilion -

Although Troy was not a Hittite city, it was part of the Hittite empire, which referred to it as Wilusa. That became Ilion for the Greeks -- or Ilios for Homer.

"These pieces may not be the most spectacular, but they are the most important from a historical point of view, because they bear witness to the history of Troy," Duzgoren told AFP.

Also sent to Rome are a large number of weapons for use in war -- stones for use in a sling, knives, spears and arrowheads.

"These weapons are mentioned in the Iliad and date from the same period that they were mentioned by Homer," she said.

But it is a reality that is a far cry from the epic, romanticized fighting that plays out in Wolfgang Petersen's "Troy" (2004).

Apart from bequeathing the 12-ton replica of the Trojan Horse looming over Canakkale's waterfront, the film did a lot to fuel renewed interest in Troy, Korpe said.

"Neither the producers nor the director came here, even though that was when we made some of the most significant discoveries," he said sadly.

"But the number of tourists did grow, even if they were just looking for traces of Brad Pitt among the ruins!"