Kuwaiti Information Minister Visits Saudi Arabia's History Exhibition at SPA Headquarters

Kuwaiti Minister of Information and Minister of Endowments and Islamic Affairs Abdurrahman Al-Mutairi visited the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s History Exhibition at the Saudi Press Agency’s (SPA) headquarters.
Kuwaiti Minister of Information and Minister of Endowments and Islamic Affairs Abdurrahman Al-Mutairi visited the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s History Exhibition at the Saudi Press Agency’s (SPA) headquarters.
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Kuwaiti Information Minister Visits Saudi Arabia's History Exhibition at SPA Headquarters

Kuwaiti Minister of Information and Minister of Endowments and Islamic Affairs Abdurrahman Al-Mutairi visited the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s History Exhibition at the Saudi Press Agency’s (SPA) headquarters.
Kuwaiti Minister of Information and Minister of Endowments and Islamic Affairs Abdurrahman Al-Mutairi visited the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s History Exhibition at the Saudi Press Agency’s (SPA) headquarters.

Kuwaiti Minister of Information and Minister of Endowments and Islamic Affairs Abdurrahman Al-Mutairi on Friday visited the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s History Exhibition at the Saudi Press Agency’s (SPA) headquarters.

Saudi Minister of Media Salman bin Yousef Al-Dosari accompanied his Kuwaiti counterpart during the visit, said SPA on Saturday.

Touring the exhibition, Mutairi was briefed on SPA’s initiative to hold the exhibition based on the agency’s national media role with a focus to enhance its cultural and informational messages.

The exhibition relies on interaction and uses visual techniques and multimedia to shed light on stages of the Saudi state’s history.

The Kuwaiti minister explored the exhibition, which encompasses the different historical stages of the Saudi state, presented in a sequential timeline and starting with the founding of the first Saudi state over three centuries ago.

The exhibition then displays features of the historical stages of the country through the second and third Saudi states, culminating in King Abdulaziz bin Abdurrahman Al Saud’s declaration of the unification of the nation under the name of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The exhibition sheds light on this historic event, which started the modern Saudi state, and its development under the reigns of honorable kings through the era of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister.

Mutairi then joined the attendees in watching a visual presentation on the history of Saudi-Kuwaiti relations.

Dosari presented a souvenir to Mutairi at the end of his visit to the exhibition.

In remarks to SPA, the Kuwaiti minister expressed his delight at visiting the exhibition, saying it keeps in memory the phases of the Kingdom's history and achievements.

Mutairi said the idea of the exhibition can be reintroduced at the Gulf media level to shed light on the history of the Gulf countries and allow them to envision their bright future.

He called for cooperation between media institutions in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait to benefit from shared experiences. Mutairi urged sharing successful experiences and turning them into opportunities to develop joint work, understand the present, and envision the future.

Such coordination between media institutions would contribute significantly to achieving integration and highlighting these successful models, the Kuwaiti minister said.

This would also have a tangible positive impact on the Gulf countries, which share similar customs, values, and models, Mutairi said, noting that any successful experience in one country can contribute to the success of a similar experience in another Gulf state.

The Kuwaiti minister expressed gratitude to the Saudi Ministry of Media and SPA, looking forward to these meetings and tours contributing to the development of joint media work.



Iran Artist's Vision For Culture Hub Enlivens Rustic District

Arabesque patterns feature in Yazdi's creations © ATTA KENARE / AFP
Arabesque patterns feature in Yazdi's creations © ATTA KENARE / AFP
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Iran Artist's Vision For Culture Hub Enlivens Rustic District

Arabesque patterns feature in Yazdi's creations © ATTA KENARE / AFP
Arabesque patterns feature in Yazdi's creations © ATTA KENARE / AFP

In the winding alleys of southern Iran, artist Adel Yazdi has taken it upon himself to turn his rustic old neighbourhood into a cultural and tourist hub through vibrant paintings and carved relief faces.

Narenjestan, a neighbourhood characterized by crumbling, uninhabited houses, is nestled in Shiraz, a southern city celebrated for its historic architecture, lush gardens and revered poets.

"Most of the dilapidated walls in old Shiraz have no historical value," said Yazdi, a bushy-bearded, bespectacled 40-year-old artist who has dedicated himself to revitalising Narenjestan, AFP reported.

Yazdi has over the years turned the long-neglected neighbourhood walls into a vivid visual tapestry "telling the stories of the people living here," he said.

Arabesque patterns and relief faces carved with intricate details and painted in an array of vivid hues of greens, pinks, blues and purples now adorn the walls.

With its striking designs and bright colors, Yazdi's art can be reminiscent of Surrealism. It often comes across as surprising, showcasing a different side of Iran's artistic heritage that goes beyond the conventional focus on Persian or Islamic architecture.

The artwork includes the face of Scheherazade, Yazdi said, referencing the legendary storyteller from the "One Thousand and One Nights" collection of folktales.

Yazdi's work stands out in Shiraz where graffiti and murals are rare, becoming a social media sensation and a tourist attraction.

One visitor, Mahdieh, discovered Yazdi's murals through Instagram.

"I arrived in Shiraz yesterday... and it was the first site I wanted to visit," said the 40-year-old, who declined to give her last name.

At the end of one alleyway, Yazdi has established his workshop in a century-old building with small rooms encircling a serene garden.

He also lives in the building, with a traditional Persian architectural style.

It is filled with artefacts and sculptures, resembling a museum warehouse.

To Maedah, a 30-year-old engineer, Yazdi's house brings to mind "other historical places in the city, such as the Eram Garden and the Mausoleum of the Poet Hafez".

Yazdi said he drew inspiration from the Pompidou Center in Paris, a cultural hub that transformed the heart of the French capital in the 1970s.

He hopes his efforts can turn Shiraz's alleyways into even more of a vibrant cultural center as well.

At his residence, visitors are particularly drawn to what Yazdi calls "the Finger Room."

Inside, he installed around 14,000 finger sculptures on the ceiling, all pointing downward.

"The room is inspired by the legend of an angel that counts raindrops with thousands of fingers," he said, referring to an Islamic fable.

"These fingers are there to constantly remind us that the present moment is precious and that we must seize it."