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Riyadh Hosts Arab Conference to Promote Investments in Libraries

The Saudi Libraries Commission hosts the 34th edition of the Arab Federation for Libraries and Information (AFLI) Conference
The Saudi Libraries Commission hosts the 34th edition of the Arab Federation for Libraries and Information (AFLI) Conference
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Riyadh Hosts Arab Conference to Promote Investments in Libraries

The Saudi Libraries Commission hosts the 34th edition of the Arab Federation for Libraries and Information (AFLI) Conference
The Saudi Libraries Commission hosts the 34th edition of the Arab Federation for Libraries and Information (AFLI) Conference

The Saudi capital hosts an Arab conference that looks into the future of innovative and cultural industries and promotes the role of libraries and information institutions in the culture-based economy.

The Saudi Libraries Commission hosts the 34th edition of the Arab Federation for Libraries and Information (AFLI) Conference, which focuses on the role libraries and Arab information institutions play in supporting the economy and cultural entrepreneurship, in addition to discussing investment opportunities in the cultural economy and the promising pioneering projects in the libraries and information sector.

The attendees and participants in the conference were greeted by Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Asem, CEO of the kingdom’s Libraries Commission. Held at the King Fahd National Library, AFLI Conference discusses the future of cultural economy in the Arab world and the contribution of libraries and information institutions to entrepreneurship. It is organized in partnership with the Arab Federation for Libraries and Information between November 14 and 16.

The three-day conference sheds light on the “purple economy”, which is based on investing in culture, as well as the cultural and civilizational role of libraries and information institutions in building society and defining its identity.

The conference’s program is packed with topics that will be discussed in several panels led by a group of speakers from different Arab countries. The topics include studying the revenues of investments in libraries and information institutions, entrepreneurship in the sector of libraries and information institutions, aspirations of the libraries and information institutions and their pioneering role in the purple economy, in addition to the funding channels and financial resources management of libraries during crises.

Various economic and cultural horizons

The Saudi Libraries Commission announced the event’s program, which covers an array of subjects distributed on 12 panels discussing the importance of libraries in enabling entrepreneurship, showcasing a variety of innovative entrepreneurship models in the libraries sector and highlighting the modern trends in managing and promoting the role and work of national libraries.

Among the discussed topics is also the purple economy and its use as a tool to emphasize the horizons of sustainable development and humanize globalization and economy. The third day of the conference covers topics such as promoting innovative and cultural industries and knowledge-based economy; deploying an innovative economy in academic libraries; the purple economy and its application in the libraries sector and developing the information products as a knowledge-based economic resource.

Developing civilizational and cultural role of libraries

Hosting this event on libraries comes as part of the Saudi Libraries Commission’s strategy to grow the national, regional and global partnerships, develop the libraries sector, boost its efficiency and encourage innovation and investment in the sector in line with the cultural role libraries have played throughout the human history.

The anticipated discussions are expected to reflect on the cultural and civilizational role of libraries, the adoption of modern tools that enable the integration of culture in the economy, boosting the cultural and innovative industries and promotion of innovative economy.

The Arab Federation for Libraries and Information hopes that the Riyadh conference will help prompt a major transformation of libraries and information institutions into active education and learning centers that interact with their surroundings in an innovative way, access all community members, acknowledge their needs and provide them with the tools and means for an advanced social and human growth.

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Culture

Ithra Showcases Ithra Design Week at Milan Design Week 2026

Ithra Showcases Ithra Design Week at Milan Design Week 2026
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Ithra Showcases Ithra Design Week at Milan Design Week 2026

Ithra Showcases Ithra Design Week at Milan Design Week 2026

The King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra), an initiative of Aramco, is participating in Milan Design Week, one of the world’s most prominent annual design events, taking place during April 20-26, 2026. This participation reflects the center’s aspirations to strengthen the role of design within the cultural landscape. As part of its presence, Ithra is presenting key features of Ithra Design Week (IDW)—announced last year as a dedicated platform supporting the design sector and designers, aimed at fostering collaboration, nurturing creativity, and advancing design content from the Arab world on the global stage.

As part of its participation, Ithra is presenting the exhibition “Default is Not Universal” at the Isola Design Festival, within the framework of Milan Design Week 2026. The exhibition represents the first tangible realization of Ithra Design Week as a regional platform for designers, showcasing their creativity and cultural narratives to international audiences while opening channels for global dialogue on the future of design, SPA reported.

Manager of Programs at Ithra Nourh Al-Zamil said: “Ithra’s participation in Milan Design Week; one of the most important global events in the field of design, reflects the Center’s mission to empower creative talent, strengthen cultural exchange, and support the growth of the creative economy at both regional and international levels. It also highlights Ithra Design Week 2026, that announced last year as a platform dedicated to supporting and advancing the future of Arab design.”

Al-Zamil added that Ithra’s international participation in leading design and creativity forums serves as an important platform for attracting designers from across the Middle East. She noted that the “Default is Not Universal” exhibition, presented in collaboration with Isola Design; a partnership spanning four years; aims to empower creativity and connect designers from around the world. She emphasized that the exhibition reflects Ithra’s continued efforts to build a year-round integrated ecosystem enabling designers to collaborate, grow, and thrive.

The “Default is Not Universal” exhibition features works by eight designers from across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and includes seven interactive stations. Through the use of artificial intelligence, the exhibition collects visitor interaction data and transforms it into a dynamic map illustrating how cognitive patterns are shaped by diverse cultural influences. In an innovative step, this data will later be used to commission a designer to produce an entirely new piece reflecting the exhibition’s insights and outcomes.

The exhibition represents a collaborative experience between Ithra and Isola Design and is the outcome of a four-year partnership. Following its debut, the exhibition will be expanded and travel to Saudi Arabia, where it will serve as the anchor international exhibition of the main Ithra Design Week event scheduled to take place later this year.

The exhibition’s seven interactive stations include “The Collective Sofa,” a white seating installation by Studio Oblique (UAE) that transforms through visitor interaction into a shared archive reflecting their contributions; “Moments of Absence,” a sculptural installation featuring miniature ceramic chairs by Fajr Al-Basri (Bahrain) that invites visitors to select and sketch the chair they most identify with; and “Body Blocks,” an interactive game by Davina Atteya (Lebanon) inspired by Mesopotamian figurative forms, enabling users to assemble hybrid characters through modular components.

Additional stations include “Attar Al-Balad,” a sensory installation composed of sculptural blocks formed from traditional Saudi herbs and spices that re-evokes memory through scent; “Reflections,” a collection of mirrors by designers from Egypt, the UAE, and Morocco exploring visitors’ perceptions of color, form, and identity; “Majma,” an interactive musical instrument by digital artist Samit Rohila enabling visitors to collaboratively compose spontaneous collective soundscapes; and finally “Daughters of Berythus,” an installation embedding traces of craft traditions and everyday life that invites visitors to explore material memory through touch.

Culture

Saudi Culture Ministry Announces 'A Necessary Fiction: Maps, Art, and Models of Our World' Exhibition in Venice

The Saudi Culture Ministry will oversee the national pavilion with participation from several entities
The Saudi Culture Ministry will oversee the national pavilion with participation from several entities
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Saudi Culture Ministry Announces 'A Necessary Fiction: Maps, Art, and Models of Our World' Exhibition in Venice

The Saudi Culture Ministry will oversee the national pavilion with participation from several entities
The Saudi Culture Ministry will oversee the national pavilion with participation from several entities

The Ministry of Culture announced "A Necessary Fiction: Maps, Art, and Models of Our World," a new exhibition at the Abbazia di San Gregorio in Venice on view from May 6 to November 22, curated by an Arab and international team, SPA reported.

"A Necessary Fiction" is a journey through territories in constant flux, where historical maps—dating from the thirteenth century to the present—serve as a lens through which to examine the enduring need to create models of the world.

These models offer fantastic mythological visions and imaginative interpretations of scientific inquiry throughout the ages to the present day.

Early-modern maps, loaned from the collections of major global institutions, are placed in conversation with contemporary artworks. First-century CE historical artifacts such as incense burners and eighteenth-century decorative manuscripts from the Arabian Peninsula demonstrate the legacy of trade and multifaceted cultural interaction that has always shaped this region.

This exhibition is part of the cultural events organized by the Ministry of Culture in Venice, coinciding with the Kingdom’s participation in the 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, as part of its efforts to promote international cultural exchange as one of the goals of the National Culture Strategy under Saudi Vision 2030.

Culture

Priceless 2,500-year-old Golden Helmet Returned to Romania after Dutch Museum Raid

Dacian gold items, a 2,500-year-old helmet and wristbands, stolen from a museum in the Netherlands and then recovered by Dutch authorities, are presented during a press conference after being returned, at the National Museum of Romanian History, in Bucharest, Romania, Tuesday, April 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)
Dacian gold items, a 2,500-year-old helmet and wristbands, stolen from a museum in the Netherlands and then recovered by Dutch authorities, are presented during a press conference after being returned, at the National Museum of Romanian History, in Bucharest, Romania, Tuesday, April 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)
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Priceless 2,500-year-old Golden Helmet Returned to Romania after Dutch Museum Raid

Dacian gold items, a 2,500-year-old helmet and wristbands, stolen from a museum in the Netherlands and then recovered by Dutch authorities, are presented during a press conference after being returned, at the National Museum of Romanian History, in Bucharest, Romania, Tuesday, April 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)
Dacian gold items, a 2,500-year-old helmet and wristbands, stolen from a museum in the Netherlands and then recovered by Dutch authorities, are presented during a press conference after being returned, at the National Museum of Romanian History, in Bucharest, Romania, Tuesday, April 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)

A priceless golden helmet dating back 2,500 years was returned to Romania on Tuesday after the national heirloom was stolen from a Dutch museum where it was on loan last year.

The ornate Cotofenesti helmet and three golden bracelets — some of Romania’s most revered national treasures from the Dacia civilization — were taken from the Drents Museum in January 2025 in a raid which shocked the art world and devastated Romanian authorities.

But after 14 months of investigations, diplomatic tensions, and three suspects in an ongoing trial, most of the artifacts arrived at Bucharest Henri Coanda International Airport on Tuesday from where authorities transported them under guard to Bucharest’s National History Museum. They were displayed in a glass cabinet, flanked by masked, armed guards.

Cornel Constantin Ilie, the museum's interim director, said that the artifacts have been returned “not as simple patrimony items, but as relics of our historical memory, as the legacy of a civilization that continues to define us.”

“For us, this is a moment of joy, but also of contemplation,” he said. “For months, we have lived with the fear that part of our past could be lost forever. Today we can say that an essential part of this treasure has returned.”

Robert van Langh, the Drents Museum director, described the recovery and return of the relics as “an emotional moment for all involved,” and acknowledged “the grief, the anger and now the relief have naturally been even greater” in Romania than in the Netherlands.

“Romanian national heritage has returned home,” The Associated Press quoted him as saying. “The impact of this robbery was already significant in the Netherlands, but here it must have been truly unparalleled ... The police and judicial authorities of both countries have done extraordinary work.”

Dutch prosecutors unveiled the recovered items at a news conference in the eastern Dutch city of Assen earlier this month. The whereabouts of the third golden bracelet remains unknown, but van Langh vowed the search would continue and that a judicial verdict is expected in the coming weeks.

During its disappearance, the golden helmet was slightly dented, while the recovered bracelets were in perfect condition.

Romania’s Minister of Culture Demeter Andras Istvan said the return of the artifacts had shown “how strong the connection between heritage and collective consciousness can be.”

“This entire episode reminds us at the same time how exposed heritage can be. It can be exposed to violence, illegal trafficking, negligence, oblivion,” he said.

After the raid, Dutch authorities were left with grainy security footage of three people wrenching open a museum door with a crowbar, after which an explosion was seen. Before its recovery, there were fears the helmet may have been melted down because its fame and distinctive appearance made it virtually unsellable.

The artifacts will be exhibited to the public in Bucharest before undergoing some restoration work, the museum's interim director said.

“We believe that the public has the pleasure of celebrating them ... not only as splendid objects, but as a witness to an ordeal, an almost irreparable loss, and a return that we owe to the operation between institutions and the perseverance of the authorities,” he said. “Today, these treasures returned home.”