Royal Institute of Traditional Arts Launches the 'Confluence of Saudi-Korean Culture' Show

The show takes place at the Red Hall of the Princess Noura University Theater in Riyadh - SPA  
The show takes place at the Red Hall of the Princess Noura University Theater in Riyadh - SPA  
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Royal Institute of Traditional Arts Launches the 'Confluence of Saudi-Korean Culture' Show

The show takes place at the Red Hall of the Princess Noura University Theater in Riyadh - SPA  
The show takes place at the Red Hall of the Princess Noura University Theater in Riyadh - SPA  

The Royal Institute of Traditional Arts, in partnership with the Korean National University of Arts, launched on Monday the “Confluence of Saudi-Korean Culture” show.
The show, the first of its kind in the Kingdom, takes place at the Red Hall of the Princess Noura University Theater in Riyadh and will run for three days, SPA reported.
The show provides attendees with the opportunity to delve into the richness of Saudi and Korean arts. It features a range of combined theatrical and performance shows, highlighting five Saudi performing arts alongside five Korean counterparts.
This presentation aims to deepen the cultural and artistic understanding of both sides.
The event concludes with an integrated performing art that combines steps and rhythms derived from both cultures. Additionally, there is an accompanying art exhibition featuring traditional arts in various fields such as metals, pottery, wooden crafts, and hand embroidery.
These artistic works narrate the story of the confluence between art and artists.
Visitors of the show will watch 50 performers from Saudi Arabia and South Korea, including artists from the Royal Institute of Traditional Arts and the Korean National University of Arts. The Saudi part of the theatrical show reflects the cultural diversity of the Kingdom by showcasing various arts such as Al-Samri, Al-Daha, Al-Liwa, Al-Khatwa, and Al-Khabiti.
This cultural event offers a unique journey blending heritage and modernity in an exceptional artistic experience, with the presence of prominent leaders in the cultural sector who will provide their full support to this pioneering initiative.
The CEO of the Royal Institute, Dr. Suzanne Al-Yahya, indicated that the show enhances the artistic movement and promotes global cultural exchange with the Kingdom.
Dr. Al-Yahya added that it serves as a meeting point for traditional arts from different countries on both local and global scales, while also elevating awareness of traditional arts and disseminating them locally and internationally.



Egypt Unveils First Ancient Royal Tomb since Tutankhamun

These handout pictures released by the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities on February 19, 2025 show the entrance to the tomb of King Thutmose II in Luxor in southern Egypt. (Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities / AFP)
These handout pictures released by the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities on February 19, 2025 show the entrance to the tomb of King Thutmose II in Luxor in southern Egypt. (Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities / AFP)
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Egypt Unveils First Ancient Royal Tomb since Tutankhamun

These handout pictures released by the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities on February 19, 2025 show the entrance to the tomb of King Thutmose II in Luxor in southern Egypt. (Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities / AFP)
These handout pictures released by the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities on February 19, 2025 show the entrance to the tomb of King Thutmose II in Luxor in southern Egypt. (Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities / AFP)

Egypt's antiquities authority says it has found the ancient tomb of King Thutmose II, the first royal burial to be located since the famed discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb in 1922.

The tomb, discovered near the Valley of the Kings in Luxor in southern Egypt, belonged to King Thutmose II of the 18th dynasty, who lived nearly 3,500 years ago.

Thutmose II was an ancestor to Tutankhamun himself, and his half-sister and queen consort was Pharaoh Hatshepsut.

Her giant mortuary temple stands on the west bank of the Nile at Luxor a few kilometers (miles) from where the tomb of Thutmose II was found.

Although preliminary studies suggest its contents were moved in ancient times -- leaving the tomb without the iconic mummy or gilded splendor of the Tutankhamun find -- the antiquities ministry on Tuesday called the discovery "one of the most significant archaeological breakthroughs in recent years".

It has been excavated by a joint Egyptian-British mission, led by the Supreme Council of Antiquities and the New Kingdom Research Foundation.

The tomb's entrance was first located in 2022 in the Luxor mountains west of the Valley of the Kings, but was believed at the time to lead to the tomb of a royal wife.

But the team then found "fragments of alabaster jars inscribed with the name of Pharaoh Thutmose II, identified as the 'deceased king', alongside inscriptions bearing the name of his chief royal consort, Queen Hatshepsut", confirming whose tomb it was, the ministry said.

Shortly after the king's burial, water flooded the burial chamber, damaging the interior and leaving fragments of plaster that bore parts of the Book of Amduat, an ancient mortuary text on the underworld.

Some funerary furniture belonging to Thutmose II has also been recovered from the tomb in "the first-ever find" of its kind, according to the ministry.

It quoted mission chief Dr Piers Litherland as saying the team will continue its work in the area, hoping to find the tomb's original contents.

There has been a surge of major archaeological discoveries in recent years, as Egypt seeks to boost its tourism industry as a key source of foreign currency revenue.

Last year, Egypt hosted 15.7 million tourists and aims to attract 18 million visitors in 2025.

The crown jewel of the government's strategy is the long-delayed inauguration of the Grand Egyptian Museum at the foot of the pyramids in Giza, which Egypt has said will finally open this year.