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Minister of Media Launches 'Saudipedia Platform' at Saudi Media Forum

A landmark is lit up in the colors of the national flag in Diriyah on the occasion of Saudi National Day. (SPA file photo)
A landmark is lit up in the colors of the national flag in Diriyah on the occasion of Saudi National Day. (SPA file photo)
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Minister of Media Launches 'Saudipedia Platform' at Saudi Media Forum

A landmark is lit up in the colors of the national flag in Diriyah on the occasion of Saudi National Day. (SPA file photo)
A landmark is lit up in the colors of the national flag in Diriyah on the occasion of Saudi National Day. (SPA file photo)

Minister of Media Salman bin Yousef Al-Dosari launched in Riyadh on Monday the digital platform for the Saudi encyclopedia (saudipedia.com).

The launch was held at the Future of Media Exhibition (FOMEX) during the Saudi Media Forum.

Minister of Communications and Information Technology Eng. Abdullah Alswaha and several other officials from Arab and international media outlets attended the event.

The Saudi encyclopedia is one of the initiatives of the Human Capability Development Program, one of the programs of Saudi Vision 2030.

Saudipedia will be a comprehensive platform that offers encyclopedic content covering various aspects of the Kingdom, including culture, society, economy, politics, geography, and history. It will serve as an authentic source of knowledge for regional, Arab, and international media, and as a knowledge platform with accurate information about Saudi affairs.

The platform is expected to become the primary reference on Saudi information and will be available in multiple languages.

Al-Dosari said work was started to create Saudipedia, an initiative that aligns with Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister’s vision to establish a thriving society that takes pride in its rich history, heritage, and distinctive cultural identity.

He said: “Saudipedia aims to become the primary source of information about the leadership, people, history, geography, and culture of Saudi Arabia. We will achieve this by providing a platform in multiple languages, starting with Arabic.”

The Saudi encyclopedia will combine multimedia elements to enhance its textual content and will undergo regular updates to reflect the cultural, civilizational, historical, and natural geographical wealth of the Kingdom.

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Culture

Pompeii’s Grandest House Gets a $1.6 Million Restoration Funded by Private Sponsor

In this undated handout photo provided on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026, by the Pompeii Archaeological Park, restorers work inside the House of Marcus Fabius Rufus in Pompeii, near Naples, Italy. (Silvia Vacca/ Pompeii Archaeological Park via AP)
In this undated handout photo provided on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026, by the Pompeii Archaeological Park, restorers work inside the House of Marcus Fabius Rufus in Pompeii, near Naples, Italy. (Silvia Vacca/ Pompeii Archaeological Park via AP)
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Pompeii’s Grandest House Gets a $1.6 Million Restoration Funded by Private Sponsor

In this undated handout photo provided on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026, by the Pompeii Archaeological Park, restorers work inside the House of Marcus Fabius Rufus in Pompeii, near Naples, Italy. (Silvia Vacca/ Pompeii Archaeological Park via AP)
In this undated handout photo provided on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026, by the Pompeii Archaeological Park, restorers work inside the House of Marcus Fabius Rufus in Pompeii, near Naples, Italy. (Silvia Vacca/ Pompeii Archaeological Park via AP)

An ancient residence believed to be the grandest in the Pompeii archaeological site is being restored with the entire 1.4 million euros ($1.6 million) cost being covered by a private sponsor, officials announced Tuesday.

The house of Marcus Fabius Rufus, modeled after Rome’s imperial palaces and buried in the eruption of Mt. Vesuvio that destroyed the ancient city in 79 A.D., has been inaccessible to the public since 1980. Originally built on Pompeii’s city walls, it features four floors connected by a maze of corridors and staircases.

Part of it is expected to open to guided groups by Christmas, officials for the Archeological Park of Pompeii said.

The renovation is being paid for by a German entrepreneur, Frank Hoefer, who contacted the archaeological park after reading superintendent Gabriel Zuchtriegel’s 2023 book: “Pompeii: The Enchanted City.”

“Restoring the spectacular residence of Marcus Fabius Rufus ... is a project I find exciting,” Hoefer said in a release. “I also have the impression that Pompeii is very open to innovative approaches to preservation and public access.”

Zuchtriegel said the goal is to expand such sponsorships.

“This does not mean that from tomorrow on if we had 50 such sponsors we would be able to abolish the entrance ticket, putting it at just a symbolic one-euro price, but it is a perspective towards which we have to work to develop the site,” Zuchtriegel said in a video statement.

Structural work was carried out on the house from 2021-2023, and current renovations are focused on the frescoes, including the famous Venus of Pompeii located in a chapel within the residence. The owner was believed to be a magistrate or a freedman of the imperial household.

Zuchtriegel said work was also being done to make the complex more accessible, and digital technology was being developed to help people grasp the “incredible labyrinth” that makes up the house.

“At times, you feel like you are in a 19th-century palace in Naples, yet this is a Roman house from 2,000 years ago,” Zuchtriegel said.

Culture

Saudi Arabia Named Guest of Honor at Algiers International Book Fair 2026

Saudi Arabia Named Guest of Honor at Algiers International Book Fair 2026
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Saudi Arabia Named Guest of Honor at Algiers International Book Fair 2026

Saudi Arabia Named Guest of Honor at Algiers International Book Fair 2026

Saudi Arabia will be the guest of honor at the Algiers International Book Fair 2026, taking place from October 28 to November 7 at the Palais des Expositions in Pins Maritimes. The Kingdom's participation aims to strengthen cultural exchange with Algeria.

Saudi Arabia's selection as guest of honor reflects the strong fraternal relations between the two countries and the rapid development of the Kingdom's cultural sector, supported by the Saudi leadership. These efforts have helped strengthen the global presence of Saudi culture and raise awareness of the Kingdom's cultural heritage.

The Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission will lead the Kingdom's participation in the fair, organizing a cultural program featuring seminars, panel discussions, and poetry evenings. The events will bring together a distinguished group of intellectuals, writers, and specialists. The program will also highlight Saudi Arabia's literary scene and the creative momentum across various cultural fields.

The Saudi pavilion will feature sections dedicated to handicrafts, traditional Saudi attire, and musical instruments, alongside an exhibition of manuscripts and archaeological replicas.

It will host performances of Saudi performing arts that reflect the depth of the Kingdom's cultural heritage, as well as screenings of Saudi films.

Several government entities, authorities, and cultural organizations will participate, presenting a comprehensive picture of cultural activity across various sectors in Saudi Arabia.

The pavilion is expected to offer an integrated cultural experience that reflects the richness and diversity of Saudi identity. It will showcase cultural achievements made under Saudi Vision 2030, which seeks to establish culture as a component of quality of life and a means of fostering cultural exchange among peoples.

Culture

Red Sea Film Foundation Marks Record Presence in the Race for Oscars with 12 Supported Films

Red Sea Film Foundation Marks Record Presence in the Race for Oscars with 12 Supported Films
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Red Sea Film Foundation Marks Record Presence in the Race for Oscars with 12 Supported Films

Red Sea Film Foundation Marks Record Presence in the Race for Oscars with 12 Supported Films

A record 12 Red Sea Film Foundation-supported films have entered the race for Best International Feature Film at the 99th Academy Awards, representing 12 countries across Saudi Arabia, the Arab world, Africa and Asia.

Eleven have been selected as the official submissions of their respective countries: "A Matter of Life and Death, Roqia, Soumsoum, the Night of the Stars, The Stories, Guria, Four Seasons in Java, Sink, Strawberries, Ben’Imana, We Are All Strangers, and The Other Side of the Sun."

They are joined by Angh, which won the Platform Award at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival. Under new Academy rules introduced for the 99th Academy Awards, the Platform Award winner is among a select group of international festival prize winners eligible to submit directly for consideration in the category, according to SPA.

CEO of the Red Sea Film Foundation Faisal Baltyuor said: “The Red Sea Fund backs a broad slate of films each year, and for twelve of them to reach the Oscars race is an extraordinary moment of pride for the Red Sea Film Foundation. For eleven, being chosen by their countries as the official submission is in itself a significant recognition of the filmmakers and their work, and a testament to the talent and the stories emerging from Saudi Arabia, the Arab world, Africa and Asia. It reflects the growing impact of our commitment to empowering filmmakers and championing their creative visions, from the earliest stages of development through to the international stage. It has been a privilege to be part of their journeys, and we wish them every success as they continue in the Academy Awards race.”

The milestone caps a strong year for Foundation-supported cinema across Cannes, Venice and Toronto. At TIFF 2026 the Foundation marked its largest presence at the festival with eight supported films, culminating in Angh’s Platform Award, while Ben’Imana — now Rwanda’s official submission — won the Caméra d’Or at Cannes earlier in the year.

The shortlist for Best International Feature Film will be announced on December 15, 2026, with nominations on January 21, 2027. The 99th Academy Awards take place on March 14, 2027, in Los Angeles.