Restoration for Historic Jeddah's Old Buildings Completed Under Crown Prince's Directives

The project came within the context of the Crown Prince's keenness to preserve and rehabilitate historical sites to achieve the Saudi Vision 2030 goals. SPA
The project came within the context of the Crown Prince's keenness to preserve and rehabilitate historical sites to achieve the Saudi Vision 2030 goals. SPA
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Restoration for Historic Jeddah's Old Buildings Completed Under Crown Prince's Directives

The project came within the context of the Crown Prince's keenness to preserve and rehabilitate historical sites to achieve the Saudi Vision 2030 goals. SPA
The project came within the context of the Crown Prince's keenness to preserve and rehabilitate historical sites to achieve the Saudi Vision 2030 goals. SPA

The Saudi Ministry of Culture, represented by the Jeddah Historic District Program, has announced the completion of work in the project to restore buildings in the Historic Jeddah District under the generous donation of SAR50 million from the Crown Prince.

The restoration project was in implementation of directives from Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister.

The project came within the context of the Crown Prince's keenness to preserve and rehabilitate historical sites to achieve the Saudi Vision 2030 goals, which seek to reflect the Arab and Islamic depth of the Kingdom.

The project aimed to highlight the heritage landmarks that the Historic Jeddah District is abundant in as a location having more than 600 heritage buildings, 36 historical mosques, and five main historical markets, in addition to ancient corridors and squares and sites with important historical connotations, such as the ancient Waterfront, which was a main route for pilgrims, and will be rebuilt to tell visitors the great story of the Hajj since the dawn of Islam.

The Crown Prince has directed the implementation of the project to strengthen and rescue historic Jeddah buildings by five specialized Saudi companies, which carried out the work and conducted studies under the supervision of technicians with experience in historical buildings.

The implementation was carried out according to the unique design and distinctive urban structure of the Historic Jeddah District and its unique architectural elements, as some buildings, which belong to Jeddah families, have archaeological landmarks dating back 500 years.



Pharrell Advocates for Reviving Arts Competitions for 2028 Olympics at Louis Vuitton Event 

Pharrell Williams upon arrival at the Louis Vuitton Foundation on the eve of Paris Olympics opening ceremony, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, July 25, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP)
Pharrell Williams upon arrival at the Louis Vuitton Foundation on the eve of Paris Olympics opening ceremony, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, July 25, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP)
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Pharrell Advocates for Reviving Arts Competitions for 2028 Olympics at Louis Vuitton Event 

Pharrell Williams upon arrival at the Louis Vuitton Foundation on the eve of Paris Olympics opening ceremony, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, July 25, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP)
Pharrell Williams upon arrival at the Louis Vuitton Foundation on the eve of Paris Olympics opening ceremony, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, July 25, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP)

If given the chance, Pharrell Williams would reintroduce arts competition into the Olympics, reviving a tradition that's been missing for nearly 80 years.

Williams is aiming to reinstate arts competitions back on the world's biggest sports stage, starting with raising awareness through his star-studded Louis Vuitton event Thursday in Paris. He passionately shared his goal to see the tradition revived by the Olympics in 2028 the night before the Games’ opening ceremony.

“We get to remind people that at one point, the Olympics actually had the arts as a section that ran all these competitions,” Williams before the event. “Sculpture, architecture, visual arts. The idea we get to put the arts back in. ... Why not take this moment to bring awareness?”

Art competitions first came into fruition at the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm with medals awarded in five categories: architecture, literature, music, painting and sculpture. However, the International Olympic Committee ended the competitions in the 1948 games. An attempt to bring it back was denied four years later.

Williams, the musician-turned-designer, hosted the ritzy A-list event at the Louis Vuitton Foundation building. Attendees included popular figures such as LeBron James, Steven Spielberg, Mick Jagger, Zendaya, Anna Wintour, Charlize Theron, Serena Williams, Rosalía, Snoop Dogg, Queen Latifah and Zac Efron.

Williams called the inside of the event like an “indoor carnival.” He curated a select group of world-renowned artists including KAWS, Daniel Arsham and Derek Fordjour to design interactive art installations.

Some of the sports represented at the event included archery, tennis, basketball and equestrianism along with carnival games. “The game will begin on the inside tonight,” he said.

Through donations, Williams said he wanted the event to support Olympic hopefuls as well as 36 athletes across 11 different countries who are competing on the Refugee Olympic Team this year.

“We get to raise money for the other athletes who don't have the means to get the gear or proper training equipment,” said Williams, who added that he spoke about creating music for the games with Thomas Bach, the president of the IOC.

The famed producer said he recorded a track called “Triumph is Cosmos.”

“This is like the victory lap around the solar system,” he said.