AlUla Royal Commission Signs Strategic Partnership with China's Henan Province

AlUla Governorate and Henan Province are working towards protecting cultural heritage - SPA
AlUla Governorate and Henan Province are working towards protecting cultural heritage - SPA
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AlUla Royal Commission Signs Strategic Partnership with China's Henan Province

AlUla Governorate and Henan Province are working towards protecting cultural heritage - SPA
AlUla Governorate and Henan Province are working towards protecting cultural heritage - SPA

The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) signed a strategic partnership with the Cultural Heritage Administration of Henan Province, aimed at preserving heritage.
The signing comes in line with the RCU's goals to enhance the global partnership network within the framework of the Saudi-Chinese partnership.
The partnership includes enhancing knowledge and shared resources with a focus on archaeology, preserving cultural heritage and museums, research collaboration, talent development, tourism, and other cultural exchanges.
The partnership includes establishing a technology-driven archaeological laboratory, conducting excavation activities, engaging in research, and fostering connections between heritage sites in AlUla and Henan.
Additionally, it involves implementing collaborative exchange programs, participating in exhibitions and events, and utilizing museum technologies such as virtual reality and augmented reality.
AlUla has joined as a founding member of the International Tourism Alliance of Silk Road Cities, within the framework of supporting cultural cooperation and connectivity between Saudi Arabia and China.
The alliance aims to lay the foundations for long-term fruitful cooperation and knowledge exchange among cities of significant tourism, historical, and cultural importance within and beyond China.
With its membership among the 58 founding cities from 26 countries across different continents, AlUla will participate in international forums, delegations, and events to enhance tourism and sustainable development in the northwestern region of the Arabian Peninsula and among the alliance's member cities, SPA reported.
AlUla Governorate and Henan Province are working towards protecting cultural heritage, given their rich history as crossroads of civilizations. AlUla has been home to successive civilizations for over 200,000 years, while Henan is the third-largest province in China with a population of 100 million and houses five out of six archaeological projects on the origins of Chinese civilization.
Both AlUla and Henan are home to UNESCO World Heritage sites with a shared history spanning over 1,400 years along the ancient incense and Silk Roads, representing a common heritage as capitals of ancient empires.
The agreement coincides with the exhibition "AlUla, Wonder of Arabia," currently held at the Palace Museum in Beijing, which is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site, until April 11. This exhibition has attracted over 250,000 visitors. It features several sections, exhibits, archaeological pieces, and heritage items from historical sites in AlUla.
The partnership comes along with programs and initiatives aligned with AlUla Vision in harmony with Saudi Vision 2030.



UN Puts 4th Century Gaza Monastery on Endangered Site List

The Saint Hilarion complex dates back to the fourth century. Mahmud HAMS / AFP/File
The Saint Hilarion complex dates back to the fourth century. Mahmud HAMS / AFP/File
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UN Puts 4th Century Gaza Monastery on Endangered Site List

The Saint Hilarion complex dates back to the fourth century. Mahmud HAMS / AFP/File
The Saint Hilarion complex dates back to the fourth century. Mahmud HAMS / AFP/File

The Saint Hilarion complex, one of the oldest monasteries in the Middle East, has been put on the UNESCO list of World Heritage sites in danger due to the war in Gaza, the body said Friday.
UNESCO said the site, which dates back to the fourth century, had been put on the endangered list at the demand of Palestinian authorities and cited the "imminent threats" it faced.
"It's the only recourse to protect the site from destruction in the current context," Lazare Eloundou Assomo, director of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, told AFP, referring to the war sparked by Hamas's October 7 attack on Israel.
In December, the UNESCO Committee for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict decided to grant "provisional enhanced protection" -- the highest level of immunity established by the 1954 Hague Convention -- to the site.
UNESCO had then said it was "already concerned about the state of conservation of sites, before October 7, due to the lack of adequate policies to protect heritage and culture" in Gaza.
The Hamas attack on October 7 resulted in the deaths of 1,197 people in Israel, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.
Israel's retaliatory offensive against Hamas has killed at least 39,175 Palestinians in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry, which does not give details of civilian and militant deaths.