Saudi Ambassador Visits Cultural Attaché Pavilion at Tunis Int’l Book Fair

Saudi Ambassador Visits Cultural Attaché Pavilion at Tunis Int’l Book Fair
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Saudi Ambassador Visits Cultural Attaché Pavilion at Tunis Int’l Book Fair

Saudi Ambassador Visits Cultural Attaché Pavilion at Tunis Int’l Book Fair

Saudi Ambassador to Tunisia Dr. Abdulaziz bin Ali Al-Saqr has visited the pavilion of the Saudi Cultural Attaché participating in the 38th edition of the Tunis International Book Fair.

During his visit on Tuesday, Al-Saqr toured the pavilion and was briefed on the most prominent publications from various participating entities, including the Ministry of Education, King Abdulaziz Complex for Endowment Libraries, King Abdulaziz Public Library, and the Heritage Authority.

The tour was attended by several intellectuals, writers, and poets from both Saudi Arabia and Tunisia.

In a statement to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), Al-Saqr emphasized the significance of this participation, which reflects the strength of relations between the Kingdom and Tunisia across all sectors. He also underscored the prominent role of books in intellectual development and knowledge exchange.

This theme coincides with the announcement of 2024 as the “Year of the Camel” in Saudi Arabia.



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.