عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Culture

Saadiyat Cultural District Abu Dhabi on Track for Completion in 2025

DCT Abu Dhabi reaffirmed that Saadiyat Cultural District, along with its cultural institutions, is on track for completion in 2025. WAM
DCT Abu Dhabi reaffirmed that Saadiyat Cultural District, along with its cultural institutions, is on track for completion in 2025. WAM
TT
TT

Saadiyat Cultural District Abu Dhabi on Track for Completion in 2025

DCT Abu Dhabi reaffirmed that Saadiyat Cultural District, along with its cultural institutions, is on track for completion in 2025. WAM
DCT Abu Dhabi reaffirmed that Saadiyat Cultural District, along with its cultural institutions, is on track for completion in 2025. WAM

The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) has reaffirmed that Saadiyat Cultural District, along with its cultural institutions, is on track for completion in 2025, Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported.

Saadiyat Cultural District is a global platform, emanating from a rich cultural heritage, celebrating traditions, and advancing equitable culture. It is an embodiment of empowerment, showcasing museums, collections, and narratives that celebrate the region’s heritage while promoting a diverse global cultural landscape, WAM said Wednesday.

Once completed, the diversity of Saadiyat Cultural District’s institutions will make the district one of the most unique cultural platforms. It is already the home of Louvre Abu Dhabi – the first universal museum in the Arab world – showcasing artworks from different cultures side by side and telling a story of human connections. Since opening in 2017, Louvre Abu Dhabi has welcomed 5 million visitors and is recognized for its breathtaking architecture and its innovative narrative. Nearby, Berklee Abu Dhabi offers music, performing arts and educational programs throughout the year.

Additionally, Manarat Al Saadiyat serves as a center for creative artistic expression and is home to two significant initiatives in Abu Dhabi’s cultural calendar: Abu Dhabi Art and Culture Summit Abu Dhabi.

The current construction progress of the soon-to-open institutions in Saadiyat Cultural District stands at 76 percent. Zayed National Museum, the national museum of the United Arab Emirates, will celebrate the nation’s rich history and culture, as well as honor the legacy of the country’s founding father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. Additionally, teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi invites visitors to an ever-changing exploration that will transcend the limits of their imagination.

It will be joined by the Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi, which will include a research and teaching institution that will take visitors on a 13.8 billion-year journey through the story of our universe and our planet, WAM said. Guggenheim Abu Dhabi will be a museum celebrating art from the 1960s to the present and the most important artistic achievements of our time.

Saadiyat Cultural District pays homage to the legacy of the late Sheikh Zayed, who defined the cultural agenda and unveiled the history of the UAE to the world through archaeological excavations and findings. This legacy began with the establishment of Al Ain Museum, the first museum in the UAE, which opened in 1971. This was followed by the inauguration of the Cultural Foundation in 1981. Sheikh Zayed’s legacy continued to evolve under the guidance of the late Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Today, President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Chairman of Abu Dhabi Executive Council, continue to build on that legacy.

Most Viewed

 
 
Culture

Saudi Pavilion Highlights Cultural Exchange at Sarajevo Book Fair

The fair is held under the theme "Book Path" and features 200 exhibitors. SPA
The fair is held under the theme "Book Path" and features 200 exhibitors. SPA
TT
TT

Saudi Pavilion Highlights Cultural Exchange at Sarajevo Book Fair

The fair is held under the theme "Book Path" and features 200 exhibitors. SPA
The fair is held under the theme "Book Path" and features 200 exhibitors. SPA

The Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Dawah and Guidance, represented by the King Fahd Cultural Center in Bosnia and Herzegovina, is participating in Saudi Arabia’s pavilion at the 37th Sarajevo International Book Fair held from April 22 to 27 at the Skenderija Center.

The fair is held under the theme "Book Path" and features 200 exhibitors from Bosnia and Herzegovina and around the world presenting their publications across an exhibition area of more than 10,000 square meters.

The pavilion, inaugurated in the presence of Saudi Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina Anas Al-Wusaidi, showcases the center’s cultural programs, publications, and activities.

It includes a documentary highlighting the Kingdom’s civilizational progress and the achievements of Saudi Vision 2030, as well as films introducing Saudi cities and tourist landmarks.

The pavilion also features educational and training programs, a Saudi culture corner, a workshop on Saudi coffee preparation, an Arabic calligraphy corner, and a children’s area.

The ministry’s participation in the fair reflects Saudi Arabia’s leading role in serving Islam and Muslims inside and outside the Kingdom, its message of moderation and tolerance, and its commitment to strengthening cultural exchange.

Culture

Ithra Showcases Ithra Design Week at Milan Design Week 2026

Ithra Showcases Ithra Design Week at Milan Design Week 2026
TT
TT

Ithra Showcases Ithra Design Week at Milan Design Week 2026

Ithra Showcases Ithra Design Week at Milan Design Week 2026

The King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra), an initiative of Aramco, is participating in Milan Design Week, one of the world’s most prominent annual design events, taking place during April 20-26, 2026. This participation reflects the center’s aspirations to strengthen the role of design within the cultural landscape. As part of its presence, Ithra is presenting key features of Ithra Design Week (IDW)—announced last year as a dedicated platform supporting the design sector and designers, aimed at fostering collaboration, nurturing creativity, and advancing design content from the Arab world on the global stage.

As part of its participation, Ithra is presenting the exhibition “Default is Not Universal” at the Isola Design Festival, within the framework of Milan Design Week 2026. The exhibition represents the first tangible realization of Ithra Design Week as a regional platform for designers, showcasing their creativity and cultural narratives to international audiences while opening channels for global dialogue on the future of design, SPA reported.

Manager of Programs at Ithra Nourh Al-Zamil said: “Ithra’s participation in Milan Design Week; one of the most important global events in the field of design, reflects the Center’s mission to empower creative talent, strengthen cultural exchange, and support the growth of the creative economy at both regional and international levels. It also highlights Ithra Design Week 2026, that announced last year as a platform dedicated to supporting and advancing the future of Arab design.”

Al-Zamil added that Ithra’s international participation in leading design and creativity forums serves as an important platform for attracting designers from across the Middle East. She noted that the “Default is Not Universal” exhibition, presented in collaboration with Isola Design; a partnership spanning four years; aims to empower creativity and connect designers from around the world. She emphasized that the exhibition reflects Ithra’s continued efforts to build a year-round integrated ecosystem enabling designers to collaborate, grow, and thrive.

The “Default is Not Universal” exhibition features works by eight designers from across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and includes seven interactive stations. Through the use of artificial intelligence, the exhibition collects visitor interaction data and transforms it into a dynamic map illustrating how cognitive patterns are shaped by diverse cultural influences. In an innovative step, this data will later be used to commission a designer to produce an entirely new piece reflecting the exhibition’s insights and outcomes.

The exhibition represents a collaborative experience between Ithra and Isola Design and is the outcome of a four-year partnership. Following its debut, the exhibition will be expanded and travel to Saudi Arabia, where it will serve as the anchor international exhibition of the main Ithra Design Week event scheduled to take place later this year.

The exhibition’s seven interactive stations include “The Collective Sofa,” a white seating installation by Studio Oblique (UAE) that transforms through visitor interaction into a shared archive reflecting their contributions; “Moments of Absence,” a sculptural installation featuring miniature ceramic chairs by Fajr Al-Basri (Bahrain) that invites visitors to select and sketch the chair they most identify with; and “Body Blocks,” an interactive game by Davina Atteya (Lebanon) inspired by Mesopotamian figurative forms, enabling users to assemble hybrid characters through modular components.

Additional stations include “Attar Al-Balad,” a sensory installation composed of sculptural blocks formed from traditional Saudi herbs and spices that re-evokes memory through scent; “Reflections,” a collection of mirrors by designers from Egypt, the UAE, and Morocco exploring visitors’ perceptions of color, form, and identity; “Majma,” an interactive musical instrument by digital artist Samit Rohila enabling visitors to collaboratively compose spontaneous collective soundscapes; and finally “Daughters of Berythus,” an installation embedding traces of craft traditions and everyday life that invites visitors to explore material memory through touch.

Culture

Saudi Culture Ministry Announces 'A Necessary Fiction: Maps, Art, and Models of Our World' Exhibition in Venice

The Saudi Culture Ministry will oversee the national pavilion with participation from several entities
The Saudi Culture Ministry will oversee the national pavilion with participation from several entities
TT
TT

Saudi Culture Ministry Announces 'A Necessary Fiction: Maps, Art, and Models of Our World' Exhibition in Venice

The Saudi Culture Ministry will oversee the national pavilion with participation from several entities
The Saudi Culture Ministry will oversee the national pavilion with participation from several entities

The Ministry of Culture announced "A Necessary Fiction: Maps, Art, and Models of Our World," a new exhibition at the Abbazia di San Gregorio in Venice on view from May 6 to November 22, curated by an Arab and international team, SPA reported.

"A Necessary Fiction" is a journey through territories in constant flux, where historical maps—dating from the thirteenth century to the present—serve as a lens through which to examine the enduring need to create models of the world.

These models offer fantastic mythological visions and imaginative interpretations of scientific inquiry throughout the ages to the present day.

Early-modern maps, loaned from the collections of major global institutions, are placed in conversation with contemporary artworks. First-century CE historical artifacts such as incense burners and eighteenth-century decorative manuscripts from the Arabian Peninsula demonstrate the legacy of trade and multifaceted cultural interaction that has always shaped this region.

This exhibition is part of the cultural events organized by the Ministry of Culture in Venice, coinciding with the Kingdom’s participation in the 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, as part of its efforts to promote international cultural exchange as one of the goals of the National Culture Strategy under Saudi Vision 2030.