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Saudi Arabia, Dominican Republic Discuss Was to Improve Cultural Ties

The Saudi Literature, Publishing, and Translation Commission Chief Executive met with the Dominican Republic Ambassador to Riyadh. SPA
The Saudi Literature, Publishing, and Translation Commission Chief Executive met with the Dominican Republic Ambassador to Riyadh. SPA
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Saudi Arabia, Dominican Republic Discuss Was to Improve Cultural Ties

The Saudi Literature, Publishing, and Translation Commission Chief Executive met with the Dominican Republic Ambassador to Riyadh. SPA
The Saudi Literature, Publishing, and Translation Commission Chief Executive met with the Dominican Republic Ambassador to Riyadh. SPA

Saudi Literature, Publishing, and Translation Commission Chief Executive Dr. Mohammed Hasan Alwan and Dominican Republic Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Andy Rodríguez Durán held on Thursday a meeting in Riyadh.

During the meeting at the commission’s headquarters, they discussed cultural ties between the two nations and means of bolstering them.

Their discussions also centered on various programs and initiatives undertaken by the commission aimed at fostering cultural exchange with other civilizations and sharing expertise.

The initiatives also aim to promote collaboration among writers, intellectuals, and translators.

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Greek Potter Keeps Ancient Ways Alive, Wins UNESCO Recognition

A drone view of ready handmade pieces in Kouvdis’ family pottery workshop in Agios Stefanos village, near Mandamados on the Greek island of Lesbos, Greece, September 23, 2024. (Reuters)
A drone view of ready handmade pieces in Kouvdis’ family pottery workshop in Agios Stefanos village, near Mandamados on the Greek island of Lesbos, Greece, September 23, 2024. (Reuters)
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Greek Potter Keeps Ancient Ways Alive, Wins UNESCO Recognition

A drone view of ready handmade pieces in Kouvdis’ family pottery workshop in Agios Stefanos village, near Mandamados on the Greek island of Lesbos, Greece, September 23, 2024. (Reuters)
A drone view of ready handmade pieces in Kouvdis’ family pottery workshop in Agios Stefanos village, near Mandamados on the Greek island of Lesbos, Greece, September 23, 2024. (Reuters)

In his seaside workshop on the Greek island of Lesbos, Nikos Kouvdis uses ancient techniques to create pottery pieces that have recently been honored with inclusion in UNESCO's National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Kouvdis, 70, and his family have kept an old technique alive near the once humming pottery hub of Mandamados, just as the slow and careful methods of the past have been largely eclipsed by factory machines.

Their pottery is among the last in the Mediterranean to be produced from clay in local soil, using a traditional kiln with olive pits as fuel, with the pieces painted with natural lime.

"It's an honor for me," Kouvdis said with regard to the UNESCO recognition of his work.

He said a mechanized press can work at 10 times the speed of an individual potter. "There’s no continuity. There’s no space for (our) method to continue."

Still, he continues to produce individual pots on an outcrop of land overlooking the Aegean Sea.

"Above all, it’s a passion - trying to create something that fulfils you," he said.