AlUla to Host Exhibition with National Archaeological Museum of Naples Masterpieces in November

AlUla, a major stop on the Incense Road, served as a vibrant hub for trade, facilitating the flow of precious goods like spices and incense from southern Arabia to distant markets. - SPA
AlUla, a major stop on the Incense Road, served as a vibrant hub for trade, facilitating the flow of precious goods like spices and incense from southern Arabia to distant markets. - SPA
TT

AlUla to Host Exhibition with National Archaeological Museum of Naples Masterpieces in November

AlUla, a major stop on the Incense Road, served as a vibrant hub for trade, facilitating the flow of precious goods like spices and incense from southern Arabia to distant markets. - SPA
AlUla, a major stop on the Incense Road, served as a vibrant hub for trade, facilitating the flow of precious goods like spices and incense from southern Arabia to distant markets. - SPA

The Ancient Kingdoms Festival, hosted in AlUla between November 7 and 30, will showcase a collection of remarkable artifacts from the National Archaeological Museum of Naples (MANN) in a captivating exhibition: Masterpieces of the MANN.
The exhibition, displaying captivating objects from several Italian archaeological sites, offers a unique glimpse at the rich tapestry of ancient history, SPA reported.
Visitors will be able to explore the legacy of the infamous eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD through artifacts from Pompeii and Herculaneum, Roman cities tragically preserved under volcanic ash. They will also have the opportunity to marvel at pieces from the renowned Farnese Collection, a cornerstone of ancient Greek and Roman art.
Masterpieces of the MANN finds its home in AlUla’s cultural venue, Maraya. This breathtaking place, home of the world’s largest mirrored building, is a stunning juxtaposition of antiquity and modern beauty.
The exhibition transcends geographical boundaries, highlighting the historical connection between ancient Rome and the Arabian Peninsula. The Incense Road, a network of trade and cultural exchange, served as a vital link. Roman emperors like Augustus, Trajan, and Marcus Aurelius played a crucial role in establishing and maintaining these connections, influencing both Roman and Arabian societies.



Nobel Prize Winner Han Kang's Books Fly Off the Shelves in South Korea

South Korean author Han Kang speaks to the media during a news conference in Seoul, South Korea, on May 24, 2016. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
South Korean author Han Kang speaks to the media during a news conference in Seoul, South Korea, on May 24, 2016. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
TT

Nobel Prize Winner Han Kang's Books Fly Off the Shelves in South Korea

South Korean author Han Kang speaks to the media during a news conference in Seoul, South Korea, on May 24, 2016. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
South Korean author Han Kang speaks to the media during a news conference in Seoul, South Korea, on May 24, 2016. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

South Koreans flocked to book stores on Friday and crashed websites in a frenzy to snap up copies of the work of novelist Han Kang in her home country, after her unexpected win of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature.
However, the author herself was keeping out of the limelight, Reuters reported.
The country's largest bookstore chain, Kyobo Book Center, said sales of her books had rocketed on Friday, with stocks almost immediately selling out and set to be in short supply for the near future.
"This is the first time a Korean has received a Nobel Prize in Literature, so I was amazed," said Yoon Ki-heon, a 32-year-old visitor at a bookstore in central Seoul.
"South Korea had a poor achievement in winning Nobel Prizes, so I was surprised by news that (a writer of) non-English books, which were written in Korean, won such a big prize."
Soon after Thursday's announcement, some bookstore websites could not be accessed due to heavy traffic. Out of the current 10 best sellers at Kyobo, nine were Han's books on Friday morning, according to its website.
Han's father, well-regarded author Han Seung-won, said the translation of her novel "The Vegetarian,” her major international breakthrough, had led to her winning the Man Booker International Prize in 2016 and now the Nobel prize.
"My daughter's writing is very delicate, beautiful and sad," Han Seung-won said.
"So, how you translate that sad sentence into a foreign language will determine whether you win ... It seems the translator was the right person to translate the unique flavor of Korean language."
Han's other books address painful chapters of South Korean history, including "Human Acts" which examines the 1980 massacre of hundreds of civilians by the South Korean military in the city of Gwangju.
Another novel, "We Do Not Part,” looks at the fallout of the 1948-1954 massacre on Jeju island, when an estimated one in ten of the island's population were killed in an anti-communist purge.
Han Kang received the news of her win about 10 to 15 minutes before the announcement, her father said, and was so surprised that she thought it might be a scam at one point.