Saudi Arabia’s Jusoor Exhibition Inaugurated in Mauritanian Capital

The inauguration was attended by Mauritanian Minister of Islamic Affairs and Original Education Sidi Yahya Ould Cheikhna Ould Lemrabet. (SPA)
The inauguration was attended by Mauritanian Minister of Islamic Affairs and Original Education Sidi Yahya Ould Cheikhna Ould Lemrabet. (SPA)
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Saudi Arabia’s Jusoor Exhibition Inaugurated in Mauritanian Capital

The inauguration was attended by Mauritanian Minister of Islamic Affairs and Original Education Sidi Yahya Ould Cheikhna Ould Lemrabet. (SPA)
The inauguration was attended by Mauritanian Minister of Islamic Affairs and Original Education Sidi Yahya Ould Cheikhna Ould Lemrabet. (SPA)

Saudi Ambassador to Mauritania Abdulaziz bin Abdullah Al-Raqabi inaugurated on Sunday the Jusoor Exhibition in Nouakchott.

The inauguration was attended by Mauritanian Minister of Islamic Affairs and Original Education Sidi Yahya Ould Cheikhna Ould Lemrabet.

The Jusoor Exhibition features more than 12 interactive sections focusing on the Holy Quran, photography and Saudi attire experience, the mosques and the Two Holy Mosques, Arabic calligraphy, technology, hospitality and others.

It also boasts a large electronic screen displaying the Kingdom's roles and efforts in serving Islam and Muslims around the world.

The sections highlight the Kingdom's cultural, scientific, Sharia, and linguistic components alongside a detailed presentation of the historical developments and initiatives in serving the Holy Quran, the Sunnah, and the holy sites.

The Jusoor Exhibition aims to boost ties between Africa and the Kingdom, enabling African nations to benefit from all the services provided by the Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs. It also seeks to clarify the Kingdom's message and efforts in promoting moderation, rejecting extremism, and spreading the principles of Islam.

The inauguration was held alongside the first edition of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud Competition for Memorizing the Holy Quran and the Sunnah.

The competition is organized by the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Dawah, and Guidance in cooperation with the Ministry of Islamic Affairs and Original Education in Mauritania from October 15 to 18.

The competition's opening ceremony will be held on Tuesday with preliminary rounds taking place over three days from October 15 to 17. The final ceremony will be held on October 19.

The competition seeks to encourage Muslim youth to engage with the Holy Quran by memorizing, understanding, and reflecting upon it.

The event also fosters a spirit of healthy competition among those who have memorized the Quran and highlights the Kingdom's dedication to teaching the Quran and promoting the teachings of the Prophet Mohammed.

It aims to connect young people with the Sunnah, encouraging them to preserve, apply, and learn Islamic sciences while adhering to a path of moderation.



Syria's Aleppo Set for Revival Despite War Scars to its Heritage

During the four years of fighting before Assad's forces recaptured Aleppo following a devastating siege, the city was virtually emptied - AFP
During the four years of fighting before Assad's forces recaptured Aleppo following a devastating siege, the city was virtually emptied - AFP
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Syria's Aleppo Set for Revival Despite War Scars to its Heritage

During the four years of fighting before Assad's forces recaptured Aleppo following a devastating siege, the city was virtually emptied - AFP
During the four years of fighting before Assad's forces recaptured Aleppo following a devastating siege, the city was virtually emptied - AFP

The historic Baron Hotel in Syria's Aleppo is dilapidated and damaged by years of war but still standing and ready for a revival, much like the city itself.

Aleppo's old city, designated a UNESCO World Heritage site, was ravaged by the conflict that erupted after a government crackdown on protests in 2011.

Between 2012 and 2016, it became a battleground between Syria's military and opposition factions.

The army of now-ousted president Bashar al-Assad shelled opposition fighters from the ground and struck them from the air, supported by Russian firepower.
Opposition groups, meanwhile, used mortars and artisanal rockets, as the fighting turned ancient streets into sniper alleys.

During the four years of fighting before the government recaptured Aleppo following a devastating siege, the city was virtually emptied.

Now, after Assad's fall following a lightning opposition offensive led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, residents are looking forward to reconstruction.

"Unfortunately, more than 60 percent of the edifices in the old city, monuments of the old city of Aleppo, were devastated to ground zero," said Georges Edleby, a tour guide in the city for 35 years.

"Hopefully there will be a day that we see them again restored."

The ancient souks where Aleppo's famed olive oil soap is piled up in stacks for sale has been reduced in many places to little more than rubble.

- 'Hope for a better life' -

Aleppo's medieval citadel, however, remains relatively intact.

Opposition fighters, one with a rose slipped into the barrel of his gun, stood guard outside the ancient ramparts, which Syria's army turned into a stronghold during the war.

Most of the damage in the citadel was caused by a 2023 earthquake, locals say.

Below in the old city, a few alleys of the souk -- once the largest in the world with 4,000 stalls -- have reopened after being restored, including with Saudi financial aid.

Jamal Habbal, 66, has spent all his life under the stone vaults of the old city and reopened his macrame and rope shop there a year ago.

"We have so many memories here. It was a big market that was vibrant and lively. Girls used to come to buy items for their trousseaus. They could find everything," he told AFP.

"And then suddenly, the crisis," he said, reluctant to even say the word war.

"We had to leave. I returned in 2018, but it's still difficult," he added, speaking in a dark and largely deserted alley.

Fadel Fadel has also reopened his shop offering souvenirs, soap and mother-of-pearl inlaid boxes.

"It was completely destroyed here," said the 51-year-old.

He is hoping to see Aleppo returned to its status as a "center of commerce, industry and tourism."

"We hope for a better life."

- Museum ready to reopen -

Outside, dusty streets wind between ruins that await reconstruction and revival.

The Baron Hotel once welcomed Agatha Christie, Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser and France's Charles de Gaulle.

Visitors flocked to see the somewhat faded glory of its rooms, as well as its terrace and the unpaid bar bill belonging to one Lawrence of Arabia.

But now, several broken windows adorned with shutters hanging from a single hinge offer a view into a deserted building covered in dust.

The hotel's future is uncertain.

Its last owner, Armen Mazloumian, has passed away. He told AFP back in 2014 that he felt the hotel's glory days were behind it and it would "never be what it once was again".

Nearby, however, the National Museum of Aleppo is readying to reopen. Its courtyard was hit in shelling but its building and collection were spared.

Director Ahmed Othman said the museum "took lessons from the experience of our neighbours," including institutions in Iraq and Lebanon.

"We took the necessary measures to protect our collections," he said.

"The statues that were too heavy to move were encased in concrete and the smaller pieces were moved to safe places."

Treasures that trace nine millennia of history and the birth of writing in nearby Mesopotamia have been preserved unharmed as a result.

"We did many things in order to protect the museum as a whole," said Othman