Saudi Arabia’s RCU Signs Agreement with National Archaeological Museum of Naples

The National Archaeological Museum of Naples joins RCU’s network of cultural partners
The National Archaeological Museum of Naples joins RCU’s network of cultural partners
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Saudi Arabia’s RCU Signs Agreement with National Archaeological Museum of Naples

The National Archaeological Museum of Naples joins RCU’s network of cultural partners
The National Archaeological Museum of Naples joins RCU’s network of cultural partners

The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) has signed a new strategic partnership with the National Archaeological Museum of Naples to display a collection of artifacts in Saudi Arabia and AlUla for the first time.

The museum joins RCU’s network of cultural partners, aligning with heritage and educational institutions from the United Kingdom, France, China, and Italy to collaborate on preserving, studying, and celebrating AlUla’s 20,000-year-old heritage.

Established in 1777, the National Archaeological Museum of Naples is a prominent landmark in one of Italy’s heritage capitals. It houses some of Europe’s most treasured cultural artifacts, including exceptionally well-preserved Roman and Greek statues, bronze pieces, mosaics, and other artworks.

This agreement between the two sides paves the way for transferring a selection of artifacts from Naples in southern Italy to AlUla northwest of the Arabian Peninsula, showcasing masterpieces from the museum. The exhibition will feature 15 artifacts from historical cities and landmarks like Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Rome. It will be a cultural highlight of the Ancient Kingdoms Festival 2024, held in AlUla from November 7 to 30. Also, the exhibition will include AlUla’s international archaeology symposium for visitors.

The partnership builds on a governmental agreement between Saudi Arabia and Italy signed in May 2023 to enhance cultural preservation, knowledge sharing, and heritage protection. Last year, a team of heritage narrators from AlUla visited Naples to gain deeper insights into the museum’s collections.

This strategic partnership includes a comprehensive program of collaborative projects spanning AlUla’s cultural landscapes and heritage sites. Teams from both RCU and the museum are involved in integrating these efforts with opportunities for knowledge sharing, capacity building, and skill development on both sides.



Teams from 17 Countries in Riyadh for Final Stage of ‘ALLaM Challenge’ to Support Arabic

The challenge will provide competitors with opportunities for training and workshops led by AI experts and specialists in Arabic language fields. SPA
The challenge will provide competitors with opportunities for training and workshops led by AI experts and specialists in Arabic language fields. SPA
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Teams from 17 Countries in Riyadh for Final Stage of ‘ALLaM Challenge’ to Support Arabic

The challenge will provide competitors with opportunities for training and workshops led by AI experts and specialists in Arabic language fields. SPA
The challenge will provide competitors with opportunities for training and workshops led by AI experts and specialists in Arabic language fields. SPA

Teams from 17 countries began arriving at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, preparing for the final stage of the "ALLaM Challenge."
The competition will take place from Thursday, November 7, to Saturday, November 9 at the Crowne Plaza Riyadh, with over 600 male and female competitors representing 200 teams. The event will also feature more than 50 guides and 40 judges, with total prizes valued at SAR 1 million.
The ALLaM Challenge -- organized by the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) in collaboration with the Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming, and Drones -- is part of SDAIA’s efforts to support the Kingdom's initiatives to serve the Arabic language regionally and globally.
The challenge aims to enhance the language's status and raise global awareness of it, in alignment with the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030, which emphasizes the importance of the Arabic language as a key element of Saudi national identity.
The ALLaM Challenge aims to develop AI models capable of writing and understanding Arabic poetry, accurately parsing sentences, and teaching children the Arabic language in an engaging way.
This initiative continues the Kingdom's efforts to serve the Arabic language, particularly in technical fields, by providing high-quality Arabic data and developing AI models that efficiently handle the language.
The international competition is held in partnership with IBM and the National Technology Development Program (NTDP).
Participants in the challenge aim to showcase their abilities and potential by developing and improving large language models (LLMs). The challenge will provide competitors with opportunities for training and workshops led by AI experts and specialists in Arabic language fields.
It will support the teams and evaluate their projects based on judging criteria that ensure the sustainability of the solutions and their transformation into real AI-driven projects that serve the Arabic language across various sectors and fields.