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Saudi Culture Ministry, China-Arab Cultural and Tourism Cooperation Research Center Sign Executive Program

The executive program was signed by Deputy Minister for Research and Cultural Heritage Affairs Dr. Maha Abdullah Alsenan and Vice President of Beijing International Studies University and member of the Joint Committee of the China-Arab Research Center for Cultural and Tourism Cooperation Cheng Wei at the headquarters of the Ministry of Culture in Diriyah. (SPA)
The executive program was signed by Deputy Minister for Research and Cultural Heritage Affairs Dr. Maha Abdullah Alsenan and Vice President of Beijing International Studies University and member of the Joint Committee of the China-Arab Research Center for Cultural and Tourism Cooperation Cheng Wei at the headquarters of the Ministry of Culture in Diriyah. (SPA)
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Saudi Culture Ministry, China-Arab Cultural and Tourism Cooperation Research Center Sign Executive Program

The executive program was signed by Deputy Minister for Research and Cultural Heritage Affairs Dr. Maha Abdullah Alsenan and Vice President of Beijing International Studies University and member of the Joint Committee of the China-Arab Research Center for Cultural and Tourism Cooperation Cheng Wei at the headquarters of the Ministry of Culture in Diriyah. (SPA)
The executive program was signed by Deputy Minister for Research and Cultural Heritage Affairs Dr. Maha Abdullah Alsenan and Vice President of Beijing International Studies University and member of the Joint Committee of the China-Arab Research Center for Cultural and Tourism Cooperation Cheng Wei at the headquarters of the Ministry of Culture in Diriyah. (SPA)

The Saudi Ministry of Culture and the China-Arab Cultural and Tourism Cooperation Research Center signed on Sunday an executive program, further strengthening collaboration between the Kingdom and China in the cultural field.

The executive program, taking place in parallel with the 2025 Saudi-Chinese Cultural Year, reinforces joint efforts in cultural areas.

The executive program was signed by Deputy Minister for Research and Cultural Heritage Affairs Dr. Maha Abdullah Alsenan and Vice President of Beijing International Studies University and member of the Joint Committee of the China-Arab Research Center for Cultural and Tourism Cooperation Cheng Wei at the headquarters of the Ministry of Culture in Diriyah.

Under the executive program, the two sides will jointly carry out research projects to boost the quality of cultural research submitted and collaborate to identify and compile cultural content related to each country held in national archives.

In addition, the Ministry of Culture will collaborate with the China to hold joint conferences and support mutual visits and exchanges between cultural researchers from both countries to discuss common cultural issues.

The program includes support for research exchange operations, facilitating visits by Saudi researchers to Chinese universities and research centers, as well as by Chinese researchers to Saudi universities and research centers. It provides both sides with specialists in cultural fields, offers support in the research fellowship program, and provides consultative support.

This executive program comes within the context of the Ministry of Culture's commitment to promoting international cultural exchange as one of the objectives of the National Culture Strategy under Saudi Vision 2030 and as an extension of the activities of the 2025 Saudi-Chinese Cultural Year, which aims to consolidate the close relations between Saudi Arabia and China in various development fields.

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Culture

Rare 19th-Century Octagonal Quran Goes on Display at Makkah’s Holy Quran Museum

The manuscript, featuring a unique octagonal design and compact size, was written in India during the 19th century. (SPA)
The manuscript, featuring a unique octagonal design and compact size, was written in India during the 19th century. (SPA)
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Rare 19th-Century Octagonal Quran Goes on Display at Makkah’s Holy Quran Museum

The manuscript, featuring a unique octagonal design and compact size, was written in India during the 19th century. (SPA)
The manuscript, featuring a unique octagonal design and compact size, was written in India during the 19th century. (SPA)

The Holy Quran Museum in Makkah is showcasing a rare and unique historical Quran written in India during the 19th century, reported the Saudi Press Agency on Sunday.

The manuscript features a unique octagonal design and compact size, offering easy portability while reflecting a blend of practicality, artistic precision, and innovation in Quranic production.

The exhibit supports the museum’s mission to educate visitors about the history and evolution of Quranic calligraphy, while contributing to the growing cultural and tourism landscape of the Hira Cultural District and reinforcing Makkah’s global cultural significance.

Culture

How France Fell for Re-imagined 19th-Century Workers’ Canteens

A general view shows the diner room of French brasserie Bouillon Chartier, on July 24, 2013, in Paris. (AFP)
A general view shows the diner room of French brasserie Bouillon Chartier, on July 24, 2013, in Paris. (AFP)
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How France Fell for Re-imagined 19th-Century Workers’ Canteens

A general view shows the diner room of French brasserie Bouillon Chartier, on July 24, 2013, in Paris. (AFP)
A general view shows the diner room of French brasserie Bouillon Chartier, on July 24, 2013, in Paris. (AFP)

So-called bouillon restaurants are mushrooming all over France, reviving a traditional low-cost Gallic meal concept that can compete with fast-food on prices and easily beat it on quality.

"It's exploding! 253 bouillon restaurants have opened in France in four years," Bernard Boutboul, a restaurant consultant, told AFP.

"It's an ultra-intensive expansion, driven by a trend of returning to traditions, with the reappearance of iconic French dishes at very low prices."

Created in the 1850s by the butcher Adolphe-Baptiste Duval to fill workers' stomachs with hearty meals, Duval's ran 250 restaurants in the capital by the turn of the 20th century.

That made them France's first mass chain of restaurants, serving traditional recipes at low prices in high-volume and bustling restaurants.

But as eating habits changed, with higher quality and more expensive brasseries dominating the French food market, and international and fast-food trends appearing, the bouillon concept fell out of favor.

Its revival began in 2005 with the resurrection of the Bouillon Chartier, an ornate Parisian landmark that had been slowly fading.

"A bouillon is the gateway to French gastronomy," explained Christophe Joulie, part of the gastronomic family who took over the Chartier.

He modernized the kitchens and put beef bourguignon with macaroni back on the menu.

"For me, you have to be able to have a starter, main course and dessert for under 20 euros," he said.

With its leek vinaigrette for one euro and bills scribbled on paper tablecloths by apron-clad waiters, the restaurant hums with activity as locals and tourists alike pack out its tables, which crucially cannot be reserved.

"In a world where fast food is taking up more space, it's French-style fast food, because we serve a full dish for less than a sandwich at McDonald's," said Joulie.

- 'Dust off' -

Even multi-Michelin-starred French chef Thierry Marx has got in on the act, attracted by the idea of providing quality food at affordable prices.

He has opened a bouillon in a northern Paris suburb.

"In the 1960s, it took the equivalent of an hour of the minimum wage to eat at a bistro," he told AFP. "Today, with an hour of minimum wage, you only get fast food, something from the bakery -- or a bouillon dish."

Other restaurateurs with a keen eye for the market have sensed an opportunity.

"We looked at needs and changing habits and realized there was demand for intergenerational social spaces with no price-based exclusion," Enguerran Lavaud, director of Groupe Bouillon Restaurants, told AFP.

"I wanted to dust off the bouillon -- its mass-market French dishes available from noon to midnight."

Boosted by its Instagram presence, his Bouillon Pigalle now serves 2,300 customers a day, often with long queues along the pavement.

Since 2017, the concept has spread, attracting more and more restaurateurs across France from Angers to Nancy and Toulouse.

Some are adapting the concept.

In the Romainville suburb northeast of Paris, a family of Mauritian origin took over a large brasserie in 2026 to turn it into a "Mauritian-style bouillon".

There is an Italian bouillon in Paris too.

Industry insiders say they do not fear competition around what has become a "bouillon culture".

"But there are bouillons and bouillons: those that can't sustain the low prices over time, and whose menus change all the time, won't make it to 2027 or 2028 because you have to protect the quality of the experience to protect volume - and therefore prices," warned Lavaud.

According to consultant Bernard Boutboul, you specifically need "at least 300 seats and not exceed an average bill of 18 euros".

Culture

AlUla Marks World Heritage Day, Showcases Millennia of Human Civilization

AlUla remains committed to the preservation of its archaeological sites and inscriptions through specialized restoration and rehabilitation projects - SPA
AlUla remains committed to the preservation of its archaeological sites and inscriptions through specialized restoration and rehabilitation projects - SPA
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AlUla Marks World Heritage Day, Showcases Millennia of Human Civilization

AlUla remains committed to the preservation of its archaeological sites and inscriptions through specialized restoration and rehabilitation projects - SPA
AlUla remains committed to the preservation of its archaeological sites and inscriptions through specialized restoration and rehabilitation projects - SPA

AlUla Governorate is celebrating World Heritage Day, observed annually on April 18, by showcasing a historical legacy spanning thousands of years as a crossroads of ancient civilizations and a living testament to cultural continuity and architectural development, reinforcing its status as a premier global cultural center, SPA reported.

The governorate is home to landmarks of universal value, most notably Hegra, the first Saudi site inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Other significant sites include AlUla Old Town, featuring over 900 traditional mud-brick houses that reflect the region's historical social fabric and unique architectural heritage.

AlUla remains committed to the preservation of its archaeological sites and inscriptions through specialized restoration and rehabilitation projects.

These efforts ensure the sustainability of its heritage for future generations, aligning with international standards for protecting human history and promoting global cultural awareness.