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Saudi Music Commission, Diriyah Opera House, the Met Partner on World-Class Productions

The collaboration is part of an MoU between the commission and the Met
The collaboration is part of an MoU between the commission and the Met
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Saudi Music Commission, Diriyah Opera House, the Met Partner on World-Class Productions

The collaboration is part of an MoU between the commission and the Met
The collaboration is part of an MoU between the commission and the Met

The Saudi Music Commission, the Royal Diriyah Opera House, and the Metropolitan Opera (Met) signed an agreement aimed at establishing the Met Opera as the winter resident company at the new opera house once it opens.

The collaboration is part of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the commission and the Met, under which the Met will travel to Riyadh each winter for five years to stage full operas and concerts over three-week periods.

The MoU also includes a commitment to training promising Saudi talent, including opera singers and theater artisans, to nurture their skills, foster creative excellence, and support career development in the operatic arts. The collaboration also envisions the production of a new global opera.

“At the Saudi Music Commission, we are committed to empowering talent, providing them with the skills, platforms, and global exposure they need to flourish,” the Met quoted commission Chief Executive Paul Pacifico as saying.

He stated that this collaboration goes beyond cultural exchange; it opens new pathways for connection, allows sharing Saudi stories through music, and contributes to enriching the global cultural landscape.

Metropolitan Opera general manager Peter Gelb stressed cultural exchange between nations as “essential on a human level,” noting that the collaboration presents a significant opportunity for advancing the Met’s mission.

The agreement reflects the Music Commission’s commitment to expanding artistic cooperation with leading international institutions, strengthening cultural dialogue through music, and fostering professional growth for local talent. It also aligns with the National Culture Strategy, under the umbrella of Saudi Vision 2030, which emphasizes international cultural exchange as a key goal.

Diriyah Company Group chief executive Jerry Inzerillo highlighted the anticipated opening of the Royal Diriyah Opera House as “a landmark moment in the Kingdom’s cultural journey and a testament to our commitment to making Diriyah a global destination for arts and culture.”

He added that the partnership “reflects our vision of building bridges of cultural exchange and offers Saudi talent a world stage to shine and create,” the Met reported.

The Royal Diriyah Opera House is one of the Kingdom’s most prominent cultural landmark projects. It will be constructed with a design inspired by traditional Najdi architecture. The opera house will form a key component of the Diriyah giga project, a large-scale development spanning more than 14 square kilometers.

The project will also include other iconic assets, including a 20,000-seat Diriyah Arena, a collection of museums, more than 40 hotels and resorts operated by world-renowned brands, and over 20,000 residential units.

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Culture

Students Discover 1,800-Year-Old Roman Villa Beneath School Gym

Students' curiosity uncovered what had lain hidden beneath the earth for centuries. (Special Superintendency of Rome)
Students' curiosity uncovered what had lain hidden beneath the earth for centuries. (Special Superintendency of Rome)
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Students Discover 1,800-Year-Old Roman Villa Beneath School Gym

Students' curiosity uncovered what had lain hidden beneath the earth for centuries. (Special Superintendency of Rome)
Students' curiosity uncovered what had lain hidden beneath the earth for centuries. (Special Superintendency of Rome)

Archaeologists in Rome have uncovered the remains of a luxury Roman residence dating to the second century CE beneath a high school near the Colosseum, after students' curiosity about mysterious underground rooms led to a formal excavation of the site.

According to Live Science, students at Liceo Scientifico Cavour, located just steps from the Colosseum, had long shared stories about hidden chambers beneath the school's gymnasium. What began as rumors ultimately led to a remarkable archaeological discovery.

During unofficial explorations of the underground spaces, students came across evidence of an ancient structure beneath the school.

After informing a teacher, who alerted the relevant authorities, archaeologists were called in to investigate the site. Excavations carried out earlier this year revealed that the dark passageways and partially lit rooms formed part of an elaborate Roman residence dating back nearly 1,800 years.

Liceo Scientifico Cavour occupies a building near the Colosseum that originally served as the headquarters of a Catholic missionary organization. When the complex was constructed in the late nineteenth century, preliminary excavation work uncovered part of an ancient domus, the term used for a large Roman urban residence.

The area is among the most historically significant parts of ancient Rome. Prominent figures including Cicero, Pompey and Octavian, later known as Augustus, are known to have lived there. Yet the district remains only partially understood by archaeologists because layers of modern construction cover much of the ancient landscape.

Researchers say the discovery offers a rare opportunity to study a section of ancient Rome that has remained largely inaccessible, while shedding new light on the city's residential life during the height of the Roman Empire.

Culture

Saudi, Malaysian Translation Associations Sign MoU to Promote Cultural Exchange

The MoU aims to enhance cooperation in the fields of translation and publishing, promote cultural and knowledge exchange, and support scientific and academic efforts of mutual interest. SPA
The MoU aims to enhance cooperation in the fields of translation and publishing, promote cultural and knowledge exchange, and support scientific and academic efforts of mutual interest. SPA
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Saudi, Malaysian Translation Associations Sign MoU to Promote Cultural Exchange

The MoU aims to enhance cooperation in the fields of translation and publishing, promote cultural and knowledge exchange, and support scientific and academic efforts of mutual interest. SPA
The MoU aims to enhance cooperation in the fields of translation and publishing, promote cultural and knowledge exchange, and support scientific and academic efforts of mutual interest. SPA

The Saudi Arabian Translation Association and the Malaysian Translators Association have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) at Saudi Arabia's pavilion, the guest of honor at the 2026 Kuala Lumpur International Book Fair.

The MoU aims to enhance cooperation in the fields of translation and publishing, promote cultural and knowledge exchange, and support scientific and academic efforts of mutual interest.

It also seeks to facilitate the exchange of expertise and specialized consultations, contributing to advancing the translation sector and strengthening its presence on the international cultural scene.

The memorandum represents an important step toward building sustainable professional and cultural partnerships that contribute to strengthening civilizational dialogue between Saudi Arabia and Malaysia, while opening the door to joint projects and initiatives that support translation activities and expand the exchange of literature and knowledge between the two languages.

The MoU comes as part of the cultural momentum witnessed by the Kingdom’s pavilion at the 2026 Kuala Lumpur International Book Fair, led by the Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission through a diverse cultural and knowledge-based program that highlights the growing stature of Saudi culture and its presence in international forums.

This underscores the importance of international book fairs as effective platforms for enhancing cultural cooperation and signing agreements and partnerships that contribute to expanding prospects for joint work among cultural and knowledge institutions around the world.

Culture

Saudi Heritage Commission Uncovers Over 1,700 Artifacts at Ancient Al-Juhfah Miqat Site

Discoveries included diverse fragments used in daily life, six pottery kilns, a water channel - SPA
Discoveries included diverse fragments used in daily life, six pottery kilns, a water channel - SPA
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Saudi Heritage Commission Uncovers Over 1,700 Artifacts at Ancient Al-Juhfah Miqat Site

Discoveries included diverse fragments used in daily life, six pottery kilns, a water channel - SPA
Discoveries included diverse fragments used in daily life, six pottery kilns, a water channel - SPA

Saudi Arabia's Heritage Commission completed the first season of its joint scientific mission with the University of Exeter at the ancient Al-Juhfah Miqat site, uncovering more than 1,700 artifacts, including pottery, glass, stone pieces, shells, and worked objects, confirming the site's significance along the Egyptian pilgrimage route.

Discoveries included diverse fragments used in daily life, six pottery kilns, a water channel believed to have served pilgrims and travelers, and 13 tombstones dating to the Umayyad and Abbasid periods. Some finds originated from the Levant, Egypt, and Ethiopia, reflecting the diverse origins of pilgrims who passed through this miqat, SPA reported.

Al-Juhfah Miqat is located 187 kilometers northwest of Makkah and has been an established miqat since the early Islamic period, associated with the Prophet's migration, and is known to have flourished in the second Hijri century, with water facilities and shops serving pilgrims.

These works are part of the Heritage Commission's efforts to survey and document archaeological sites along the Hijrah route between Makkah and Madinah, using advanced technologies to reveal the historical and civilizational depth of the Kingdom.