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Saudi Culture Minister Attends UNESCO’s 43rd General Conference in Uzbekistan

Saudi Minister of Culture Prince Bader bin Abdullah bin Farhan attends the 43rd session of the UNESCO General Conference in Samarkand on Tuesday. (SPA)
Saudi Minister of Culture Prince Bader bin Abdullah bin Farhan attends the 43rd session of the UNESCO General Conference in Samarkand on Tuesday. (SPA)
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Saudi Culture Minister Attends UNESCO’s 43rd General Conference in Uzbekistan

Saudi Minister of Culture Prince Bader bin Abdullah bin Farhan attends the 43rd session of the UNESCO General Conference in Samarkand on Tuesday. (SPA)
Saudi Minister of Culture Prince Bader bin Abdullah bin Farhan attends the 43rd session of the UNESCO General Conference in Samarkand on Tuesday. (SPA)

Saudi Minister of Culture Prince Bader bin Abdullah bin Farhan attended on Tuesday the 43rd session of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) General Conference. The event is being held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, from October 30 to November 13.

Prince Bader underscored the Kingdom’s deep-rooted partnership with UNESCO and its commitment to advancing international cooperation in education, culture, and science, said Ministry of Culture statement.

He expressed appreciation for UNESCO’s leadership in fostering peace and mutual understanding worldwide.

“Today, as we commemorate eight decades of fruitful collaboration and shared success, we look forward to continuing this journey, deepening our cooperation, and advancing our collective efforts toward even greater achievements in the years ahead,” he said.

He highlighted the Kingdom’s efforts to advance UNESCO’s global efforts, including the Saudi Fund for the Preservation of Culture and Heritage, which has benefited 136 countries worldwide.

He underlined Saudi Arabia’s role as an active partner in shaping cultural and educational initiatives, noting that the Kingdom’s selection to host the next UNESCO Global Conference on Cultural Policies and Sustainable Development (MONDIACULT 2029) reflects its pivotal role in fostering international cultural cooperation.

Prince Bader bin Abdullah bin Farhan also met with his Uzbek counterpart Ozodbek Nazarbekov. The ministers stressed their shared commitment to advancing collaboration in cultural exchange, heritage preservation, and the creative industries.

They welcomed the ongoing collaboration between the Diriyah Biennale Foundation and the Bukhara Biennale of Contemporary Art, which featured the Diriyah Biennale’s winning design from its AlMusalla Prize.

Prince Bader also met with Chairperson of the Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation Gayane Umerova.

He commended the successful organization of the Bukhara Biennale of Contemporary Art, a remarkable cultural event that bridges a vast historical legacy with modern artistic expression, underscoring the vital role of art in advancing intercultural dialogue.

They reviewed ongoing cooperation and explored new avenues for deepening cultural relations between Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan. Prince Bader highlighted the growing partnership between the two nations in heritage preservation, artistic exchange, and cross-cultural collaboration.

He praised Uzbekistan’s active participation as Guest of Honor at the Riyadh International Book Fair 2025 and commended its valuable contributions to the Islamic Arts Biennale in 2023 and 2025 through the loan of significant Islamic art artifacts.

He also recalled the presentation of the Musalla design during the first edition of the Bukhara Biennale of Contemporary Art, describing it as a symbol of creative exchange and cultural understanding between the two nations.

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Culture

Saudi Culture Ministry Launches UK-KSA Arabian Peninsula Cultural Research Fellowships

The Saudi flag. Asharq Al-Awsat
The Saudi flag. Asharq Al-Awsat
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Saudi Culture Ministry Launches UK-KSA Arabian Peninsula Cultural Research Fellowships

The Saudi flag. Asharq Al-Awsat
The Saudi flag. Asharq Al-Awsat

The Ministry of Culture has launched the UK-KSA Arabian Peninsula Cultural Research Fellowships in partnership with Effat University and the National Archives of the United Kingdom, to support archival-based research, advance cultural inquiry on the Arabian Peninsula, and strengthen collaboration between researchers and institutions in Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom.

The program includes a 10-week research residency at the National Archives of the United Kingdom, where participants receive hands-on training in archival methods and gain access to a wide range of archival collections and cultural institutions across the UK. It supports diverse areas of cultural research related to the Arabian Peninsula.

This initiative aligns with the Ministry of Culture’s strategic vision for advancing cultural research, reflecting its commitment to fostering both local and international collaboration and promoting meaningful cultural exchange.

The fellowship is open to researchers and cultural heritage specialists capable of conducting independent research in English, regardless of their professional level.

Culture

Culture Ministry Signs Partnership with Guildhall School of Music & Drama for Riyadh University of Arts

Culture Ministry Signs Partnership with Guildhall School of Music & Drama for Riyadh University of Arts
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Culture Ministry Signs Partnership with Guildhall School of Music & Drama for Riyadh University of Arts

Culture Ministry Signs Partnership with Guildhall School of Music & Drama for Riyadh University of Arts

The Ministry of Culture signed on Thursday a partnership with Guildhall School of Music & Drama for Riyadh University of Arts (RUA)’s College of Music. The partnership aims to further develop cultural and artistic talent and drive cultural exchange.

Under the terms of the partnership, Guildhall School will work with RUA to co-design undergraduate, postgraduate and research programs spanning music performance, production and education, in addition to training and capability development opportunities for RUA’s faculty body.

The programs will help cultivate and support Saudi talent across a wide range of musical disciplines, as well as provide students with a firm understanding of creative processes, research pathways and professional skills.

Founded in 1880, Guildhall School is a vibrant, international community of musicians, actors and production artists. Ranked as number one in Arts, Drama and Music by the Complete University Guide 2025, and in the top three in the world for Music by the QS World University Rankings 2025, Guildhall delivers world-class professional training in partnership with distinguished artists, companies and ensembles, SPA reported.

The partnership with Guildhall School sits within a series of partnerships for the Riyadh University of Arts and its colleges with leading international institutions to co-design academic programs, collaborate in research, and offer enriching programs in cultural education and development.

In December 2025, RUA announced partnerships between their College of Film and the University of Southern California’s (USC) School of Cinematic Arts (SCA); between SOAS University of London and their College of Heritage and Civilization Studies; AMDA College of the Performing Art and RUA’s College of Theater and Performing Art; and between ESSEC Business School and RUA’s College of Cultural Management. A further agreement was signed with the Royal College of Art (RCA) and RUA’s College of Architecture and Design and College of Visual Arts and Photography in January 2026.

Riyadh University of Arts was established by royal decree and is headquartered in Riyadh. Its Board of Trustees is chaired by Minister of Culture Prince Bader bin Abdullah bin Farhan. The university is dedicated to advancing education in the fields of culture and the arts, serving as a cornerstone for creative learning and cultural innovation. It aims to empower students with the knowledge, skills, and vision needed to shape the future of Saudi Arabia’s creative economy.

The university will launch its programs in phases, gradually expanding to cover a wide range of fields and specialized disciplines. It will offer a comprehensive academic portfolio that supports continuous education across the arts and culture sectors, including short courses, diplomas, bachelor’s degrees, higher diplomas, master’s degrees, and PhDs.

Culture

Czech ‘Arks’ Help Preserve Ukraine’s Cultural Heritage

A photo taken in Prague's National Museum shows a 3D scanner in the Archa III (Ark Project) truck on March 24, 2026 in Prague, Czech Republic. (AFP)
A photo taken in Prague's National Museum shows a 3D scanner in the Archa III (Ark Project) truck on March 24, 2026 in Prague, Czech Republic. (AFP)
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Czech ‘Arks’ Help Preserve Ukraine’s Cultural Heritage

A photo taken in Prague's National Museum shows a 3D scanner in the Archa III (Ark Project) truck on March 24, 2026 in Prague, Czech Republic. (AFP)
A photo taken in Prague's National Museum shows a 3D scanner in the Archa III (Ark Project) truck on March 24, 2026 in Prague, Czech Republic. (AFP)

The National Museum in Prague on Tuesday unveiled a van containing a 3D scanning device that will soon travel to war-ravaged Ukraine to help preserve its cultural artifacts.

The Archa (Ark) III is a Volkswagen van comprising a studio equipped with a robot and three cameras to create precise models of endangered historic items in Ukraine, which has been battling a full-scale Russian invasion since 2022.

"Archa III is a unique mobile digitization device enabling us to create high-quality 3D images of endangered artifacts and collection items out in the field," National Museum director Michal Lukes told reporters.

He added the scanners could handle both tiny objects and more sizeable items even inside museums.

"In this way, we can create precise digital copies of items that can then serve for documentation and research purposes, but also for restoration, potential reconstruction, or the production of copies," he added.

Museum staff will drive the van to Kyiv in early April and hand it over to Ukrainian partners under the project carried out in cooperation with the foundation of Czech billionaire Karel Komarek.

It follows an Archa I container equipped to conserve and restore books and an Archa II van digitizing two-dimensional items, which Prague sent to Ukraine earlier.

The foundation, which worked on the first two "Arks" with other institutions, said they have so far handled almost 40,000 pages of documents, such as historic newspapers retrieved from the Regional Scientific Library in Kherson.

"The van comprises an autonomous robotic system designed for photogrammetry and 3D output," said the museum's IT director Martin Soucek.

Speed is crucial, and the robot moving along three axes can generate thousands of high-quality photographs within minutes.

"It then uses the photographs to create a hyper-realistic model with high detail, a so-called digital twin," Soucek added.

The project also involves expert training and a website on which the scanned artifacts will be exhibited.

Vitalii Usatyi, the charge d'affaires at the Ukrainian embassy in Prague, hailed the van for being able to work across Ukraine, "including regions exposed to risks related to the Russian aggression".

"This is crucial for preserving cultural heritage," he added.

A recent UNESCO report said that 523 cultural sites had been verified as damaged as of March 11, including 153 religious sites, 273 buildings of historical or artistic interest, 39 museums, 33 monuments, 20 libraries, four archaeological sites and one archive.