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Saudi Museums Commission Hosts Virtual ‘Open Talk’ Exploring the Red Sea Museum

Saudi Museums Commission Hosts Virtual ‘Open Talk’ Exploring the Red Sea Museum
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Saudi Museums Commission Hosts Virtual ‘Open Talk’ Exploring the Red Sea Museum

Saudi Museums Commission Hosts Virtual ‘Open Talk’ Exploring the Red Sea Museum

The Museums Commission organized a virtual open talk on Monday titled “The Red Sea Museum: A Window into the Cultural Heritage of the Red Sea Region,” held as part of the commission’s monthly series designed to raise awareness of national museum projects, according to a press release, SPA reported.

The panel featured a distinguished lineup of experts and researchers in the museum and cultural heritage sectors, including the former Assistant Minister of Tourism and Antiquities in Egypt; Director of the Red Sea Museum Eman Zidan; and Director of Underwater Heritage at the Heritage Commission Dr. Majed Alanazi. The talk was moderated by Director of Public Relations and Content at the Museums Commission Attia Alrajhi.

The discussion highlighted the key features of the Red Sea Museum’s cultural identity and heritage, as well as the ongoing developments at the museum. This cultural and tourism landmark aims to document the region’s history, with a particular focus on Bab Al-Bunt, a site of significant historical importance in Historic Jeddah.

The meeting provided an overview of the design phases for the Red Sea Museum, which is planned to become a cultural and tourism hub in the area. The museum will narrate the building’s history to visitors and document both tangible and intangible heritage, highlighting its key collections, stories, and temporary exhibits. Besides its future role in safeguarding culture and heritage, the museum will also host a public program that features workshops, training sessions, open dialogues, and seminars.

 

These activities range from training artisans through the “Made in the Red Sea” initiative to sustainable art projects such as “Red Sea Art” and musical performances that celebrate the region’s heritage, including the “Red Sea Symphony,” which explores horizons that blend authenticity with societal customs.

The museum offers a cultural experience that meets international standards, blending modern technologies, research practices, and collection preservation, enhanced by collaboration with local and global institutions. It also provides visitors with interactive pathways that deepen their understanding of the Red Sea as a space for intellectual, artistic, and social exchange, along with educational content tailored to different age groups.

The meeting highlighted the collaborations established between the Red Sea Museum and other cultural sectors and institutions, such as the Heritage Commission to organize the International Red Sea Conference to be held at the Red Sea Museum in April 2026, and the Music Commission and Tariq Abdulhakim Museum to produce a symphony reflecting the cities along the Red Sea coast. Zidan noted that the museum’s cooperation extends to cultural institutions, indicating that these collaborations reflect the efforts of cultural institutions to foster art and culture in the region.

The Red Sea Museum is set to open on December 6 as part of the Quality of Life Program initiatives to achieve the goals of Saudi Vision 2030. The project embodies the Kingdom’s commitment to safeguarding its cultural heritage through a sustainable approach that enriches knowledge and enhances development in Historic Jeddah.

The museum stands as a landmark housing a collection of exceptional importance that ranges from archaeological discoveries to artistic masterpieces, offering perspectives on the tangible, intangible, and natural treasures of the Red Sea. Through its programs and activities, the museum seeks to enhance awareness of the environmental and cultural diversity of the Red Sea region, providing an environment that inspires creativity and contributes to building communication between local and global communities.

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Culture

Danish Warship Sunk by Nelson’s British Fleet Discovered After 225 Years

Morten Johansen, head of maritime archaeology at Denmark's Viking Ship Museum, shows a metal insignia recovered from the wreck of Danish flagship "Dannebroge" that sank during the Battle of Copenhagen in 1801, in Copenhagen, Denmark, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (AP)
Morten Johansen, head of maritime archaeology at Denmark's Viking Ship Museum, shows a metal insignia recovered from the wreck of Danish flagship "Dannebroge" that sank during the Battle of Copenhagen in 1801, in Copenhagen, Denmark, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (AP)
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Danish Warship Sunk by Nelson’s British Fleet Discovered After 225 Years

Morten Johansen, head of maritime archaeology at Denmark's Viking Ship Museum, shows a metal insignia recovered from the wreck of Danish flagship "Dannebroge" that sank during the Battle of Copenhagen in 1801, in Copenhagen, Denmark, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (AP)
Morten Johansen, head of maritime archaeology at Denmark's Viking Ship Museum, shows a metal insignia recovered from the wreck of Danish flagship "Dannebroge" that sank during the Battle of Copenhagen in 1801, in Copenhagen, Denmark, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (AP)

More than 200 years after being sunk by Adm. Horatio Nelson and the British fleet, a Danish warship has been discovered on the seabed of Copenhagen Harbor by marine archaeologists.

Working in thick sediment and almost zero visibility 15 meters (49 feet) beneath the waves, divers are in a race against time to unearth the 19th-century wreck of the "Dannebroge" before it becomes a construction site in a new housing district being built off the Danish coast.

Denmark’s Viking Ship Museum, which is leading the monthslong underwater excavations, announced its findings on Thursday, 225 years to the day since the Battle of Copenhagen in 1801.

“It’s a big part of the Danish national feeling,” said Morten Johansen, the museum’s head of maritime archaeology.

A great deal has been written about the battle “by very enthusiastic spectators, but we actually don’t know how it was to be onboard a ship being shot to pieces by English warships and some of that story we can probably learn from seeing the wreck,” Johansen said. The Associated Press was the only international outlet given access to the site.

In the Battle of Copenhagen, Nelson and the British fleet attacked and defeated Denmark’s navy as it formed a protective blockade outside the harbor.

Thousands were killed and wounded during the brutal hourslong naval clash, considered one of Nelson’s “great battles.” The intention was to force Denmark out of an alliance of Northern European powers, including Russia, Prussia and Sweden.

At the center of the fighting was the Danish flagship, the Dannebroge, commanded by Commodore Olfert Fischer.

The 48-meter (157-foot) Dannebroge was Nelson’s main target. Cannon fire tore through its upper deck before incendiary shells sparked a fire aboard.

“(It was) a nightmare to be on board one of these ships,” Johansen said. “When a cannonball hits a ship, it’s not the cannonball that does the most damage to the crew, it’s wooden splinters flying everywhere, very much like grenade debris.”

The battle also is believed to have inspired the phrase “to turn a blind eye.” After deciding to ignore a superior’s signal, Nelson, who had lost sight in his right eye, reportedly remarked: “I have only one eye, I have a right to be blind sometimes.”

Nelson eventually offered a truce and a ceasefire was later agreed with Denmark’s Crown Prince Frederik.

The stricken Dannebroge slowly drifted northward and exploded. Records say the sound created a deafening roar across Copenhagen.

Marine archaeologists have discovered two cannons, uniforms, insignia, shoes, bottles and even part of a sailor’s lower jaw, perhaps one of the 19 unaccounted-for crew members who likely lost their lives that day.

The dig site will soon be enveloped by construction work for Lynetteholm, a megaproject to build a new housing district in the middle of Copenhagen Harbor that is expected to be completed by 2070.

Marine archaeologists began surveying the area late last year, targeting a spot thought to match the flagship’s final position.

Experts say the sizes of the wooden parts found match old drawings. Dendrochronological dating, the method of using tree rings to establish the age of wood, match the year the ship was built. They also say the darkened dig site is full of cannonballs, a hazard for divers navigating waters darkened by clouds of silt stirred up from the seabed.

“Sometimes you can’t see anything, and then you really have to just feel your way, look with your fingers instead of with your eyes,” diver and maritime archaeologist Marie Jonsson said.

Chronicled in books and painted on canvases, the 1801 battle is deeply embedded in Denmark’s national story.

Archaeologists hope their discoveries may help reexamine the event that shaped the Scandinavian country and perhaps uncover personal stories of those who went into battle on that day 225 years ago.

“There are bottles, there are ceramics, and even pieces of basketry,” Jonsson said. “You get closer to the people onboard.”

Culture

Priceless Ancient Golden Helmet Stolen from Dutch Museum Is Recovered

A police officer stands by a stolen artifact from Romania, the 2,500-year-old Cotofenesti helmet, recovered in Netherlands, is shown during a press conference in Assen, Netherlands, Thursday, April 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Aleksandar Furtula)
A police officer stands by a stolen artifact from Romania, the 2,500-year-old Cotofenesti helmet, recovered in Netherlands, is shown during a press conference in Assen, Netherlands, Thursday, April 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Aleksandar Furtula)
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Priceless Ancient Golden Helmet Stolen from Dutch Museum Is Recovered

A police officer stands by a stolen artifact from Romania, the 2,500-year-old Cotofenesti helmet, recovered in Netherlands, is shown during a press conference in Assen, Netherlands, Thursday, April 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Aleksandar Furtula)
A police officer stands by a stolen artifact from Romania, the 2,500-year-old Cotofenesti helmet, recovered in Netherlands, is shown during a press conference in Assen, Netherlands, Thursday, April 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Aleksandar Furtula)

A priceless ancient golden helmet from Romania stolen last year from a museum in the Netherlands has been recovered, Dutch authorities announced Thursday.

Under the guard of heavily armed, balaclava-clad police, prosecutors unveiled the 2,500-year-old Cotofenesti helmet, one of Romania’s most revered national treasures from the Dacia civilization, during a news conference in the eastern Dutch city of Assen.

“We are incredibly pleased,” Corien Fahner of the prosecution service told reporters. “It has been a roller-coaster. Especially for Romania, but also for employees of the Drents Museum.”

The helmet was on display at the small museum in January 2025, the last weekend of a six-month-long exhibition, when thieves broke in and grabbed it, along with three golden wristbands.

There were fears the helmet may have been melted down because its fame and dramatic studded appearance made it virtually unsellable.

Two of three missing armbands were also recovered as part of a deal prosecutors reached with three men arrested for the heist shortly after it occurred. Their trial will begin later in April.

Fahner said the search for the remaining armband would continue.

The helmet did not return unscathed.

“The helmet is slightly dented, but there will be no permanent damage,” Drents Museum director Robert van Langh said during the news conference. “The armbands are in perfect condition.”

Thieves used a homemade firework bomb and sledgehammer to break into the museum. Grainy security video distributed by police after the raid appeared to show three people opening a museum door with a large crowbar, followed by an explosion.

The theft put a strain on relations between the Netherlands and Romania

Romanian Justice Minister Radu Marinescu last year called the incident a “crime against our state” and said recovering the artifacts “is an absolute priority.”

Culture

Traditional Arts Festival Reinforces National Identity, Highlights Performance Traditions

The Traditional Arts Festival 2026 is drawing strong crowds of visitors and tourists in Diriyah. (SPA)
The Traditional Arts Festival 2026 is drawing strong crowds of visitors and tourists in Diriyah. (SPA)
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Traditional Arts Festival Reinforces National Identity, Highlights Performance Traditions

The Traditional Arts Festival 2026 is drawing strong crowds of visitors and tourists in Diriyah. (SPA)
The Traditional Arts Festival 2026 is drawing strong crowds of visitors and tourists in Diriyah. (SPA)

The Traditional Arts Festival 2026, organized by the Ministry of Culture, is drawing strong crowds of visitors and tourists in Diriyah amid pleasant spring weather.

The festival, held from March 26 to April 8 and from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m., features a range of performing arts from across the Kingdom, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Thursday.

Live shows in a dedicated traditional performance arena allow visitors to explore those traditions and their varied forms, reflecting the depth and diversity of Saudi cultural heritage.

The event is part of the Ministry of Culture’s ongoing efforts to support the national cultural scene and highlight traditional performing arts as a core element of the Kingdom’s cultural identity. It also presents those arts as a form of expression tied to the occasions and events of Saudi society.