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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

Kolkata’s Iconic Trams Face Final Stop as Modernization Rolls in

Passengers sit inside a decorated tram during the 152nd anniversary celebrations of trams in Kolkata, India, February 24, 2025. (Reuters)
Passengers sit inside a decorated tram during the 152nd anniversary celebrations of trams in Kolkata, India, February 24, 2025. (Reuters)
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Kolkata’s Iconic Trams Face Final Stop as Modernization Rolls in

Passengers sit inside a decorated tram during the 152nd anniversary celebrations of trams in Kolkata, India, February 24, 2025. (Reuters)
Passengers sit inside a decorated tram during the 152nd anniversary celebrations of trams in Kolkata, India, February 24, 2025. (Reuters)

For more than a century, trams have rumbled past Kolkata's crumbling colonial facades, with their chiming bells contributing to the city's soundtrack as they ferried generations of ​commuters.

Now, Asia's oldest tram network is on the brink of disappearing as authorities consider pulling the plug on a mode of transport that has become more nostalgia than necessity.

The West Bengal government plans to shut down the 152-year-old system, keeping only a short heritage route. The decision has sparked a court battle as residents and heritage advocates fight to keep ‌the trams ‌rolling.

"As children, we would take the ‌trams ⁠for ​fun, ‌but as I grew older it became a necessity," said Abha Maity, 44, recalling rides to school and college. "I can’t imagine Kolkata without them."

Once a highlight of the city's streets, the wobbly trams now struggle for space amid traffic jams - competing with buses and yellow taxis - as Kolkata builds modern infrastructure and seeks faster transport.

Kolkata introduced ⁠horse-drawn trams in 1873 and electrified them in 1902. At its peak, the ‌network boasted more than 340 trams and ‍covered the entire city. Today, ‍only two routes remain, with a fleet of about 10.

"When ‍I joined, more than 340 trams were running. Now it's down to seven or eight," said Bacchu Sidda, a conductor for 36 years who still checks his duty roster pinned on a board ​at the last functioning depot in Gariahat.

The government began selling depots and scrapping cars years ago, prompting a citizens' ⁠group called Calcutta Tram Users Association (CTUA) to take the fight to court. CTUA has campaigned since 2016 to save what remains of the system.

"I love my trams more than myself," said Deep Das, 19, a journalism student and CTUA member. "If they disappear, it will be like a part of my body has left me."

Despite resistance, authorities are pouring billions into upgrading Kolkata's infrastructure, focusing on metro expansion, wider roads and new highways to ease congestion.

For now, the fate of Kolkata's aging trams awaits a ‌court review, as they continue carrying some passengers who view them as living memories of the city's past.

Culture

Visual Arts Commission Announces 'Bedayat: Beginnings of Saudi Art Movement' Exhibition

Visual Arts Commission Announces 'Bedayat: Beginnings of Saudi Art Movement' Exhibition
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Visual Arts Commission Announces 'Bedayat: Beginnings of Saudi Art Movement' Exhibition

Visual Arts Commission Announces 'Bedayat: Beginnings of Saudi Art Movement' Exhibition

The Visual Arts Commission has announced "Bedayat: Beginnings of Saudi Art Movement"—a seminal exhibition that celebrates and documents the formative years of Saudi Arabia's art scene and the emergence of a pioneering generation of artists between the 1960s and 1980s, SPA reported.

The exhibition will be on view from January 27 through April 11, 2026, at the National Museum of Saudi Arabia in Riyadh.
The exhibition traces the evolution of artistic practices in the Kingdom, as shaped by the cultural, social, and economic transformations that began in the mid-twentieth century.

Extensive research initiated by the Visual Arts Commission—encompassing more than 80 site visits as well as 120 comprehensive artist reports and recordings from 50 interviews—informs the exhibition. Developed with an advisory team that includes artist Abdulrahman Alsuliman, Dr. Mohammed Alrusais, and Dr. Charbel Dagher, the research draws on academic expertise alongside firsthand accounts from artists and key figures of the period to capture early exhibition history, educational activity, and the locally-rooted language of expression that emerged during these decades.

Curated by Qaswra Hafez, the exhibition spans painting, sculpture, works on paper, and diverse archival materials—many exhibited publicly for the first time. Focusing on the pivotal decades of the 1960s through 1980s, it charts how practitioners of this generation engaged Saudi Arabia’s deep-rooted heritage while participating in international artistic exchange. Developing distinctive visual languages that brought modernist currents into dialogue with local contexts, they established cultural institutions and artist networks via grassroots initiatives alongside public and private patronage and support for the visual arts.

Presented at the National Museum of Saudi Arabia in the historic Al Murabba’a district, the exhibition brings together the work of key figures across three decades, highlighting a pivotal period in which modern and abstract artistic practices emerged within the Kingdom.

Bedayat: Beginnings of Saudi Art Movement is structured in three parts: the Foundation of the Modern Art Movement in Saudi Arabia, which studies the emergence of the visual arts scene in the interplay between individual initiative and state support; Currents of Modernity, which explores the artistic concerns that shaped Saudi artistic production; and Modernist Pioneers, which spotlights four artists—Mohammed Al-Saleem, Safeya Binzagr, Mounirah Mosly, and Abdulhalim Radwi.

Reflecting on the significance of the exhibition, CEO of the Visual Arts Commission Dina Amin stated: “We celebrate here the history of modern art in Saudi Arabia, and we are proud to foreground its rich legacy by honoring the pioneering figures as well as the public and private initiatives whose collective efforts shaped the art scene of this era. We hope this exhibition contributes to an enduring continuum, offering meaningful access to the depth and diversity of our visual arts history.”

Curator of the exhibition Qaswra Hafez said: “Through Bedayat, we are presenting a comprehensive and research-driven account of Saudi modern art. Through archival study, pioneering artworks, and firsthand narratives, we are preserving the foundations of our modern art movement for future generations. This project is both a tribute to our early artists and a lasting cultural legacy that will continue to inform and inspire audiences across the Kingdom and beyond.”

Bedayat: Beginnings of Saudi Art Movement forms part of the Visual Arts Commission’s broader efforts to archive and document Saudi visual culture, advancing the historical record and supporting ongoing research in the field.

The exhibition will be followed by a comprehensive publication and an original documentary film, offering an in-depth perspective on the foundations of Saudi modern art and a long-lasting resource for the public and researchers. An extensive public program of talks, workshops, and masterclasses will further explore key themes, including early art education, the role of pioneering teachers and institutions, and archival preservation practices.

Culture

Smithsonian’s Asian Art Museum Director Highlights Cultural Exchange with Saudi Arabia's RCU

The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) logo
The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) logo
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Smithsonian’s Asian Art Museum Director Highlights Cultural Exchange with Saudi Arabia's RCU

The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) logo
The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) logo

National Museum of Asian Art Director at the Smithsonian Institution Chase Robinson discussed cooperation with the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) to promote cultural exchange and mutual understanding between museum professionals and researchers in Saudi Arabia and the United States, while expanding global knowledge of the heritage and ancient civilizations of the northern Arabian Peninsula.

In an interview with the Saudi Press Agency, Robinson described the museum’s relationship with the Kingdom as “long-standing,” formalized through a memorandum of understanding signed in May 2025 with the RCU.

He stressed that the agreement “is built on many years of relations with the Kingdom” and reflects both institutions’ commitment to preserving cultural heritage and boosting cultural exchange between the two countries.

He noted that the agreement marks the beginning of a new chapter of constructive cooperation, highlighting the pivotal role of arts and heritage in strengthening cultural dialogue among peoples of different regions and historical backgrounds, and in making AlUla’s heritage accessible to the world, thereby supporting the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030.

Robinson indicated that the collaboration between the museum and the RCU includes key components such as designing an exhibition centered on the recently discovered monumental statue at the archaeological site of Dadan, conducting scientific research and conservation studies on the newly discovered statue, and examining the archaeological context and historical development of the Dadan site and its connection to the city of AlUla.

He added that the project is expected to culminate in an exhibition likely to be held in 2029.

The museum, which opened in 1923 as the first national art museum in the United States and the country’s first museum dedicated to Asian art, houses collections of Islamic art from Central Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa.

Notable recent exhibitions include “Roads of Arabia: Archaeology and History of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia” (2012–2013) and “The Art of the Quran” (2016).