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Massive Ancient Roman Bath Complex Opens to Visitors

A visitor views the restored south-western exedra of the Baths of Trajan, a monumental second-century AD hall believed to have served as a library or space for public readings, with the Colosseum seen in the background, in Rome on September 8, 2026. (AFP)
A visitor views the restored south-western exedra of the Baths of Trajan, a monumental second-century AD hall believed to have served as a library or space for public readings, with the Colosseum seen in the background, in Rome on September 8, 2026. (AFP)
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Massive Ancient Roman Bath Complex Opens to Visitors

A visitor views the restored south-western exedra of the Baths of Trajan, a monumental second-century AD hall believed to have served as a library or space for public readings, with the Colosseum seen in the background, in Rome on September 8, 2026. (AFP)
A visitor views the restored south-western exedra of the Baths of Trajan, a monumental second-century AD hall believed to have served as a library or space for public readings, with the Colosseum seen in the background, in Rome on September 8, 2026. (AFP)

Rome's Baths of Trajan, an ancient bathing and leisure complex featuring giant frescoes and mosaics, is opening to visitors for the first time, the city's mayor said on Tuesday.

Inaugurated in 109 AD, the baths were built by the most famous architect of the time -- Apollodorus of Damascus -- and covered an area of 60,000 square meters (646,000 square feet).

The remains are located on top of the Colle Oppio near the Colosseum and the Roman Forum.

Visitors will be able to see a fresco entitled "The Painted City", depicting an unidentified city of the Roman Empire, as well as a large mosaic dubbed "The Muse and the Philosopher", whose colors are still vivid and whose figures are rendered with striking realism.

"These are the largest fresco and the largest mosaic of the Roman era ever discovered," mayor Roberto Gualtieri told reporters as he announced the site would open this weekend.

He called them "marvelous works that are truly unique in the world for their artistic beauty and their historical... significance".

The site also includes an exedra, a semicircular building whose precise purpose is unknown, which will in future host artistic and cultural events.

The area, which is still undergoing restoration, will initially open only at weekends for groups of no more than 15 people during September.

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Culture

France: Thieves Steal Works Worth $10 Mn from Renoir Museum

Members of the French riot police take part in a training exercise to handle violent demonstrations, in Ris-Orangis, south of Paris, August 30, 2021. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo
Members of the French riot police take part in a training exercise to handle violent demonstrations, in Ris-Orangis, south of Paris, August 30, 2021. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo
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France: Thieves Steal Works Worth $10 Mn from Renoir Museum

Members of the French riot police take part in a training exercise to handle violent demonstrations, in Ris-Orangis, south of Paris, August 30, 2021. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo
Members of the French riot police take part in a training exercise to handle violent demonstrations, in Ris-Orangis, south of Paris, August 30, 2021. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo

Two thieves broke into a museum dedicated to French impressionist painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir in southern France on Tuesday, stealing "four works of art", one of which they dropped as they fled, a mayor said.

"This morning, two individuals broke into the Renoir Museum and stole four works of art," said Bryan Masson, the far-right mayor of the town of Cagnes-sur-Mer.

"Spotted thanks to the town's video surveillance cameras, the two individuals fled, abandoning one of the stolen paintings as they ran," he said, adding his office estimated the value of the stolen works at 9 million euros ($10 million).

The Renoir Museum was opened in 1960 in the painter's last home before his death in 1919.

Its collection includes objects and furniture that belonged to Renoir, including his easel and wheelchair, as well as portraits, landscapes, and nudes painted by the artist.

The mayor said it took just five minutes for the authorities to respond.

"The museum alarm went off at 5:48 am. At 5:53 am, just five minutes later, our municipal police were on the scene," AFP quoted him as saying.

The theft comes less than a year after eight items valued at around $100 million were stolen during a daylight robbery from the Louvre in Paris.

The four suspected Louvre robbers have been arrested, but the stolen items have still not been found despite extensive searches by French investigators in the Paris region and exchanges with police in Belgium, Italy and beyond.

Culture

UK's Bayeux Tapestry Exhibition Set to Wow Visitors with Battle Scenes, Scale

The 70-meter-long Bayeux Tapestry is displayed during a press preview at the British Museum in London after returning to England, following a historic agreement between the UK and France, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP)
The 70-meter-long Bayeux Tapestry is displayed during a press preview at the British Museum in London after returning to England, following a historic agreement between the UK and France, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP)
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UK's Bayeux Tapestry Exhibition Set to Wow Visitors with Battle Scenes, Scale

The 70-meter-long Bayeux Tapestry is displayed during a press preview at the British Museum in London after returning to England, following a historic agreement between the UK and France, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP)
The 70-meter-long Bayeux Tapestry is displayed during a press preview at the British Museum in London after returning to England, following a historic agreement between the UK and France, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP)

Visitors to the sell-out Bayeux Tapestry Exhibition should be ready for the "brutal reality" of battle scenes and expect to be astonished by the scale of the 1,000-year-old embroidery, as excitement mounts ahead of the London show's opening on Thursday.

King Charles and French President Emmanuel Macron were among the first viewers at the British Museum last week, where the monarch celebrated ‌the artwork ‌that depicts the conquest of England by his ancestor ‌William ⁠I in 1066.

Thought ⁠to have been stitched in Kent, southern England, the tapestry was subsequently taken across the Channel and is being shown outside France for the first time, generating a wave of interest in its significance to English history.

Millie Horton-Insch, a curator of the Bayeux Tapestry exhibition, told Reuters on Monday that its 70-meter (230-foot) length would stun visitors.

"No matter how many times ⁠I see it, I'm still blown away by its ‌size," she said.

The tapestry recounts ‌the events leading up to the famous Battle of Hastings and the subsequent ‌Norman defeat of Anglo-Saxon King Harold II.

"We see an incredible battle that ‌really doesn't shy away from the brutal reality of medieval warfare and how devastating it was for both sides," the curator added.

Initial tickets for the nine-month show sold out within hours, generating sales of £2.5 million and making it ‌the museum's best-selling exhibition. Another batch of tickets will go on sale in October.

William's conquest was the last ⁠time England was successfully ⁠invaded, and 1066 remains the most famous year in the nation's history.

The loan from France is seen as a sign of closer ties between the countries after the discord caused by the 2016 Brexit vote, and Macron talked of the unifying role of art to show "what humanity is capable of creating".

Horton-Insch said that it was difficult for a modern audience to comprehend the thousands of hours it would have taken the English seamstresses to weave it, including spinning the wool thread and mastering the natural dyes.

The Bayeux Tapestry arrived in Britain in July having travelled in an air-conditioned, anti-vibration crate under police escort from France.

"It seems to have borne the journey incredibly well," Horton-Insch said.

Culture

Makkah Advances Preservation and Development of Historical and Cultural Sites

Visitors to historical and cultural sites reached 5.9 million by the end of the second quarter of 2026 - SPA
Visitors to historical and cultural sites reached 5.9 million by the end of the second quarter of 2026 - SPA
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Makkah Advances Preservation and Development of Historical and Cultural Sites

Visitors to historical and cultural sites reached 5.9 million by the end of the second quarter of 2026 - SPA
Visitors to historical and cultural sites reached 5.9 million by the end of the second quarter of 2026 - SPA

The historical and cultural sites of Makkah bear witness to the city’s rich history, encompassing places associated with events from the life of the Prophet and Islamic history, as well as roads, markets, wells, inscriptions, and landmarks that have shaped the city's identity over the centuries.

With growing attention to these sites, a comprehensive system is now in place to preserve, study, and rehabilitate them, while presenting them in an accessible manner that enables visitors to learn their stories and appreciate their significance, SPA reported.

This approach builds on the strategy for historical and cultural sites in Makkah, which seeks to establish an integrated system covering documentation, protection, rehabilitation, experience development, partnership activation, and enhanced site readiness and sustainability.

Under the strategy, 65 development studies have been conducted, 56 sites documented, 32 rehabilitated, and 23 enhanced, with 28 sites now open to visitors.

Visitors to historical and cultural sites reached 5.9 million by the end of the second quarter of 2026, up 47% from 3.6 million during the same period in 2025. Visitor satisfaction reached 95.8%.

Since the strategy’s launch, total visits to historical and cultural sites have exceeded 19 million, reflecting not only increased visitation but also the expansion of the network of sites and experiences, improved access, and the transition of more sites from study and preservation to visitation and engagement.

Makkah’s historical and cultural sites thus remain an integral part of the city’s story: a heritage to be preserved, landmarks to be explored, and experiences that offer visitors a deeper understanding of Makkah and its history.