Largest Cultural Park Opens in Saudi Arabia

Governor of the Makkah Region Prince Khalid Al Faisal inaugurates the largest cultural park in Saudi Arabia. (SPA)
Governor of the Makkah Region Prince Khalid Al Faisal inaugurates the largest cultural park in Saudi Arabia. (SPA)
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Largest Cultural Park Opens in Saudi Arabia

Governor of the Makkah Region Prince Khalid Al Faisal inaugurates the largest cultural park in Saudi Arabia. (SPA)
Governor of the Makkah Region Prince Khalid Al Faisal inaugurates the largest cultural park in Saudi Arabia. (SPA)

Prince Khalid Al Faisal, advisor to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, Governor of the Makkah Region, inaugurated on Thursday the largest cultural park in the west of Saudi Arabia. The opening was part of the Makkah Cultural Forum in its second edition, entitled "How to be a role model?"

The Cultural Park is located at Al-Nawras Square, on the waterfront of the coastal city of Jeddah, covering an area of ​​about 42,000 square meters.

It is one of the " Makkah Cultural Forum" programs and aims to make culture among of the most attractive options in tourism promotion campaigns and offer interactive knowledge and cultural ambiances for all the society’s segments.

It also aims to develop and promote the concepts of the “role model” and its applications, and introduce many events in the cultural, social, scientific, technical, technical and artistic areas.

The park includes a package of cultural activities, such as: electronic applications, interactive education, scientific innovations, skill festival, role model hall, robot world, exhibition of life on wheels and the role model in practicing marine sports. It also offers specialized workshops on the filming industry, as well as many accompanying shows organized by the Entertainment Authority.

As part of the cultural park event, which runs over 10 days (during the mid-year vacation), cultural competitions will be organized within a special pavilion, hosting and nominating cultural personalities who will be present at the forum.

As part of the cultural park initiative, the Ministry of Education is conducting a competitive scientific competition for all general education students to compete in design, programming and robot control.

The competition aims to spread robot culture among students and to link theoretical information with practical application, as well as rooting the idea of mass work and cooperative education among students from all categories.

The King Abdul Aziz University is participating through a corner on promoting the definition of talent, creativity and invention, and presenting real models of local and international award-winning students' innovations, as well as developing the skills of the visitors through interactive intelligence games.

The cultural garden initiatives offer a variety of activities related to the art of painting. The Ministry of Education offers an educational and recreational program that includes many activities such as free drawing, wood burning writing, water painting, etc., targeting all groups.

King Abdul Aziz University offers interactive activities for visitors and those interested in libraries and reading. These activities include the presentation of manuscripts and cultural books, participation in the recording of audio books, learning about the audio book program and teaching children how to make such books.



Dozens of Exotic Animals Seized at Turkish Border

A woman covers with an umbrella against the rain during a summer storm at Kadikoy ferry terminal in Istanbul, Türkiye, Friday, Aug. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
A woman covers with an umbrella against the rain during a summer storm at Kadikoy ferry terminal in Istanbul, Türkiye, Friday, Aug. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
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Dozens of Exotic Animals Seized at Turkish Border

A woman covers with an umbrella against the rain during a summer storm at Kadikoy ferry terminal in Istanbul, Türkiye, Friday, Aug. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
A woman covers with an umbrella against the rain during a summer storm at Kadikoy ferry terminal in Istanbul, Türkiye, Friday, Aug. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

Turkish customs officials in the northwestern city of Edirne discovered dozens of exotic animals being smuggled into Türkiye from Greece, The Associated Press said.

State-run Anadolu Agency reported that the mid-sized sedan with Greek license plates was carrying three kangaroos, three alpacas and one Patagonian mara in the trunk, and 12 parrots and 23 flying squirrels inside the vehicle. Many of the animals are juveniles.

Photos from the scene show the larger animals bound and squeezed together in tight confinement, while the smaller ones were crowded in cages.

The private Demiroren News Agency identified the driver of the vehicle as Yuksel D., who was subsequently detained by authorities.

All the animals survived and will be delivered to the Directorate of Nature Conservation and National Parks.