Saudi Arabia to Set up First-Ever ‘Black Gold’ Museum in 2022

The King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Centre, where the museum will be located, Asharq Al-Awsat
The King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Centre, where the museum will be located, Asharq Al-Awsat
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Saudi Arabia to Set up First-Ever ‘Black Gold’ Museum in 2022

The King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Centre, where the museum will be located, Asharq Al-Awsat
The King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Centre, where the museum will be located, Asharq Al-Awsat

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Culture, in partnership with the King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center, revealed plans to set up the “black gold” museum, the first ever permanent creative museum on oil, in Riyadh in July 2022.

A host of celebrated artists from all over the world will showcase their work. Through its various displays, the museum will provide a creative narration of the march of oil in human life from its being a raw material to its contemporary formations. This will be done through innovative artworks based on contemporary expressive concepts.

The museum, which is part of the Quality of Life Program, will be set up in line with the National Vision 2030 Realization Programs.

The black gold museum will fall under the umbrella of the “Specialized Museums” initiative announced by the Ministry of Culture in its first package of initiatives that include art museums specialized in creative fields to be launched in a number of cities across the Kingdom. It will display more than 200 contemporary artworks, and will host annual temporary exhibitions and educational programs for all segments of society.

The museum’s headquarters will host a variety of artistic spaces that include a fixed space for contemporary arts, visual performances and multimedia, as well as a parallel space for temporary exhibitions, a shop and a cafe, conference rooms and spaces for educational and consultancy programs and events.

The museum will tell the story of the unique relationship that was formed between man and oil, through an innovative artistic journey to review the formations of oil from its crude state to other forms.

This exhibits will be divided into four main sections - encounter, dreams, doubts, and the future. Each section will present activities that reinforce the creative concept of the title.

The museum will display artworks that touch emotion and feeling, created by artists from all over the world, telling the story of black gold and reflecting through it all the historical, economic, geopolitical, societal and cultural aspects that oil has contributed to human life.

Creative templates will redefine the concept of museums, with their unfamiliar atmospheres, and their rich worlds with different artistic paths that include painting, fashion, design, drawing, photography, sculpture, films, and models that reveal exceptional skills and talents, giving the visitor a comprehensive knowledge of the topic-oil.

The Ministry of Culture aims with the Black Gold Museum to provide quality museums in the Saudi cultural field, which include creative and inspiring models that contribute to the growth of the cultural movement in the Kingdom. It also aims to promote the concept of “culture as a way of life” by attracting broad segments of society including families, students and tourists and all those interested in visual arts.



Israel Wary of Egypt's 'Military Infrastructure' in Sinai: Peace Treaty at Risk?

Egyptian army chief Ahmed Khalifa inspects troops near Israel's border late last year. (Military spokesman)
Egyptian army chief Ahmed Khalifa inspects troops near Israel's border late last year. (Military spokesman)
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Israel Wary of Egypt's 'Military Infrastructure' in Sinai: Peace Treaty at Risk?

Egyptian army chief Ahmed Khalifa inspects troops near Israel's border late last year. (Military spokesman)
Egyptian army chief Ahmed Khalifa inspects troops near Israel's border late last year. (Military spokesman)

Israel has voiced growing concerns over Egypt’s military presence in the Sinai Peninsula, fearing a potential escalation between the two sides amid the ongoing Gaza war.

Israeli media reports said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has asked both Washington and Cairo to dismantle what it describes as a “military infrastructure” established by the Egyptian army in Sinai.

However, an informed Egyptian source and experts cited by Asharq Al-Awsat insisted that Egypt has not violated its peace treaty with Israel. They argued that Cairo’s military movements are a response to Israeli breaches of the agreement.

Israel’s Israel Hayom newspaper, citing a senior Israeli security official, reported that Egypt’s military buildup in Sinai constitutes a “major violation” of the security annex of the peace treaty.

The official said the issue is a top priority for Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, stressing that Israel “will not accept this situation” amid what it views as Egypt’s growing military footprint in the peninsula.

The official added that the issue goes beyond the deployment of Egyptian forces in Sinai exceeding the quotas set under the military annex of the Camp David Accords.

The real concern, he said, lies in Egypt’s continued military buildup in the peninsula, which Israel views as an irreversible step.

Moreover, he stressed that while Israel is not seeking to amend its peace treaty with Egypt or redeploy troops along the border, it believes the current situation requires urgent action to prevent a potential escalation.

Egypt-Israel relations have not seen such tensions since the outbreak of the Gaza war, particularly after Israel violated a ceasefire agreement with Hamas brokered primarily by Egypt. Israeli forces resumed airstrikes on Gaza last month and failed to fulfill their commitments to withdraw from the Philadelphi Corridor and Palestinian border crossings.

A senior Egyptian source dismissed Israel’s accusations, telling Asharq Al-Awsat that “these repeated Israeli pretexts ignore the fact that Israeli forces have violated the peace treaty, seizing control of areas where Egypt objects to their presence without the necessary coordination with Cairo.”

Egypt has the right to take all necessary measures to safeguard its national security against any threats, emphasized the source.

“Nevertheless, Cairo remains fully committed to the peace treaty and has no intention of aggression against any party,” it added.

Israeli forces seized control of the Gaza-Egypt border, including the Philadelphi Corridor and the Rafah crossing, in May 2024. Israel has accused Egypt of not doing enough to stop weapons smuggling into Gaza through border tunnels—an allegation Cairo has denied.

Under the terms of the ceasefire agreement with Hamas, which Israel later broke, Israeli forces were supposed to begin withdrawing from the Philadelphi Corridor on March 1, completing the pullout within eight days. However, Israel failed to do so and instead resumed airstrikes on Gaza.

Israel also announced the creation of an administration aimed at facilitating the “voluntary departure” of Gaza residents, a move Cairo strongly rejected and formally condemned.

Egypt has insisted that Palestinians must remain in their homeland and has put forward a reconstruction plan for Gaza and called for the implementation of the two-state solution. The plan was endorsed at an emergency Arab summit three weeks ago.

Media reports have indicated that Egypt responded to Israel’s control of the Gaza border by increasing its military presence near the frontier—an act that some Israeli officials claim violates the peace treaty and threatens Israel’s security.

Former Egyptian intelligence official Gen. Mohammed Rashad told Asharq Al-Awsat that Israel itself violated the peace treaty by seizing the Philadelphi Corridor, controlling border crossings, and blocking aid to Gaza while seeking to forcibly displace Palestinians into Egypt.

“Every Israeli action along Gaza’s border with Egypt constitutes hostile behavior against Egypt’s national security,” said Rashad, who previously headed the Israeli military affairs division in Egypt’s intelligence service.

“Egypt cannot sit idly by in the face of such threats and must prepare for all possible scenarios.”

The Philadelphi Corridor is a strategically sensitive buffer zone, serving as a narrow 14-kilometer passage between Egypt, Israel, and Gaza, stretching from the Mediterranean Sea in the north to the Kerem Shalom crossing in the south.

Military expert General Samir Farag insisted that Egypt has not violated the peace treaty or its security annex in over 40 years, arguing that Israel has repeatedly breached the agreement and is attempting to shift blame onto Cairo.

“Israel is doing this to distract from its internal problems, including public discontent over its ballooning defense budget,” Farag told Asharq Al-Awsat.

“It also wants to deflect attention from Egypt’s reconstruction plan for Gaza and leverage its claims to pressure the United States for more military aid by portraying Egypt as a threat.”

Farag emphasized that Egypt’s actions are solely aimed at protecting its national security, adding: “There is no clause in the peace treaty that prevents a country from defending itself.”

“The so-called ‘military infrastructure’ Israel refers to consists of roads and development projects in Sinai.”

“The US has satellite surveillance over the region—if Egypt had violated the treaty, Washington would have flagged it. Moreover, security coordination between Egypt and Israel continues daily,” he explained.

Egypt and Israel signed their landmark peace treaty on March 25, 1979, committing to resolving disputes peacefully and prohibiting the use or threat of force. The agreement also established military deployment guidelines and a joint security coordination committee.

Meanwhile, US Republican Party member Tom Harb told Asharq Al-Awsat that Washington has received intelligence from multiple sources indicating that Egypt has amassed a significant military force in Sinai.

Israel considers this a breach of the peace treaty, which designates Sinai as a demilitarized zone to prevent surprises like the 1973 war, Harb said.

While the US fully supports Israel’s concerns, it also wants to prevent further escalation, as that would destabilize the region, he added.

Ultimately, Egypt must clarify whether its troop movements are aimed at threatening Israel or preventing Palestinians from crossing into Egyptian territory, he stated.