عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Varieties

Visual Presentations Boast Saudi History in ‘Nabd Al Riyadh’

Nabd Al Riyadh sheds lights on the historic and cultural sides of Saudi Arabia
Nabd Al Riyadh sheds lights on the historic and cultural sides of Saudi Arabia
TT
20
TT

Visual Presentations Boast Saudi History in ‘Nabd Al Riyadh’

Nabd Al Riyadh sheds lights on the historic and cultural sides of Saudi Arabia
Nabd Al Riyadh sheds lights on the historic and cultural sides of Saudi Arabia

As part of the largest entertainment festival in the region, Nabd Al Riyadh Zone has opened its doors to celebrate the authenticity and history of Saudi Arabia, focusing on the details of the country's unification in the Masmak Palace, which witnessed the emergence of the Kingdom.

The zone sheds lights on the historic and cultural sides of Saudi Arabia, with visual presentations and simulations projected on the palace's walls to narrate the stories of the Kingdom's different regions since its establishment.

Running until mid-January, Nabd Al-Riyadh is located in the heart of the capital, nearby the Masmak Palace. It features many displays that lure art and culture fans. The exceptional event includes many elements designed to amaze visitors like 3D presentations featuring a hawk roaming above all Saudi regions, musical performances, and decorations that symbolize each Saudi region, in addition to aesthetic designs under the theme "Nabd Al-Riyadh" seen all over the zone, and shows displaying diverse popular costumes from Saudi Arabia and the world.

Nabd Al-Riyadh hosts restaurants, cafes, and fast food kiosks, as well as folkloric shows performed by groups that represent the center, west, east, north, and south of the Kingdom. The groups have participated in 415 shows through the "Matloob" platform.

Nabd Al-Riyadh Zone is composed of small spaces such as the Safat Square, which features statues by local artists, sand painting, Rubik’s square painting, 3D street art, in addition to glitter art and theatrical and musical performances.

It also features the Safat Cafe, a historic coffee shop with a modern touch, which serves traditional drinks and sweets.

The zone offers its visitors an exceptional experience with entertaining activities that recall the country's unification scenes with an attractive content projected on the walls of the palace, where the unification journey started.

The event focuses on heritage and history, and offers its visitors the opportunity to visually explore patriotic stories that take them back to the past, introduce them to the traditions of their fathers and ancestors, narrates how King Abdulaziz recovered the city of Riyadh 100 years ago, and how the country managed to maximize its power and influence in the region and the world.

The murals in Nabd Al-Riyadh have astonished visitors with 3D presentations that shed lights on the authenticity and rooted heritage of the city. The different activities held in the zone have helped bring new creative Saudi talents to the light.

Most Viewed

 
Varieties

Paris Residents to Vote on Making 500 More Streets Pedestrian

A view shows streets Rue Ferdinand Flocon, one of the pedestrianized streets, ahead of the March 23 citywide vote on a proposition from city hall to pedestrianize 500 streets, in Paris, France, March 21, 2025. (Reuters)
A view shows streets Rue Ferdinand Flocon, one of the pedestrianized streets, ahead of the March 23 citywide vote on a proposition from city hall to pedestrianize 500 streets, in Paris, France, March 21, 2025. (Reuters)
TT
20
TT

Paris Residents to Vote on Making 500 More Streets Pedestrian

A view shows streets Rue Ferdinand Flocon, one of the pedestrianized streets, ahead of the March 23 citywide vote on a proposition from city hall to pedestrianize 500 streets, in Paris, France, March 21, 2025. (Reuters)
A view shows streets Rue Ferdinand Flocon, one of the pedestrianized streets, ahead of the March 23 citywide vote on a proposition from city hall to pedestrianize 500 streets, in Paris, France, March 21, 2025. (Reuters)

Parisians vote in a referendum on Sunday to decide whether an extra 500 of the city's streets should be pedestrianized and greened, in a new push by the French capital's left-leaning town hall to curb car usage and improve air quality.

This is the third such referendum in Paris in as many years, following a 2023 vote that approved a ban on e-scooters, and a decision last year to triple parking charges for large SUVs.

"For the past 25 years we've gradually been reclaiming public space for pedestrian traffic, for gentle traffic, and with 'garden streets', to create lungs within neighborhoods, the places where we live," Deputy Mayor Patrick Bloche told Reuters ahead of Sunday's vote.

Paris town hall data shows car traffic in the city has more than halved since the Socialists assumed power at the turn of the century.

Mayor Anne-Hidalgo, in office since 2014, has overseen significant transformation in the city's streets. Since 2020, 84 km (52 miles) of cycle lanes have been created and bicycle usage jumped 71% between the end of the COVID-19 lockdowns and 2023, the data shows.

If approved, Sunday's referendum will eliminate 10,000 extra parking spots in Paris, adding to the 10,000 removed since 2020. The capital's two million residents will be consulted on which streets will become pedestrian areas.

PARIS BOTTOM OF LIST OF EUROPE'S GREENEST CAPITALS

Despite recent changes, Paris lags other European capitals in terms of green infrastructure - which include private gardens, parks, tree-lined streets, water and wetlands - making up only 26% of the city area versus a European capitals average of 41%, according to the European Environment Agency.

Critics of the changes say the town hall's measures make it increasingly challenging for the 10 million people living in the outer suburbs, where the public transport network is less dense, to commute to work and shop in the city center.

"It's important to know that the city of Paris isn't a museum. It's still a city where people work, where workers are forced to get around, where people from the greater Paris region are forced to come, where there are stores," said Philippe Noziere, head of the automobile owners' association 40M.

Car ownership illustrates the divide between central Paris and the suburbs: only one out of three households own a car in the former versus two out of three in the latter. Excluding Paris and its region, car ownership in France is 85%.

If Parisians vote in favor of the proposal, the 500 streets to be vegetated will bring the total of these "green lungs" to nearly 700, just over one-tenth of the capital's streets.