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Islamic Arts Biennale Transforms Hajj Terminal into Museum

Under the theme “Awwal Bait” (First House), the exhibition is aimed at celebrating the Islamic civilization. Photo: Abdullah al-Falih
Under the theme “Awwal Bait” (First House), the exhibition is aimed at celebrating the Islamic civilization. Photo: Abdullah al-Falih
    Jeddah - Iman al-Khataf
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Islamic Arts Biennale Transforms Hajj Terminal into Museum

Under the theme “Awwal Bait” (First House), the exhibition is aimed at celebrating the Islamic civilization. Photo: Abdullah al-Falih
Under the theme “Awwal Bait” (First House), the exhibition is aimed at celebrating the Islamic civilization. Photo: Abdullah al-Falih

A wide audience of art fans from around the world attended the first-of-its-kind Islamic Arts Biennale, which launched on Sunday, at the Hajj Terminal of the King Khalid International Airport, Jeddah.

Under the theme “Awwal Bait” (First House), the exhibition is aimed at celebrating the Islamic civilization with an artistic touch that combines contemporary art, rare memorabilia and manuscripts, and unique masterpieces.

Rakan al-Touq, general supervisor of Culture Affairs and International Relations at the Ministry of Culture, and vice-chair of Diriyah Biennale Foundation, said “the Islamic Arts Biennale is an initiative of the Diriyah Biennale Foundation, which was established as part of the National Culture Strategy in 2019.”

He noted that “the foundation curated the Contemporary Arts Biennale at the Diriyah’s Jax District, and now, the Islamic Arts Biennale at Hajj Terminal of the King Khalid International Airport, Jeddah.”

About the Biennale’s strategic goals, he said that “it aims to establish bridges of Islamic arts between the kingdom and the world, as many cultural foundations and international museums from several countries are partaking."

The Biennale provides a platform that combines contemporary arts and Islamic artifacts; it’s also a platform for contemporary artists; “We currently have over 50 contemporary artworks made by more than 40 artists including 18 Saudis.”

“We believe that we play a major role in connecting people in this field, practitioners and experts, by building academic, research, and artistic partnerships with international foundations interested in this field,” he added.

Al-Touq revealed that the foundation has partnered with the Ministry of Hajj and Umra to organize tours for Umra visitors in different languages, noting that the exhibition’s content provides over 15 printed and four audio languages to ensure the visitors a rich experience.

“The tree-month exhibition includes a cultural program that features many activities, seminars, workshops, and a children camp. For over 90 days, the Biennale will offer amazing experience for its visitors.”

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Climate Change Causing More Change in Rainfall, Fiercer Typhoons, Scientists Say 

People and vehicles wade through the water along a street that was flooded by Typhoon Gaemi in Kaohsiung on July 25, 2024. (AFP)
People and vehicles wade through the water along a street that was flooded by Typhoon Gaemi in Kaohsiung on July 25, 2024. (AFP)
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Climate Change Causing More Change in Rainfall, Fiercer Typhoons, Scientists Say 

People and vehicles wade through the water along a street that was flooded by Typhoon Gaemi in Kaohsiung on July 25, 2024. (AFP)
People and vehicles wade through the water along a street that was flooded by Typhoon Gaemi in Kaohsiung on July 25, 2024. (AFP)

Climate change is driving changes in rainfall patterns across the world, scientists said in a paper published on Friday, which could also be intensifying typhoons and other tropical storms.

Taiwan, the Philippines and then China were lashed by the year's most powerful typhoon this week, with schools, businesses and financial markets shut as wind speeds surged up to 227 kph (141 mph). On China's eastern coast, hundreds of thousands of people were evacuated ahead of landfall on Thursday.

Stronger tropical storms are part of a wider phenomenon of weather extremes driven by higher temperatures, scientists say.

Researchers led by Zhang Wenxia at the China Academy of Sciences studied historical meteorological data and found about 75% of the world's land area had seen a rise in "precipitation variability" or wider swings between wet and dry weather.

Warming temperatures have enhanced the ability of the atmosphere to hold moisture, which is causing wider fluctuations in rainfall, the researchers said in a paper published by the Science journal.

"(Variability) has increased in most places, including Australia, which means rainier rain periods and drier dry periods," said Steven Sherwood, a scientist at the Climate Change Research Center at the University of New South Wales, who was not involved in the study.

"This is going to increase as global warming continues, enhancing the chances of droughts and/or floods."

FEWER, BUT MORE INTENSE, STORMS

Scientists believe that climate change is also reshaping the behavior of tropical storms, including typhoons, making them less frequent but more powerful.

"I believe higher water vapor in the atmosphere is the ultimate cause of all of these tendencies toward more extreme hydrologic phenomena," Sherwood told Reuters.

Typhoon Gaemi, which first made landfall in Taiwan on Wednesday, was the strongest to hit the island in eight years.

While it is difficult to attribute individual weather events to climate change, models predict that global warming makes typhoons stronger, said Sachie Kanada, a researcher at Japan's Nagoya University.

"In general, warmer sea surface temperature is a favorable condition for tropical cyclone development," she said.

In its "blue paper" on climate change published this month, China said the number of typhoons in the Northwest Pacific and South China Sea had declined significantly since the 1990s, but they were getting stronger.

Taiwan also said in its climate change report published in May that climate change was likely to reduce the overall number of typhoons in the region while making each one more intense.

The decrease in the number of typhoons is due to the uneven pattern of ocean warming, with temperatures rising faster in the western Pacific than the east, said Feng Xiangbo, a tropical cyclone research scientist at the University of Reading.

Water vapor capacity in the lower atmosphere is expected to rise by 7% for each 1 degree Celsius increase in temperatures, with tropical cyclone rainfall in the United States surging by as much as 40% for each single degree rise, he said.