Would You Like a Cicada Salad? The Monstrous Little Noisemakers Descend on a New Orleans Menu 

Culture Zach Lemann, curator of animal collections for the Audubon Insectarium, prepares cicadas for eating at the insectarium in New Orleans, Wednesday, April 17, 2024. (AP)

Would You Like a Cicada Salad? The Monstrous Little Noisemakers Descend on a New Orleans Menu 

As the nation prepares for trillions of red-eyed bugs known as periodical cicadas to emerge, it's worth noting that they're not just annoying, noisy pests — if…

Culture The festivities included captivating sound and light shows projected onto the facades of 58 heritage houses in the village, a folk performance, a heritage council, and the traditional preparation of Saudi coffee. (SPA)

Saudi Heritage Commission Celebrates World Heritage Day at Thee Ain Historic Village 

The Saudi Heritage Commission and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Al-Makhwah Governorate of the Al-Baha region celebrated on Thursday World Heritage…

Culture Remains of a centuries-old defensive moat and fortification wall, which once encircled the city, were found in the northern part of Historic Jeddah. SPA

Saudi Arabia: Centuries-old Defensive Moat, Fortification Wall Discovered in Historic Jeddah

Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah Historic District Program released the results of the archaeological excavations in Historic Jeddah as part of the first phase of the…

Asharq Al Awsat (Jeddah)
Culture Charred remains stand on the Old Stock Exchange building, following a fire in Copenhagen, Denmark, April 17, 2024. REUTERS/Ali Withers

Centuries-old Artworks Saved from Copenhagen's Stock Exchange Blaze

Art conservators are assessing the damage to centuries-old paintings recovered from a blaze that destroyed Copenhagen's Old Stock Exchange this week, the…

Asharq Al Awsat
Culture The small work by Michelangelo depicts a block of marble, with the word "simile," or "similar" in English, according to Christie's auction house. ANGELA WEISS / AFP/File

Michelangelo's Scribble Sells for $200,000 at New York Auction

A square scribbled on a yellowed piece of paper by Renaissance genius Michelangelo sold for $201,600 -- 33 times its estimated value, auction house Christie's…

Asharq Al Awsat

Culture The fragrant scents play a significant cultural role in the Kingdom, deeply intertwined with Eid traditions and customs. (SPA)

Eid Al-Fitr Fuels Demand for Oud and Incense in Saudi Arabia

A surge in demand for oud (agarwood) and incense is being witnessed in Riyadh markets in the lead-up to Eid al-Fitr. The fragrant scents play a significant…

Culture People prepare to board the bus that will take them to their hometown ahead of Eid al-Fitr holidays in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia, 06 April 2024. (EPA)

Muslims Around the World Prepare to Celebrate Eid al-Fitr

Muslims around the world will soon bid farewell to the Islamic holy month of Ramadan and start celebrating the holiday of Eid al-Fitr. Eid is marked with…

Culture Imigongo art is known for its raised black and white patterns. LUIS TATO / AFP

Reviving a Traditional Art Form in Rwanda after Genocide

A 200-year-old Tutsi art form made with cow dung, Rwanda's imigongo painting tradition has experienced a revival in the Great Lakes nation three decades after…

Asharq Al Awsat
Culture A man stands between artworks entitled "The Biglin Brothers Racing" (L) and "John Biglin in a Single Scull" by American artist Thomas Eakins at Musee Marmottan Monet, in Paris, France, 03 April 2024. (EPA)

Paris Museums Getting into Olympic Groove

Between events, the 14 million visitors expected in Paris during the Olympics will have the opportunity to nourish their minds in thematic exhibitions listed…

Culture John Barth, pictured in 1963. (Getty Images) 

John Barth, Innovative Postmodernist Novelist, Dies at 93 

John Barth, the playfully erudite author whose darkly comic and complicated novels revolved around the art of literature and launched countless debates over…

Culture A display of artwork by Afro-Cuban painter Wifredo Lam at the Mohammed VI Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Rabat, Monday, April 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

Morocco Hosts One of Africa’s First Exhibitions of Cuban Art

One of the first exhibitions of Cuban art at an African museum is showing at Morocco's Mohammed VI Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art. It's part of an…

Asharq Al Awsat (Rabat)
Culture French writer Maryse Condé reacts after being awarded the New Academy's Literature Prize at a ceremony in Stockholm, Sweden, on Dec. 9, 2018. (Christine Olsson/ TT News Agency via AP, File)

Maryse Condé, Prolific ‘Grande Dame’ of Caribbean Literature, Dies at Age 90

Maryse Condé, an acclaimed French-language novelist from Guadeloupe who in novels, stories, plays and memoirs imagined and redefined the personal and…

Culture Al-Dhafir village has the potential to become a hub for historical and archaeological tourism, says Al-Ghamdi, SPA

Al-Ghamdi Brothers Restore Old Archaeological Building in Al-Dhafir Village, Al-Baha

Yanallah Al-Ghamdi and his brothers undertook a remarkable initiative to restore and rehabilitate an old archaeological building in Al-Dhafir village, Al-Baha…

Asharq Al Awsat
Culture AlUla Governorate and Henan Province are working towards protecting cultural heritage - SPA

AlUla Royal Commission Signs Strategic Partnership with China's Henan Province

The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) signed a strategic partnership with the Cultural Heritage Administration of Henan Province, aimed at preserving heritage…

Asharq Al Awsat
Culture An Emirati woman weaves thread in the Al Talli method, a traditional local weaving technique, during an annual heritage festival in Al-Ain on November 10, 2023. (AFP)

Emiratis Battle to Preserve Dying Art of Embroidery

Far from Dubai's glitzy towers, Mariam al-Kalbani's henna-dyed fingers weave brightly colored threads in a skill she hopes young Emirati women watching her can…

Culture AlUla's Almazham passage serves as a natural gateway welcoming travelers arriving from the north. (SPA)

AlUla's Majestic Gateway: Almazham Passage Blends Nature and History

AlUla's Almazham passage serves as a natural gateway, welcoming travelers arriving from the north. This dramatic geological wonder consists of two towering,…

Asharq Al Awsat
Culture Al-Duwayd Mosque is considered one of the oldest mosques in the region. (SPA)

Saudi Arabia’s Al-Duwayd Mosque, A Witness to Historical Structures in Najdi Architecture

The historic Al-Duwayd Mosque in the archaeological village of Al-Duwayd in Saudi Arabia is considered one of the oldest mosques in the region, spanning an…

Asharq Al Awsat
Culture  Wreckage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge rests on the container ship Dali, Saturday, March 30, 2024, in Baltimore. (AP)

In Key Bridge Collapse, Baltimore Lost a Piece of Its Cultural Identity

Generations of Maryland workers — longshoremen, seafarers, steelworkers and crabbers whose livelihoods depend on Baltimore’s port — watched in disbelief this…

Culture The logo of the Saudi Film Commission

Riyadh to Host 4th Gulf Film Festival in April

The city of Riyadh will host the fourth annual Gulf Film Festival (GFF) under the patronage of Saudi Minister of Culture and Chairman of the Board of Directors…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Culture Visitors walk outside the British Museum in Bloomsbury, London, Friday, June 26, 2015. (AP)

British Museum Names Nicholas Cullinan Its New Director as It Tries to Get over a Rocky Patch

The British Museum on Thursday appointed National Portrait Gallery chief Nicholas Cullinan as its new director, as the 265-year-old institution grapples with…

Culture The project came within the context of the Crown Prince's keenness to preserve and rehabilitate historical sites to achieve the Saudi Vision 2030 goals. SPA

Restoration for Historic Jeddah's Old Buildings Completed Under Crown Prince's Directives

The Saudi Ministry of Culture, represented by the Jeddah Historic District Program, has announced the completion of work in the project to restore buildings in…

Asharq Al Awsat (Jeddah)
Culture Saudi Minister of Culture Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan meets with Peking University President Gong Qihuang. (SPA)

Saudi Culture Minister Launches Arabic Language Month in China

Saudi Minister of Culture and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the King Salman Global Academy for Arabic Language (KSGAAL) Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin…

Culture An envelope containing a 2020 census letter mailed to a US resident is seen, April 5, 2020, in Detroit. (AP)

US Changes How It Categorizes People by Race and Ethnicity in First Revision in 27 Years

For the first time in 27 years, the U.S. government is changing how it categorizes people by race and ethnicity, an effort that federal officials believe will…

Culture Saleh Al-Mutlaq, an 82-year-old resident of Hail, paints a vivid picture of Ramadan in his youth. (SPA)

Ramadan Traditions in Northern Saudi Arabia Reflect a Time of Community, Sharing, and Faith

Saleh Al-Mutlaq, an 82-year-old resident of Hail, paints a vivid picture of Ramadan in his youth. His memories highlight the importance of community, sharing,…

Asharq Al Awsat
Culture The MoU outlines a comprehensive framework for cooperation, emphasizing the exchange of experiences, policies, and programs to bolster mutual understanding and appreciation. (SPA)

Saudi Arabia and China Strengthen Cultural Cooperation

Saudi Minister of Culture Prince Bader bin Abdullah bin Farhan Al-Saud and China’s Minister of Culture and Tourism Sun Yeli signed a memorandum of…

Culture Xie Yufeng, a 39-year-old cook, opens his hand for a bird to return after throwing it into the air to catch a bead shot up, as they practice a Beijing tradition that dates back to the Qing Dynasty, outside a stadium in Beijing, Tuesday, March 26, 2024. (AP)

Beijingers Play Fetch with Migratory Birds in Traditional Game 

Passersby in Beijing during winter or early spring might happen upon groups of locals playing fetch with birds. The players blow plastic beads into the air…

Culture Tourists stand by a sign alerting on France's highest security level at the Louvre museum, Monday, March 25, 2024 in Paris. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

Paris 2024 to Install Olympic Flame Near Louvre

The Olympic flame will be installed in the Jardin des Tuileries, a stone's throw from the Louvre, after organisers abandoned the idea of the Eiffel Tower, a…

Asharq Al Awsat (Paris)
Culture UAE’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan visited the National Museum in Prague. WAM

UAE’s FM: Culture Plays Important Role in Spreading Values of Coexistence

UAE’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan has visited the National Museum in Prague on the sidelines of his official visit to the…

Asharq Al Awsat (Prague)
Culture People view examples of the Parthenon sculptures, sometimes referred to in the UK as the Elgin Marbles, on display at the British Museum in London, Britain, November 29, 2023. (Reuters)

British Museum Obtains Court Order against Ex-curator over Alleged Thefts

A London court on Tuesday ordered a former curator at the British Museum accused of stealing hundreds of artefacts to provide the museum with a list of all…