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‘Athra’ … A Saudi e-Platform for Translation

Rashad Hassan.
Rashad Hassan.
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‘Athra’ … A Saudi e-Platform for Translation

Rashad Hassan.
Rashad Hassan.

“Athra,” is a Saudi e-platform dedicated to translation. It hires translators to translate articles and books under the supervision of senior experts in linguistics and translation.

So far, the e-platform has published over 150 translated books and articles, and plans to show 12 books in this year’s edition of the Riyadh International Book fair.

Rashad Hassan, a Saudi writer and translator who co-founded “Athra” said: “Translators are the cornerstone of this platform overseen by senior translation experts and practitioners. The platform does not only require the translator to translate a book or an article, but it brings him the material, trains and qualifies him, and then helps him translate and overcome the obstacles that he could face during his work.”

The platform recently announced the launch of the second edition of the Athra Project, an interactive translation project that allows translators to translate a book, and distribute it across libraries and e-book stores, as well as take part in fairs and events dedicated to books and translation.

According to Hassan, the Athra Project focuses on book translation, and “involves translators who have majored and practiced translation, and have former experience in this field.” The project consists old, contemporary and children’s books.

The Athra platform has acquired the exclusive translation rights from prominent global publishing and academic institutions, such as the universities of Harvard, Chicago, and Princeton.

“In this project, our main goal is to empower translators, and to enrich the Arabic translated content. The program passes through many phases, and offers translation training courses approved by the US board, along with regular discussion sessions that gather translators partaking in the program. It also reviews and evaluates their works regularly, and edits, proofreads, and finally publishes the translated books and articles,” he said.

The Athra Platform translates and publishes one to three articles each week in all fields of human science, in collaboration with international publishing institutions, explained Hassan. He also noted that 12 translated books on different topics will be displayed at the Riyadh International Book Fair.

“The translation team working with the platform includes 10 translation experts majored in translation. Anyone can translate and publish with Athra, on its official website or by taking part in its book projects. We offer opportunities for all translators, and select those who show the seriousness, enthusiasm, and will to work and learn,” he stated.

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Culture

Priceless 2,500-year-old Golden Helmet Returned to Romania after Dutch Museum Raid

Dacian gold items, a 2,500-year-old helmet and wristbands, stolen from a museum in the Netherlands and then recovered by Dutch authorities, are presented during a press conference after being returned, at the National Museum of Romanian History, in Bucharest, Romania, Tuesday, April 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)
Dacian gold items, a 2,500-year-old helmet and wristbands, stolen from a museum in the Netherlands and then recovered by Dutch authorities, are presented during a press conference after being returned, at the National Museum of Romanian History, in Bucharest, Romania, Tuesday, April 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)
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Priceless 2,500-year-old Golden Helmet Returned to Romania after Dutch Museum Raid

Dacian gold items, a 2,500-year-old helmet and wristbands, stolen from a museum in the Netherlands and then recovered by Dutch authorities, are presented during a press conference after being returned, at the National Museum of Romanian History, in Bucharest, Romania, Tuesday, April 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)
Dacian gold items, a 2,500-year-old helmet and wristbands, stolen from a museum in the Netherlands and then recovered by Dutch authorities, are presented during a press conference after being returned, at the National Museum of Romanian History, in Bucharest, Romania, Tuesday, April 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)

A priceless golden helmet dating back 2,500 years was returned to Romania on Tuesday after the national heirloom was stolen from a Dutch museum where it was on loan last year.

The ornate Cotofenesti helmet and three golden bracelets — some of Romania’s most revered national treasures from the Dacia civilization — were taken from the Drents Museum in January 2025 in a raid which shocked the art world and devastated Romanian authorities.

But after 14 months of investigations, diplomatic tensions, and three suspects in an ongoing trial, most of the artifacts arrived at Bucharest Henri Coanda International Airport on Tuesday from where authorities transported them under guard to Bucharest’s National History Museum. They were displayed in a glass cabinet, flanked by masked, armed guards.

Cornel Constantin Ilie, the museum's interim director, said that the artifacts have been returned “not as simple patrimony items, but as relics of our historical memory, as the legacy of a civilization that continues to define us.”

“For us, this is a moment of joy, but also of contemplation,” he said. “For months, we have lived with the fear that part of our past could be lost forever. Today we can say that an essential part of this treasure has returned.”

Robert van Langh, the Drents Museum director, described the recovery and return of the relics as “an emotional moment for all involved,” and acknowledged “the grief, the anger and now the relief have naturally been even greater” in Romania than in the Netherlands.

“Romanian national heritage has returned home,” The Associated Press quoted him as saying. “The impact of this robbery was already significant in the Netherlands, but here it must have been truly unparalleled ... The police and judicial authorities of both countries have done extraordinary work.”

Dutch prosecutors unveiled the recovered items at a news conference in the eastern Dutch city of Assen earlier this month. The whereabouts of the third golden bracelet remains unknown, but van Langh vowed the search would continue and that a judicial verdict is expected in the coming weeks.

During its disappearance, the golden helmet was slightly dented, while the recovered bracelets were in perfect condition.

Romania’s Minister of Culture Demeter Andras Istvan said the return of the artifacts had shown “how strong the connection between heritage and collective consciousness can be.”

“This entire episode reminds us at the same time how exposed heritage can be. It can be exposed to violence, illegal trafficking, negligence, oblivion,” he said.

After the raid, Dutch authorities were left with grainy security footage of three people wrenching open a museum door with a crowbar, after which an explosion was seen. Before its recovery, there were fears the helmet may have been melted down because its fame and distinctive appearance made it virtually unsellable.

The artifacts will be exhibited to the public in Bucharest before undergoing some restoration work, the museum's interim director said.

“We believe that the public has the pleasure of celebrating them ... not only as splendid objects, but as a witness to an ordeal, an almost irreparable loss, and a return that we owe to the operation between institutions and the perseverance of the authorities,” he said. “Today, these treasures returned home.”

Culture

Saudi Heritage Commission Announces 2025 Excavation Results at Al-Serrain Archaeological Site

Saudi Heritage Commission Announces 2025 Excavation Results at Al-Serrain Archaeological Site
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Saudi Heritage Commission Announces 2025 Excavation Results at Al-Serrain Archaeological Site

Saudi Heritage Commission Announces 2025 Excavation Results at Al-Serrain Archaeological Site

The Saudi Heritage Commission announced on Tuesday the results of the 2025 archaeological excavation season of the Saudi-Chinese mission at the Al-Serrain archaeological site in Al-Lith Governorate, Makkah Region. The mission was part of its efforts to document and study coastal archaeological sites and deepen understanding of Islamic historical cities and ports along the Red Sea coast.

Excavation works during the season revealed architectural extensions, including documentation of residential, service, and storage units, as well as pottery kilns reflecting daily life activities.

The season documented diverse archaeological finds, including various types of pottery, ceramic incense burners, stone tools, agate beads, and glass, alongside organic materials such as shells and animal bones, reflecting the diversity of the site's inhabitants' economic and daily activities.

Among the most notable discoveries was a fragment of a Chinese ceramic jar dating to the Northern Song Dynasty (960–1127 CE), bearing remnants of a decorative seal with partially damaged, illegible Chinese script, serving as an archaeological testament to commercial contact between southern China and the Red Sea coast during the Islamic era.

The Heritage Commission underscored its commitment to ongoing excavation and study at Al-Serrain in the coming seasons, aiming to build a comprehensive scientific understanding of the site's settlement history and urban development, and to highlight its value as one of the most important historical ports on the Red Sea coast.

Culture

Ancient Mughal Tradition of Pigeon-Rearing Thrives in India’s Capital

Mohammed Rashid, alias "Rambo", a kabootarbaaz (pigeon keeper) feeds his pigeons as he trains them, on the rooftop of a restaurant in the old quarters of Delhi, India, January 24, 2026. (Reuters)
Mohammed Rashid, alias "Rambo", a kabootarbaaz (pigeon keeper) feeds his pigeons as he trains them, on the rooftop of a restaurant in the old quarters of Delhi, India, January 24, 2026. (Reuters)
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Ancient Mughal Tradition of Pigeon-Rearing Thrives in India’s Capital

Mohammed Rashid, alias "Rambo", a kabootarbaaz (pigeon keeper) feeds his pigeons as he trains them, on the rooftop of a restaurant in the old quarters of Delhi, India, January 24, 2026. (Reuters)
Mohammed Rashid, alias "Rambo", a kabootarbaaz (pigeon keeper) feeds his pigeons as he trains them, on the rooftop of a restaurant in the old quarters of Delhi, India, January 24, 2026. (Reuters)

In the ‌heart of India's capital city New Delhi, a few men are practicing the ancient Mughal tradition of pigeon-rearing, training the birds to navigate long distances, as they preserve a skill passed on for generations.

Every day, among the packed lanes near the Jama Masjid, in the old part of the city and a few kilometers away from its toniest areas, Azhar Udeen, 30, gathers with his younger brother and friends at ‌his terrace, ‌letting more than 120 pigeons of various ‌breeds ⁠out of their ⁠cages.

The birds are then fed and trained to fly in different formations, and are sometimes raced, as men cheer them on.

"I saw my grandfather doing this when I was a child, and after I grew up, I watched and learned from ⁠my ustad (teacher)," Udeen told Reuters.

Kabootarbaazi, as the ‌tradition is known, comes ‌from the Hindi/Urdu word for pigeon, and was patronized by ‌the many Mughal kings who ruled in India, ‌when men kept a flock, taught them to fly in formation, and used them as messengers.

Training the birds how to fly straight against the wind and return after covering ‌a long distance takes nearly four months, and involves beating a whip against ⁠a ⁠hard surface to create loud sounds that will scare the birds into flying farther out, the trainers said.

For many, the rooftop gatherings are as important as the flying itself. Practitioners describe kabootarbaazi as a stress reliever that creates a pocket of calm and community in a crowded city.

"We sit with our friends and students, and all the tensions from our work or homes, all of it disappears and that’s what the main intention behind pigeon keeping is," Kahlifa Mohsin, another pigeon-keeper, said.