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Mohammed bin Salman Project Restores Mosques in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Region

The Project seeks to preserve the heritage of the mosques
The Project seeks to preserve the heritage of the mosques
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Mohammed bin Salman Project Restores Mosques in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Region

The Project seeks to preserve the heritage of the mosques
The Project seeks to preserve the heritage of the mosques

As part of its second phase, the Prince Mohammed bin Salman Project for Developing Historical Mosques is reconstructing and renovating the mosques in the Eastern Region, adopting methods that aim to safeguard the heritage they represent by restoring them to their original form to the greatest extent possible in adherence to global standards.

The project seeks to grant Jawatha and Umm Zriniq mosques in the Eastern Region a historical and aesthetic identity with unique and distinguished features that respect their aesthetic history.

It will do so through multiple stages of systematic projects relying on studies, research and analysis on how to best restore them into their original form and which materials to use to do so.

Jawatha Mosque is considered among the oldest historical mosques in the Islamic world. Built by Bani Abd Al-Qais after their second visit to Prophet Mohammad in the seventh century of the Hijri calendar, it is considered the first mosque to host Friday prayers after the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah.

The area of the mosque, before and after renovation, is around 205,5 square meters and can hold 170 worshippers.

Meanwhile, the Umm Zriniq Mosque in Al-Owemariah neighborhood of Al-Hofuf city was built over 100 years ago next to the Umm Zriniq Cemetery.

The area of the mosque will increase from 30 square meters to 213,96 square meters, and its capacity will rise. It will hold 94 worshippers after it had ceased to receive worshippers.

The Prince Mohammed bin Salman Project to Develop Historical Mosques aims to rehabilitate and restore 130 historical mosques in various regions across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, highlighting their civilizational and cultural dimensions by preserving their original aesthetic.

The second phase of this project includes 30 historical mosques in 13 different regions across the Kingdom- six mosques in the Riyadh region, five mosques in the Makkah region, four mosques in the Madinah region, three mosques in the Asir region and two mosques in each of the Eastern regions, Al-Jouf and Jazan, and one mosque in each of the Northern Borders, Tabuk, Baha, Najran, Hail and Qassim.

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Spanish Scientists Find 1st Evidence of Diplodocus Dinosaur in Europe

FILE PHOTO: A diplodocus skeleton named "Misty" is seen at Summers Place Auctions in Billingshurst, southern England November 25, 2013. REUTERS/Luke MacGregor/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A diplodocus skeleton named "Misty" is seen at Summers Place Auctions in Billingshurst, southern England November 25, 2013. REUTERS/Luke MacGregor/File Photo
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Spanish Scientists Find 1st Evidence of Diplodocus Dinosaur in Europe

FILE PHOTO: A diplodocus skeleton named "Misty" is seen at Summers Place Auctions in Billingshurst, southern England November 25, 2013. REUTERS/Luke MacGregor/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A diplodocus skeleton named "Misty" is seen at Summers Place Auctions in Billingshurst, southern England November 25, 2013. REUTERS/Luke MacGregor/File Photo

Spanish paleontologists say they have found the first evidence that Diplodocus, the iconic long-necked dinosaur, once roamed Europe, according to research published on Tuesday in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.

Researchers from the Dinopolis Foundation in Teruel in eastern Spain recovered fossils comprising 14 caudal vertebrae and several chevron bones of one specimen ⁠from sediments dating back ⁠around 150 million years.

"The anatomical study and evolutionary analyses we conducted have allowed us to identify the El Castellar specimen as belonging to the genus ⁠Diplodocus. It is one of the most complete diplodocids discovered to date in Europe and represents the first evidence of this genus outside North America," lead author Sergio Sanchez Fenollosa wrote, according to Reuters.

Alberto Cobos, managing director of the Dinopolis Foundation and a co-author of the study, said the ⁠specimen ⁠likely measured around 25 meters (82 feet) in length. It joins a growing list of giant Jurassic sauropods found in the Teruel area.

First identified from fossils found in Wyoming in 1877, the herbivorous Diplodocus, known for its long neck, whip-like tail and four sturdy legs, is among the world's most recognizable dinosaurs.

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Giant Jellyfish Surprises Free Diver Off Welsh Coastline

The lion's mane jellyfish was spotted near the Pembrokeshire coast (Getty)
The lion's mane jellyfish was spotted near the Pembrokeshire coast (Getty)
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Giant Jellyfish Surprises Free Diver Off Welsh Coastline

The lion's mane jellyfish was spotted near the Pembrokeshire coast (Getty)
The lion's mane jellyfish was spotted near the Pembrokeshire coast (Getty)

A free diver has said he “couldn’t believe his luck” after spotting a giant jellyfish off the Welsh coastline.

Iestyn Morgan, from Pembrokeshire, said the lion’s mane was the “length of a bus” with a size of about 10 to 15 meters, according to BBC.

The 21-year-old conservationist, who records footage for social media to raise awareness about the “threat our seas are facing,” said it was the first lion’s mane he had seen in Wales.

More commonly found in the colder waters off Scotland, a marine biologist said although the lion’s mane sting was “nasty,” it was not dangerous.

Morgan said he was swimming near Trefin Beach in Pembrokeshire when he spotted the tentacles in the water.

“Three turned to 10, and then to 20. They just kept on coming,” he added.

The jellyfish was so big the tentacles went “beyond the range of visibility.”

He initially thought it was a compass jellyfish, which are native to UK waters, before realizing it was too big.

“It must have been the length of a bus or small train. I couldn't believe how big it was.”

The Wildlife Trusts said the lion's mane jellyfish gets its name from its long tentacles, and has “all the beauty and bite of a lion.”

They can grow up to 3 meters in length, but the tentacles - which are used to catch their prey - can exceed 30 to 36.5 meters making it one of the longest animals on Earth.

Marine biologist Dr. Cathy Lucas, from the University of Southampton, said Morgan’s video showed the animal’s incredible length.

“The tentacles are so long and so fine you might not even see them,” she said, recalling how during field work in Scotland divers would get bits of tentacles on them when there were no jellyfish around.

“They still sting after they break off,” she said, adding that while the sting was “nasty” and “the worst in the UK,” it was not dangerous.

Varieties

Reading for Pleasure Protects Brain from Cognitive Decline

Children who began reading for pleasure early in life showed benefits including better attention, memory and executive functioning (University of Cambridge)
Children who began reading for pleasure early in life showed benefits including better attention, memory and executive functioning (University of Cambridge)
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Reading for Pleasure Protects Brain from Cognitive Decline

Children who began reading for pleasure early in life showed benefits including better attention, memory and executive functioning (University of Cambridge)
Children who began reading for pleasure early in life showed benefits including better attention, memory and executive functioning (University of Cambridge)

Reading for pleasure is linked to better mental health, greater empathy and a lower risk of dementia, according to a new study led by scientists at the University of Cambridge.

In a review published in Psychological Medicine, the scientists argue that regardless of what or how we read, reading for enjoyment can bring huge benefits.

The study of more than 10,000 young people found that children who began reading for pleasure early in life showed benefits including better attention, memory and executive functioning, greater academic achievement, fewer mental health problems and healthier lifestyles, including more sleep and less screen time.

Unsurprisingly, reading is strongly associated with improved literacy skills—but it is even linked to mathematical achievement, as reading and math share similar cognitive processes such as language skills, memory and executive function.

The benefits are not limited to children and young people. Surveys have suggested a multitude of benefits for adults, particularly related to well-being, including reduced stress and better relaxation, greater empathy and understanding of others, and a more tolerant attitude toward different perspectives.

Reading has emerged as the most popular method for stress relief, with almost two in five adults (38%) choosing books as their ultimate way to unwind.

A neuroscience study commissioned by The Queen's Reading Room in 2024 found that just five minutes of fiction can reduce stress by up to 20%, as well as boost concentration and problem-solving skills and help readers feel less lonely.

One survey even found that more people turned to books for comfort (35%) than to wine (31%) or a hot bath (10%).

Also, the benefits can be particularly important later in life. Leisure activities that stimulate the brain—particularly reading—are linked to slower cognitive decline and a reduced risk of dementia in older adults.

For example, in a study of almost 5,500 adults ages 55 and older, individuals who frequently engaged in activities including reading were significantly less likely to develop cognitive impairment over a five-year follow-up period.

Another study found that reading newspapers, magazines and books was associated with a 33% reduction in the risk of Alzheimer's disease.

Brain imaging studies show a link between reading and differences in brain structure, including larger volumes and cortical areas in brain regions involved in language, learning, emotional regulation and executive control; stronger white matter connectivity supporting language processing; and increased cortical thickness in key language-related brain areas.

Also, reading with others, whether as part of a book club or with a parent reading to their children, can bring even greater rewards, the study shows.