Royal Commission for AlUla Signs Agreement with Louvre Museum in Paris

According to the agreement, the Louvre will show the historical and cultural legacy of Saudi Arabia and AlUla
According to the agreement, the Louvre will show the historical and cultural legacy of Saudi Arabia and AlUla
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Royal Commission for AlUla Signs Agreement with Louvre Museum in Paris

According to the agreement, the Louvre will show the historical and cultural legacy of Saudi Arabia and AlUla
According to the agreement, the Louvre will show the historical and cultural legacy of Saudi Arabia and AlUla

The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) has signed a five-year-agreement with Louvre Museum in Paris, which includes the display of a sculpture dating back to the Lihyanite period.

According to the agreement, the Louvre will show the historical and cultural legacy of Saudi Arabia and AlUla, the Saudi Press Agency reported Tuesday.

The agreement between the RCU and the Louvre would also embody the vital partnership between Saudi Arabia and France in the cultural field, SPA said.

The sculpture is made of sandstone that weighs more than 800 kg, has a height exceeding 2 meters, and has been affected by erosion factors through various times.

Through the Lihyanite sculpture, the museum shows the details of human creativity from long ago.

One of the sculpture's advantages is that it shows the historical depth and cultural legacy of the antiquities in AlUla, in addition to the RCU’s work, which seeks to preserve the natural and cultural heritage while preparing AlUla to attract visitors from all over the world.

The excavation team in the kingdom of "Dadan" is still carrying out its work with the aim of exploring more information about the civilizational history of the kingdom, which spanned for more than 2,500 years.

The Royal Commission for AlUla via “The Journey Through Time” master plan has announced the establishment of the "Kingdoms Institute" in the Dadan area.

The Institute would include seven main archaeological programs and researches, most notably: Preserving of rock art; languages; inscriptions; agriculture; sustainability in prehistoric times and many more.



Thai Rice Fields Transformed into Vibrant Art Depicting Red Dragon, Feline Deity

A drone view shows dragon and cat figures created by Thunyapong Jaikum, a Thai farmer and artist, in rice fields in Chiang Rai province, north of Thailand, January 11, 2025. REUTERS/Artorn Pookasook
A drone view shows dragon and cat figures created by Thunyapong Jaikum, a Thai farmer and artist, in rice fields in Chiang Rai province, north of Thailand, January 11, 2025. REUTERS/Artorn Pookasook
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Thai Rice Fields Transformed into Vibrant Art Depicting Red Dragon, Feline Deity

A drone view shows dragon and cat figures created by Thunyapong Jaikum, a Thai farmer and artist, in rice fields in Chiang Rai province, north of Thailand, January 11, 2025. REUTERS/Artorn Pookasook
A drone view shows dragon and cat figures created by Thunyapong Jaikum, a Thai farmer and artist, in rice fields in Chiang Rai province, north of Thailand, January 11, 2025. REUTERS/Artorn Pookasook

A red dragon, a feline deity and dogs and cats cover Tanyapong Jaikham's rice paddies in northern Thailand, a living tribute in rice plants to flooding that inundated nearby areas in September, stranding thousands.

To transform more than 2 hectares (5 acres) of land into the vibrant images, Tanyapong and his team used AI to plot and refine the design outlines and GPS to mark precise coordinates for the careful planting of 20 kg (45 pounds) of rainbow rice seeds, Reuters reported.

Tanyapong, who began the work in October, chose the dragon and the local four-eared, five-eyed feline deity to mark the Lunar New Year's end, along with dogs and cats trapped in floodwaters, waiting for help from the flooding of Chiang Rai and other areas in the north of the Southeast Asian nation.

"We designed the dragon to carry away all the negativity, hoping this crisis would soon pass," Tanyapong told Reuters.

Since the paddy art's launch in December, thousands of visitors, including students, families and locals, have visited, finding inspiration, hope and reflection, he said.

"We couldn’t make a living at all," said farmer Tanet Mala, reflecting on the flooding. "Everything was like a sea."