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Cultural, Intellectual Destinations Inspire Riyadh International Book Fair Visitors

The Sultanate of Oman is the guest of honor during this edition of the Riyadh International Book Fair. (Saleh al-Ghannam)
The Sultanate of Oman is the guest of honor during this edition of the Riyadh International Book Fair. (Saleh al-Ghannam)
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Cultural, Intellectual Destinations Inspire Riyadh International Book Fair Visitors

The Sultanate of Oman is the guest of honor during this edition of the Riyadh International Book Fair. (Saleh al-Ghannam)
The Sultanate of Oman is the guest of honor during this edition of the Riyadh International Book Fair. (Saleh al-Ghannam)

The new edition of the Riyadh International Book Fair (RIBF) is offering its audience millions of books and new titles from the Arabic library, and also offering a wide space for intellectual and cultural dialogues that revive the evenings of the Saudi capital with publishers, intellects, and content creators from all over the world.

The corridors of the fair were crowded thanks to its new location at the King Saud University, and its organization over an area of 50,000 sqm. People have been touring seamlessly to visit the pavilions of over 1,800 publishers partaking from 32 countries and displaying millions of titles. The setup also features halls for the training workshops and platforms for the discussion evenings, which look into various topics on the intellectual movement and the Arabic creativity.

The Oman pavilion... history and art

RIBF is hosting a folkloric Omani group that performs popular arts reflecting the diversity and richness of the country. The Sultanate of Oman is the guest of honor of this year’s edition of the fair. Its pavilion displays diverse aspects of thought, culture, literature, art, and heritage, and hosts seminars, poetry evenings and art shows in which partakes an elite of Omani novelists and intellects.

Mhanna al-Qamshoui from the Omani Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Youth, said the visitors flocked to the Sultanate’s pavilion right after the opening, looking to explore the rare Omani manuscripts, the art exhibition, musical shows, and VR presentation on the Sultanate, as well as a Majlis serving Omani goods and popular sweets.

Qamshoui added that the pavilion exhibits a collection of rare manuscripts that reflect the Omani cultural history and its role in the Arab world, the connections among Arab countries and people throughout history, and their civilizational role in advancing humanity and serving various scientific and cultural purposes.

Visitors of the Omani pavilion have been given the opportunity to enjoy a collection of rare manuscripts including the oldest ever, which was written in 1137. The pavilion is decorated with a mural inspired by the Jabreen Castle built by Bil'arab bin Sultan bin Saif Al Yarubi in 1670.

Outdoor area... coffee and books

In the outdoor area, visitors can take a break in the coffee shops and partake in the intellectual discussions before resuming their tours.

The area also hosts theater shows and Saudi and Omani performances that entertain the visitors with cultural ambiances that highlight the historic connection between humans and books, and the significance of literatures for Arabs, as well as honoring the symbols of culture, thought, and poetry in the region.

Qamshoui announced that the Omani Orchestra will attend the RIBF in the few coming days to share its musical creativity with the Saudi audience, and expand the Omani experience in the heart of Saudi Arabia.

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Culture

Red Sea Film Foundation Concludes Participation in 12th Saudi Film Festival

The Red Sea Fund presented four awards within the Production Market at the Saudi Film Festival - SPA
The Red Sea Fund presented four awards within the Production Market at the Saudi Film Festival - SPA
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Red Sea Film Foundation Concludes Participation in 12th Saudi Film Festival

The Red Sea Fund presented four awards within the Production Market at the Saudi Film Festival - SPA
The Red Sea Fund presented four awards within the Production Market at the Saudi Film Festival - SPA

The Red Sea Film Foundation won four awards for the three films supported by the Red Sea Fund during its participation in the 12th Saudi Film Festival, held at the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) in Dhahran.

Hijra won the Golden Palm for Best Narrative Feature Film, while Irkalla: Gilgamesh’s Dream won the Golden Palm for Best GCC Feature Film. A Matter of Life and Death received a Jury Special Mention, while Sarah Taibah won the Golden Palm for Best Acting for her role in the film, SPA reported.

These awards reflect the presence of Red Sea Fund-supported films in the Saudi and regional film landscape and underscore the impact of the fund’s support for film projects at various stages, through to their screening before audiences and participation in festivals.

The Red Sea Fund presented four awards within the Production Market at the Saudi Film Festival. The short-film awards went to the projects Shareet and Bin Jalmoud, while the feature-film awards went to From Zero to a Thousand and Between the Two, directed by Malak Quota.

The Red Sea Film Foundation’s participation in the Saudi Film Festival comes as part of its ongoing cooperation with local film events and its support for Saudi and Arab talent and projects through its various programs and initiatives, foremost of which are the Red Sea Fund, Red Sea Souk, and Red Sea Labs.

Culture

UK Museums at 'Sharp End' of Climate Change Challenge

Tannis Davidson, Head of Zoology and Science collections at the Grant Museum of Zoology in London, holds a device displaying the temperature inside the display cases in the museum, in central London on June 26, 2026. (Photo by CARLOS JASSO / AFP)
Tannis Davidson, Head of Zoology and Science collections at the Grant Museum of Zoology in London, holds a device displaying the temperature inside the display cases in the museum, in central London on June 26, 2026. (Photo by CARLOS JASSO / AFP)
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UK Museums at 'Sharp End' of Climate Change Challenge

Tannis Davidson, Head of Zoology and Science collections at the Grant Museum of Zoology in London, holds a device displaying the temperature inside the display cases in the museum, in central London on June 26, 2026. (Photo by CARLOS JASSO / AFP)
Tannis Davidson, Head of Zoology and Science collections at the Grant Museum of Zoology in London, holds a device displaying the temperature inside the display cases in the museum, in central London on June 26, 2026. (Photo by CARLOS JASSO / AFP)

As visitors peered at skeletons and preserved animals in a London zoological museum during a UK heatwave, staff focused on a different attraction: a computer screen glowing with red and green temperature indicators.

With each one linked to a sensor in a different display case, the system allows staff to see when an exhibit is in danger of overheating.

Last year during a hot spell, staff arrived one morning to find an antique specimen jar -- containing a nearly two-centuries-old tabby cat -- had "blown out" amid the heat.

By monitoring temperatures in the display cases, staff at the Grant Museum of Zoology hope they can prevent damage to other exhibits by identifying any needing to be preventively decanted.

"They are very precious and valuable to us," said Tannis Davidson, head of zoology at the 200-year-old collection home to some 100,000 specimens covering every major animal group.

"We want to safeguard them for the next 200 years at least so students and researchers and members of public can enjoy the collection and learn more about the natural world," she told AFP.

But she said curators were having to deal with a whole "new set of challenges due to climate change and extended long periods of high temperatures within our spaces".

Emma Howard Boyd, chair of the independent National Heat Risk Commission, says the impact of climate change is no longer a distant threat but a present-day reality with the cultural sector at the "sharp end".

Last month's UK heatwave forced the closure of a number of London cultural attractions including the Young Victoria & Albert (V&A) museum, The Cutty Sark museum ship, Tower Bridge and some galleries at the V&A.

And the Met Office said Monday that the UK was entering its third heatwave of the year, although it was not expected to break any records.

Art works also require careful monitoring of temperature and humidity levels to prevent damage, according to Claire Teasdale of the National Trust heritage body.

"We're having more storms. We're having more wet weather and more extreme weather which is affecting everything," said Teasdale who manages the collections at Cragside, a 19th century mansion in northeastern Northumberland.

Cragside is home to an important art collection that includes works by J.M.W. Turner and John Everett Millais.

It was built to cope with "Victorian rainfall levels and not with 21st century rainfall levels," she said, adding rain and sunshine both hiked levels of potentially damaging humidity.

Six of the UK's 10 wettest years have occurred since 1998, the Met Office says.
Flooding poses another threat to cultural treasures.

The Museum of Making in the central city of Derby suffered major flooding in October 2023 during Storm Babet.

None of the industrial heritage museum's collections were damaged, but the cost of damage to the building was estimated at over £100,000 and the museum closed for nearly three months.

"Heat waves often end with flash flooding because of intense rainfall," added Howard Boyd who chaired a 2024 review of London's preparedness for more extreme weather commissioned by mayor Sadiq Khan.

John Calautit, lecturer in sustainable and low carbon technologies at University College London, said installing air conditioning was not a silver bullet for large spaces and historic buildings often subject to highly restrictive building regulations.

But he said experts were developing alternatives to provide ventilation and cooling based on the "windcatcher" principles used for centuries in architecture.

It is "a ventilation system which is attached to the roof which can capture air at higher altitude. It brings air flow into the space at higher volume ... and extracts air out of the space," he told AFP.

Modern-day systems incorporated some form of low energy cooling and had already been commercially produced and used in Middle Eastern countries, he said.

Howard Boyd argues museums and historic properties need to explore all options for climate resilience.

She envisages a future in which venues become community hubs offering people a refuge from the heat.

A joint UK-wide initiative launched last month by organizations including the British Film Institute highlights venues where people can find local spaces to keep cool.

Culture

British Town to Open its 250-Year-Old Underground Tunnels to Public

The glassworks tunnels have never before been open to the public. (Stourbridge Glass Museum)
The glassworks tunnels have never before been open to the public. (Stourbridge Glass Museum)
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British Town to Open its 250-Year-Old Underground Tunnels to Public

The glassworks tunnels have never before been open to the public. (Stourbridge Glass Museum)
The glassworks tunnels have never before been open to the public. (Stourbridge Glass Museum)

A West Midlands glassmaking museum is set to open its 250-year-old underground tunnels to the public for the first time.

Stourbridge Glass Museum has unveiled a major new project that will transform its historic tunnel network into an immersive, family-friendly visitor experience, according to the Independent.

Visitors can expect VR and project mapping technology bringing local glassmaking heritage to life.

The tunnels were once used by generations of glassworkers in the local area to store materials and to control temperatures during the production of their fragile products.

The new experience hopes to attract more visitors to the area, giving a boost to the local economy through hotel stays and spending in other local businesses.

The mayor of Dudley, Pete Lowe, praised the new project, using the Black Country phrase “Bostin’” in response to the news.

Museum director Alexander Goodger said: “This is just one part of our new phase of capital development designed to boost the site for locals, expand the offer, give it a wider appeal and bring in tourists to the area who then go on to stay in hotels and eat in restaurants, regenerating the area.”

He added: “We want to bring in investment for the Black Country’s heritage. We have an incredible and unique history."

“Before opening the tunnels to the public, the museum will undertake essential improvements to health and safety, signage, public access, and lighting, ensuring a safe and free‑flowing visitor experience,” he added.

In exact date for the opening of the tunnels has not yet been announced.

Stourbridge Glass Museum currently has exhibitions showcasing 400 years of glassmaking in the town, depicting work within a “glass cone,” which is a towering brick structure with a furnace in the middle where workers would shape and blow the molten glass in the hot environment while letting gas escape from the top.