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AlUla Summit to Discuss Future of Global Culture Next Week

“AlUla Future Culture Summit” (FCS) will witness the participation of approximately 150 leaders, decision-makers, entrepreneurs, and artists from around the world during February 25 to 27. (SPA)
“AlUla Future Culture Summit” (FCS) will witness the participation of approximately 150 leaders, decision-makers, entrepreneurs, and artists from around the world during February 25 to 27. (SPA)
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AlUla Summit to Discuss Future of Global Culture Next Week

“AlUla Future Culture Summit” (FCS) will witness the participation of approximately 150 leaders, decision-makers, entrepreneurs, and artists from around the world during February 25 to 27. (SPA)
“AlUla Future Culture Summit” (FCS) will witness the participation of approximately 150 leaders, decision-makers, entrepreneurs, and artists from around the world during February 25 to 27. (SPA)

“AlUla Future Culture Summit” (FCS) will witness the participation of approximately 150 leaders, decision-makers, entrepreneurs, and artists from around the world during February 25 to 27, SPA said on Sunday.
The FCS aims to address key issues in the cultural sector and explore ways to strengthen it as a catalyst for social progress and positive transformation in the future.
The FCS, organized by the Royal Commission for AlUla in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, comprises a range of discussions, workshops, and interactive presentations. Its objective is to explore innovative approaches to fostering widespread involvement and making a significant impact through art, culture, and related industries.
The FCS program comprises three primary sessions. The initial session, referred to as "The Rich Foundation," is designed to promote innovation and rejuvenation in culture. Its goal is to delve into the essence and requirements of culture, establishing a harmonious connection with the environment.
The second session, titled "The Creative Land," aims to facilitate the shift towards global creativity and cross-cultural dialogue. This session will explore cultural economic development policies, and provide support for creative entrepreneurship. The last session, named "Harvest of Impact," will focus on fostering comprehensive culture and community empowerment, examining global cultural production and its influence on local cultures.
In addition to exploring the natural and cultural beauty of AlUla, participants in this cultural event will also have the opportunity to enjoy various artistic performances. The lineup includes renowned Saudi artist Balqees Alrashed, the Spanish theater group La Fura dels Baus, and the talented Nigerian-British poet and writer Inua Ellams.

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Culture

Ministry: Archeological 'Breakthrough' Could Confirm Origins of Paris

Paris Mayor Emmanuel Gregoire visits an archaeological site following the discovery of a Gallo-Roman era wall of Lutetia under the Hotel-Dieu hospital on the Ile de la Cite in central Paris, on September 22, 2026. (Photo by SIMON WOHLFAHRT / AFP)
Paris Mayor Emmanuel Gregoire visits an archaeological site following the discovery of a Gallo-Roman era wall of Lutetia under the Hotel-Dieu hospital on the Ile de la Cite in central Paris, on September 22, 2026. (Photo by SIMON WOHLFAHRT / AFP)
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Ministry: Archeological 'Breakthrough' Could Confirm Origins of Paris

Paris Mayor Emmanuel Gregoire visits an archaeological site following the discovery of a Gallo-Roman era wall of Lutetia under the Hotel-Dieu hospital on the Ile de la Cite in central Paris, on September 22, 2026. (Photo by SIMON WOHLFAHRT / AFP)
Paris Mayor Emmanuel Gregoire visits an archaeological site following the discovery of a Gallo-Roman era wall of Lutetia under the Hotel-Dieu hospital on the Ile de la Cite in central Paris, on September 22, 2026. (Photo by SIMON WOHLFAHRT / AFP)

An ancient wall discovered beneath Paris was described as a "major breakthrough" on Wednesday by France's culture ministry, with the archaeological find possibly confirming the location of the city's original settlement.

A roughly 20-meter (65-foot) wall dating from the Gallo-Roman period was discovered in Paris this summer beneath a hotel on the Ile de la Cite, a stone's throw from Notre Dame Cathedral in the heart of the City of Light.

The stone-and-wood find is thought to be a fragment of the ramparts of Lutetia -- the ancient name for Paris -- built by the Gallic Parisii tribe which lived along the river Seine in the Iron Age.

The Ile de la Cite has traditionally been regarded as the center of Lutetia, but a rival theory, backed by archaeological research, contends that it was in Nanterre, a suburb to the west.

"We may be looking at one of the most important remains ever discovered for understanding Gallic Lutetia," Culture Minister Catherine Pegard said in a statement from her ministry which was sent to AFP.

"Scientific caution still requires that we verify its function and its chronology, but the convergence of evidence is particularly remarkable at this stage."

Lutetia was first mentioned in book seven of Roman leader Julius Caesar's "Gallic Wars" series, where it was said to be on an island in the river Seine -- a vague description that has given rise to many theories about its location.

The wall, uncovered in the course of excavations beneath the Hotel-Dieu, also bears traces of fire, which may correspond to Caesar's account that the Gauls set fire to their town before the Battle of Lutetia against the Romans.

Through carbon dating technology, the charred evidence is estimated to date from 10-200 BC, the ministry said in its statement -- a timeframe that includes the Battle of Lutetia in 52 BC.

The Ile de la Cite, home to Notre Dame cathedral, is the largest island in the river Seine in the Paris region and became the center of the Roman settlement of Lutetia.

Culture

Battered Duerer Masterpiece Up for Five-year Revamp

Prague's National Gallery expects to complete the reconstruction of Albrecht Duerer's "Feast of the Rosary" by 2031. Michal CIZEK / AFP
Prague's National Gallery expects to complete the reconstruction of Albrecht Duerer's "Feast of the Rosary" by 2031. Michal CIZEK / AFP
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Battered Duerer Masterpiece Up for Five-year Revamp

Prague's National Gallery expects to complete the reconstruction of Albrecht Duerer's "Feast of the Rosary" by 2031. Michal CIZEK / AFP
Prague's National Gallery expects to complete the reconstruction of Albrecht Duerer's "Feast of the Rosary" by 2031. Michal CIZEK / AFP

Albrecht Duerer's "Feast of the Rosary", a Renaissance gem of Prague's National Gallery, is facing a painstaking five-year reconstruction designed to set right five centuries of mistreatment and damage.

Experts have pointed out the poor condition of the colorful painting that the German master created for the San Bartolomeo church in Venice in 1506, said AFP.

"Its state of preservation has been poor since the late sixteenth century," University of Texas art historian Jeffrey Chipps Smith wrote in a 2007 review.

True to the Venetian technique, Duerer used oil on poplar wood to depict the Virgin Mary holding a baby Jesus handing out rose garlands to believers including future Emperor Maximilian I and Pope Julius II.

But the material did not last and countless repairs and moves caused damage requiring an extensive revamp, National Gallery head Olga Kotkova told AFP.

"People say paintings are an organism similar to people, and when someone lives a reprehensible life, it is reflected in their faces," she said.

"It's similar with works of art."

Also known as "The Feast of the Rose Garlands", the painting will undergo scans to reveal "the tiniest details", said Adam Pokorny, chief restorer at the National Gallery.

To map the composition of the painting, the gallery will use macro-XRF scanning employed in the ongoing reconstruction of Rembrandt's "The Night Watch" by the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

"We are also planning to make a 3D model of the painting, which will be useful to understand the condition of the wooden base," Pokorny told reporters.

- The lost fly -

A book published by the National Gallery on the 500th anniversary of the painting details its history.

Commissioned by the Confraternity of the Most Holy Rosary, a Catholic association sheltered by the Dominican order, the painting was praised widely and drew crowds of German worshippers to Venice.

It was carried on foot to Prague in 1606 when Holy Roman Emperor Rudolph II bought it for his collection.

It escaped looting by the Swedish army during the Thirty Years' War but fell into oblivion as Rudolph's collection was plundered.

Described as "completely destroyed" in an 18th-century inventory, the painting changed hands several times before ending up at the Strahov monastery near Prague Castle in 1793.

It underwent the first repair before the move to Prague, and other attempts followed, crowned by the efforts in 1839-1841 of Czech painter Johann Gruss, who was criticized for changing its surface and appearance.

"The paint has begun to fall off on the border between the original Duerer and Gruss's repair, millimeter by millimeter. The revamp is essential," said Kotkova.

Over the centuries, the painting has also lost a disputed element -- a fly that Duerer painted on Mary's knee.

In 1934, the state bought it for 9.6 million koruna, a record price for an art purchase by the government at the time, after the monastery rejected even higher foreign offers.

It spent World War II hidden in shelters.

Kotkova said only 75-80 percent of the work in its current state was still Duerer's "beautiful painting".

Pokorny said its "visual rehabilitation", in consultation with an international committee, would involve fixing the paint, removing poor-quality retouches and repairing the wooden base.

"With this scenario, we are looking at completion in 2031," Pokorny said.

Culture

Culture Ministry: Level of Rome Colosseum Closed After Worker Death

FILE PHOTO: People walk across restored southern ambulatory areas of the Colosseum, in Rome, Italy, March 17, 2026. REUTERS/Yara Nardi/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: People walk across restored southern ambulatory areas of the Colosseum, in Rome, Italy, March 17, 2026. REUTERS/Yara Nardi/File Photo
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Culture Ministry: Level of Rome Colosseum Closed After Worker Death

FILE PHOTO: People walk across restored southern ambulatory areas of the Colosseum, in Rome, Italy, March 17, 2026. REUTERS/Yara Nardi/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: People walk across restored southern ambulatory areas of the Colosseum, in Rome, Italy, March 17, 2026. REUTERS/Yara Nardi/File Photo

The second level of the ancient Colosseum in Rome, a top tourist destination, was closed Wednesday due to the death of a worker inside overnight, the Culture Ministry said in a statement.

"Andrea Moretti, a specialist high-altitude rope access worker... died last night inside the Flavian Amphitheatre following a workplace accident," the ministry said.

"As a mark of mourning, the (Colosseum Archaeological) Park has decided to close to the public for the day the second-tier section where the accident occurred," AFP quoted it as saying.

It gave no further details but said police were working to determine the circumstances of the incident.

Minister of Culture Alessandro Giuli expressed "our deepest, heartfelt condolences to all for the senseless death of a young man while at work."

The Colosseum, the largest amphitheater in the world, was built in the first century and was used to host events like animal hunts and gladiatorial games.

It could hold around 50,000 spectators.

The monument gets up to 20,000 visitors a day at peak times.