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Ancient Kingdoms Festival Held in Saudi Arabia’s AlUla

Running until November 30, the festival offers visitors a unique experience that combines heritage and culture. SPA
Running until November 30, the festival offers visitors a unique experience that combines heritage and culture. SPA
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Ancient Kingdoms Festival Held in Saudi Arabia’s AlUla

Running until November 30, the festival offers visitors a unique experience that combines heritage and culture. SPA
Running until November 30, the festival offers visitors a unique experience that combines heritage and culture. SPA

The Ancient Kingdoms Festival is being held in Saudi Arabia’s AlUla, celebrating the rich history of the ancient civilizations that once thrived in the region.

Running until November 30, this festival offers visitors a unique experience that combines heritage and culture through a variety of events.

Attendees can enjoy daytime activities, exploratory tours, and night excursions inspired by ancient stories, all guided by a specialized team to ensure an exceptional guest experience.

A highlight of the festival is an exhibition from the National Archaeological Museum of Naples (MANN), “Masterpieces of the MANN,” hosted at the Maraya cultural venue. This exhibition showcases artifacts from Pompeii and Herculaneum, displayed in the Kingdom for the first time.

Other unique experiences include the “Hegra After Dark” event at Saudi Arabia’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site, drone shows, and the Hegra Candlelit Classics series (music concerts). Visitors can also participate in the “Quest for the Ancient Kingdoms” tour in Wadi AlNaam (Valley of the Ostriches), known for its breathtaking rock formations.

“The Incense Road Experience” in AlUla’s Old Town provides an immersive journey through narrow alleys lined with traditional mud-brick buildings. This extraordinary experience blends live performances and modern technology to tell interactive stories, unveiling archaeological treasures in a captivating mix of past and present.

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Iran Artist's Vision For Culture Hub Enlivens Rustic District

Arabesque patterns feature in Yazdi's creations © ATTA KENARE / AFP
Arabesque patterns feature in Yazdi's creations © ATTA KENARE / AFP
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Iran Artist's Vision For Culture Hub Enlivens Rustic District

Arabesque patterns feature in Yazdi's creations © ATTA KENARE / AFP
Arabesque patterns feature in Yazdi's creations © ATTA KENARE / AFP

In the winding alleys of southern Iran, artist Adel Yazdi has taken it upon himself to turn his rustic old neighbourhood into a cultural and tourist hub through vibrant paintings and carved relief faces.

Narenjestan, a neighbourhood characterized by crumbling, uninhabited houses, is nestled in Shiraz, a southern city celebrated for its historic architecture, lush gardens and revered poets.

"Most of the dilapidated walls in old Shiraz have no historical value," said Yazdi, a bushy-bearded, bespectacled 40-year-old artist who has dedicated himself to revitalising Narenjestan, AFP reported.

Yazdi has over the years turned the long-neglected neighbourhood walls into a vivid visual tapestry "telling the stories of the people living here," he said.

Arabesque patterns and relief faces carved with intricate details and painted in an array of vivid hues of greens, pinks, blues and purples now adorn the walls.

With its striking designs and bright colors, Yazdi's art can be reminiscent of Surrealism. It often comes across as surprising, showcasing a different side of Iran's artistic heritage that goes beyond the conventional focus on Persian or Islamic architecture.

The artwork includes the face of Scheherazade, Yazdi said, referencing the legendary storyteller from the "One Thousand and One Nights" collection of folktales.

Yazdi's work stands out in Shiraz where graffiti and murals are rare, becoming a social media sensation and a tourist attraction.

One visitor, Mahdieh, discovered Yazdi's murals through Instagram.

"I arrived in Shiraz yesterday... and it was the first site I wanted to visit," said the 40-year-old, who declined to give her last name.

At the end of one alleyway, Yazdi has established his workshop in a century-old building with small rooms encircling a serene garden.

He also lives in the building, with a traditional Persian architectural style.

It is filled with artefacts and sculptures, resembling a museum warehouse.

To Maedah, a 30-year-old engineer, Yazdi's house brings to mind "other historical places in the city, such as the Eram Garden and the Mausoleum of the Poet Hafez".

Yazdi said he drew inspiration from the Pompidou Center in Paris, a cultural hub that transformed the heart of the French capital in the 1970s.

He hopes his efforts can turn Shiraz's alleyways into even more of a vibrant cultural center as well.

At his residence, visitors are particularly drawn to what Yazdi calls "the Finger Room."

Inside, he installed around 14,000 finger sculptures on the ceiling, all pointing downward.

"The room is inspired by the legend of an angel that counts raindrops with thousands of fingers," he said, referring to an Islamic fable.

"These fingers are there to constantly remind us that the present moment is precious and that we must seize it."