عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Culture

Culture Ithra Winter Events Draw Over 57,000 Visitors in Less than a Month

"Ithra Winter" also provides diverse dining options at international restaurants and cafés - SPA
"Ithra Winter" also provides diverse dining options at international restaurants and cafés - SPA
TT
TT

Culture Ithra Winter Events Draw Over 57,000 Visitors in Less than a Month

"Ithra Winter" also provides diverse dining options at international restaurants and cafés - SPA
"Ithra Winter" also provides diverse dining options at international restaurants and cafés - SPA

Since its launch, on December 16, the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) "Ithra Winter" events have attracted over 57,000 visitors.
The diverse program, implemented at all Ithra facilities, features artistic and musical performances, workshops, interactive games, and craft exhibitions.
A highlight in the center's grand hall was a sports challenge program featuring advanced technologies.
The grand hall also houses interactive play equipment from Moment Factory studio, offering visitors four body-movement-controlled games using innovative tracking technology and collaborative multimedia platforms, SPA reported.
Ithra's gardens host artistic and handicraft workshops, guiding participants from concept to finished product.
At the Sustainability Studio, agriculture enthusiasts explored aquaponics, made plantable seed paper, and discovered the creative uses of clay.
Starting with January 2, the Energy Exhibition will host "Science Week", blending science with storytelling and humor.
"Ithra Winter" also provides diverse dining options at international restaurants and cafés.
Performances and family zones, designed to appeal to all ages and cultural backgrounds, were also part of Ithra Winter.

Most Viewed

 
 
Culture

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
TT
TT

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."