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Saudi Arabia Railways, Arsenale Unveil the Final Designs of 'Dream of the Desert' Luxury Train 

Designed as a moving five-star destination, the train combines world-class hospitality with exquisite design, setting a new benchmark for premium rail travel. (SPA)
Designed as a moving five-star destination, the train combines world-class hospitality with exquisite design, setting a new benchmark for premium rail travel. (SPA)
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Saudi Arabia Railways, Arsenale Unveil the Final Designs of 'Dream of the Desert' Luxury Train 

Designed as a moving five-star destination, the train combines world-class hospitality with exquisite design, setting a new benchmark for premium rail travel. (SPA)
Designed as a moving five-star destination, the train combines world-class hospitality with exquisite design, setting a new benchmark for premium rail travel. (SPA)

Saudi Arabia Railways (SAR) and Italian hospitality company Arsenale officially unveiled the final designs of the Dream of the Desert train, the first five-star luxury train in the Middle East. This milestone marks a significant step forward in redefining luxury rail travel in the region, seamlessly blending contemporary opulence with the rich cultural heritage of Saudi Arabia. The announcement coincided with a visit by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to the Kingdom.

According to a statement by SAR on Monday, the announcement is a major advancement in the execution of the agreement signed last year between SAR and Arsenale.

Inspired by the desert landscape and traditional Saudi architecture, the interiors feature refined craftsmanship, with earthy tones, luxurious textiles, and intricate decorative details. Architectural elements and motifs from iconic Saudi landmarks—including Madain Saleh and Hail—are elegantly woven into the train's design, offering passengers a journey that is both visually and culturally enriching.

Dream of the Desert’s ambitious vision is to redefine luxury train travel in the Kingdom, in alignment with Saudi Vision 2030’s objective of enhancing high-end tourism and supporting the cultural sector, continued the statement.

The Dream of the Desert train consists of 14 carriages housing 34 luxury suites, offering an exclusive and intimate experience for travelers. Designed as a moving five-star destination, the train combines world-class hospitality with exquisite design, setting a new benchmark for premium rail travel.

Departing from Riyadh, the train will traverse SAR’s Northern Railway network, allowing guests to explore some of Saudi Arabia's most breathtaking heritage and natural sites.

Through its collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, the train will feature curated cultural programs, ensuring passengers experience Saudi Arabia's traditions in an immersive and engaging way. Additionally, the Saudi Tourism Authority and the Center for Development Authorities Support are working on unique tourism itineraries that integrate seamlessly with the train journey, providing guests with an unparalleled window into the heart of Saudi heritage.

Saudi Minister of Transport and Logistic Services and Chairman of SAR Eng. Saleh bin Nasser Al-Jasser emphasized the strategic significance of the project: “The National Transport and Logistics Strategy aims to develop an integrated transport network that strengthens Saudi Arabia's position as a global logistics hub. The Dream of the Desert train is a testament to our commitment to this vision, delivering innovative solutions that elevate both the transport and tourism sectors.”

“This project reflects the Kingdom’s ambitious drive to develop world-class infrastructure while offering unparalleled travel experiences that reinforce Saudi Arabia's status as a premier global tourism destination. The train combines luxury, innovation, and cultural authenticity, setting a new standard in rail travel,” he added.

SAR CEO Dr. Bashar bin Khalid AlMalik highlighted SAR's leadership in advancing the objectives of Vision 2030 and strengthening the integration between the transport, economic, and tourism sectors, saying: “At SAR, we believe our role extends beyond operating a railway network—we are actively attracting global investments to introduce advanced transport solutions that support economic growth and regional connectivity.”

“The Dream of the Desert train is a prime example of this commitment, demonstrating how collaboration between private and public sector entities can create groundbreaking experiences in luxury transport. With this project, we are setting a new benchmark for service excellence, merging comfort and sophistication to position Saudi Arabia among the world's leading luxury rail travel destinations,” he stressed.

CEO of Arsenale Group Paolo Barletta expressed his enthusiasm for the project, stressing: “When we first envisioned Dream of the Desert, our goal was to create an unparalleled travel experience—one that would take guests on an unforgettable journey through the heart of Saudi Arabia.”

“This project is more than just a luxury train; it is a fully immersive experience that blends refined design, world-class hospitality, and rich cultural traditions. Working with SAR, the Ministry of Culture, and the Saudi Tourism Authority has been an extraordinary collaboration, allowing us to bring this vision to life in a way that authentically reflects Saudi Arabia’s beauty,” he remarked.

“We are proud of this achievement and look forward to welcoming our first guests on board. Dream of the Desert is expected to begin operations by the end of Q3 2026, with booking details and exclusive packages to be announced soon on the official website,” he revealed.

Tribute to Saudi Culture and Craftsmanship

The train’s interiors have been meticulously designed to reflect the essence of Saudi Arabia. Its elegant reception lounges are inspired by traditional majlis settings, adorned with intricately hand-carved wooden elements and geometric patterns that embody the warmth of Saudi hospitality. The onboard dining experience combines heritage and sophistication, featuring a refined menu crafted in collaboration with top local and international chefs.

Passengers will also be immersed in the Kingdom's artistic heritage, with curated art pieces and photography displayed along the train’s corridors, showcasing Saudi Arabia’s cultural and natural landmarks.

With the unveiling of these groundbreaking designs, the Dream of the Desert train is set to redefine luxury travel in Saudi Arabia, offering a journey that is not only luxurious but also deeply connected to the Kingdom’s cultural and historical identity.

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Culture

French Artist Begins Giant ‘Cave’ Art Inflation Over Paris’ Oldest Bridge

People walk along the Seine river next to "The Pont Neuf Cave," an inflated art installation by French street artist JR, on Paris' oldest bridge, the Pont Neuf, Thursday, May 21, 2026, which will be open to the public from June 6-28. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
People walk along the Seine river next to "The Pont Neuf Cave," an inflated art installation by French street artist JR, on Paris' oldest bridge, the Pont Neuf, Thursday, May 21, 2026, which will be open to the public from June 6-28. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
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French Artist Begins Giant ‘Cave’ Art Inflation Over Paris’ Oldest Bridge

People walk along the Seine river next to "The Pont Neuf Cave," an inflated art installation by French street artist JR, on Paris' oldest bridge, the Pont Neuf, Thursday, May 21, 2026, which will be open to the public from June 6-28. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
People walk along the Seine river next to "The Pont Neuf Cave," an inflated art installation by French street artist JR, on Paris' oldest bridge, the Pont Neuf, Thursday, May 21, 2026, which will be open to the public from June 6-28. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

The oldest bridge in Paris has begun to vanish this week, as the artist JR — who is known as the “French Banksy” — began inflating a giant “cave” over the Pont Neuf.

The monumental, rocky illusion is swallowing the 17th-century landmark, which has carried Parisians across the Seine for more than 400 years. By Thursday, it looked as if a prehistoric cliff had risen in the heart of the city.

The inflation process, which was carried out overnight — after being delayed by bad weather — is the most dramatic stage yet of a project more than a year in the making.

One of the most ambitious public artworks Paris has seen in decades, which has been funded by the sale of JR’s work and a handful of corporate partners, does not open to the public until June 6.

“We’re about to leave something pretty incredible in the middle of Paris,” JR told The Associated Press earlier this year at his studio in the city’s east, wearing his trademark hat and shades.

The transformation of the bridge has been documented by the AP since March with time-lapse cameras, including one fixed on a rooftop terrace high above the river, watching the bridge slowly disappear day by day.

From the outside, the installation looks like a rocky mass that “literally” breaks the landscape, said JR, who is famous for pasting enormous photographs on buildings, walls and rooftops around the world. This time he wanted Parisians to do something unusual on their busiest bridge: stop.

Visitors will be able to walk for free through a long, dark tunnel that lets in no daylight and where, according to JR, people “will lose track of time.”

The numbers are startling. The structure is 120 meters (393 feet) long and 18 meters (59 feet) tall — which is as high as a six-story building.

Yet it is built almost entirely from air — 80 fabric arches filled with 20,000 cubic meters of it — and weighs only about five tons. The fabric was hand stitched by 25 artisans in a village in Brittany.

Nothing digs into the historic stone.

Cut the air and the cliff would sink like a held breath — a collapse JR’s engineers spent weeks rehearsing in a hangar at Orly airport to be sure that if the power ever failed, the rock would come down gently.

The artwork, called La Caverne du Pont Neuf, is a tribute to a Parisian artistic legend.

In 1985, artist Christo and his wife, Jeanne-Claude, wrapped the same bridge in pale golden fabric — 13 kilometers of rope, a decade of arguing with city hall, three million visitors in two weeks. The act helped invent the idea of monumental art in modern cities.

A square beside the bridge now carries their names.

“It’s pretty hard to go after them,” JR said.

His idea, he said, is to bring “mineral and nature” back to the heart of the city. He is not covering the bridge but undressing it — sending the dressed stone back to the limestone quarries from which Paris itself was cut.

The cave is also a warning. JR built it as a nod to Plato’s allegory, in which prisoners mistake shadows on a wall for the real world.

“What are our caves today? Our phones,” he said. “Because we believe that our algorithm on social media is the reality.”

Then he walks straight into the contradiction: to enter his cave about screens, visitors raise their phones.

The tech company Snap has built an augmented-reality layer that shows what the eye cannot.
The sound is a low, mineral hum from Thomas Bangalter, formerly of Daft Punk — who was 10 the year Christo wrapped the bridge.

The cave will be open around the clock from June 6-28, closing the bridge to traffic and visible from the quays, from passing boats, even from the top of the Eiffel Tower.

It will coincide with Paris Fashion Week, World Music Day and the all-night Nuit Blanche arts festival.

When it comes down, the fabric will be reused or recycled. Air, JR likes to say, leaves no scar.
Then, like the golden wrapping 40 years before, the cave will be gone — and the Pont Neuf, older than the republic and older than the revolution, will reappear exactly as it was.

Culture

Winston Churchill's 'Playful' Paintings Go on Show in London

The 'Winston Churchill: The Painter' exhibition opens on Saturday at the Wallace Collection in London. Justin TALLIS / AFP
The 'Winston Churchill: The Painter' exhibition opens on Saturday at the Wallace Collection in London. Justin TALLIS / AFP
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Winston Churchill's 'Playful' Paintings Go on Show in London

The 'Winston Churchill: The Painter' exhibition opens on Saturday at the Wallace Collection in London. Justin TALLIS / AFP
The 'Winston Churchill: The Painter' exhibition opens on Saturday at the Wallace Collection in London. Justin TALLIS / AFP

As Britain's wartime leader, Winston Churchill was known for his stirring speeches, but a new London exhibition explores another side to his creativity -- as a passionate and prolific artist.

The exhibition opening Saturday at the Wallace Collection will be the most significant display of the statesman's paintings for more than 60 years, including over 50 canvases, many of them rarely seen in public.

Churchill first tried painting during World War I after he resigned from the government over the 1915 failed Dardanelles naval attack.

This was a "very difficult time in his life" when "he suddenly finds himself with all this unwanted leisure time", Lucy Davis, co-curator of the exhibition, told AFP.

"And he discovered painting as a way of releasing the stress, the anguish that the situation had caused him."

The museum presents a chronological survey starting with his first paintings, created with advice from renowned artist John Lavery, then canvases painted in the 1920s at Chartwell, the country house where Churchill lived with his family.

Largely self-taught while associating with well-known painters, Churchill quickly became interested in landscape painting and drew inspiration from holidays in the south of France to create brightly colored canvases dominated by blues and ochre.

- 'Loved the light' -

Churchill "saw painting as a spur to travel" and "just loved the light and warmth and atmosphere, which he captures so beautifully", said Davis.

A whole room is dedicated to canvases inspired by trips to Morocco, including "The Tower of the Koutoubia Mosque", the only painting that Churchill did during World War II. A gift to US President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the painting recently belonged to Hollywood star Angelina Jolie.

The exhibition ends with the postwar period when Churchill, defeated in a general election, began painting again and continued until his death in 1965, with some of his works going on display at the Royal Academy.

Churchill had previously shown paintings at various galleries, but always under an assumed name.

As a statesman, Churchill went down in history for his wartime leadership, but as an artist, he had little interest in depicting current world events, the curator stressed.

"He was a wartime leader. He was known for these very stirring wartime speeches. But in these paintings, you really see his joie de vivre, his witty side, his playful side."

One painting at the exhibition is an exception: "The Beach At Walmer", painted in 1938 as fears grew of imminent war.

It shows a sandy beach in southern England with bathers paddling. But in the foreground, a black cannon points at the sea, suggesting a looming threat.

Culture

Saudi Heritage Commission Discovers Abbasid-Era Gold Jewelry in Qassim

The Saudi Heritage Commission logo
The Saudi Heritage Commission logo
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Saudi Heritage Commission Discovers Abbasid-Era Gold Jewelry in Qassim

The Saudi Heritage Commission logo
The Saudi Heritage Commission logo

Saudi Arabia’s Heritage Commission announced the discovery of a collection of Abbasid-era gold jewelry at the archaeological site of Diriyyah in Qassim Region during the fourth season of excavation and survey work.

The discovery includes 100 gold pieces adorned with floral and geometric motifs, along with architectural remains from the Abbasid period, including stone foundations, mud walls, pottery, and metal tools.

The findings indicate human settlement dating back to the late third century AH and highlight the site’s historical importance along pilgrimage and trade routes.

The discovery reflects the Heritage Commission’s ongoing efforts to document and preserve the Kingdom’s archaeological heritage, supporting cultural development goals aligned with Saudi Vision 2030.