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Saudi Culture Ministry Signs Agreement with Saudi Downtown Company to Boost Cultural Cooperation

The partnership reflects the Saudi Ministry of Culture’s continued efforts to celebrate the diversity of local cultures and preserve the Kingdom’s national heritage. SPA
The partnership reflects the Saudi Ministry of Culture’s continued efforts to celebrate the diversity of local cultures and preserve the Kingdom’s national heritage. SPA
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Saudi Culture Ministry Signs Agreement with Saudi Downtown Company to Boost Cultural Cooperation

The partnership reflects the Saudi Ministry of Culture’s continued efforts to celebrate the diversity of local cultures and preserve the Kingdom’s national heritage. SPA
The partnership reflects the Saudi Ministry of Culture’s continued efforts to celebrate the diversity of local cultures and preserve the Kingdom’s national heritage. SPA

The Saudi Ministry of Culture has signed an agreement with the Saudi Downtown Company to strengthen cooperation in areas of mutual interest. The agreement focuses on several key areas, including inventorying and documenting cultural heritage, sharing data, studies, and statistics, and establishing a solid financial framework to encourage public and private sector support for cultural initiatives.

These initiatives aim to empower and develop cultural professions and assets, utilize underused resources to improve access to cultural sectors across regions, and incorporate cultural assets into the master plans for Saudi Downtown Company development projects.

Deputy Minister for National Partnerships and Development at the Ministry of Culture Noha Kattan signed the agreement, along with Chief Executive Officer of the Saudi Downtown Company Eng. Fahad Al-Hammad.

Among the agreement’s key provisions is the adoption of the King Salman Charter for Architecture and Urbanism as a guiding reference for the company’s projects. It also calls for participation in cultural awareness events and initiatives, the creation of investment opportunities for cultural assets in downtown areas, and the development of cultural talents and capabilities.

This partnership reflects the Ministry of Culture’s continued efforts, in collaboration with various government, private, and non-profit entities, to celebrate the diversity of local cultures, preserve the Kingdom’s national heritage, promote cultural projects and professions, foster artistic programming, and create a vibrant cultural environment that supports education and exploration.

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'Spectacular' Viking Burial Site Discovered in Denmark 

A Moesgaard Museum conservator holds a Viking Age ceramic bowl discovered at a Viking Age burial site in Lisbjerg, a village seven kilometers north of Aarhus, Denmark’s second largest city, on June 13, 2025. (AFP)
A Moesgaard Museum conservator holds a Viking Age ceramic bowl discovered at a Viking Age burial site in Lisbjerg, a village seven kilometers north of Aarhus, Denmark’s second largest city, on June 13, 2025. (AFP)
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'Spectacular' Viking Burial Site Discovered in Denmark 

A Moesgaard Museum conservator holds a Viking Age ceramic bowl discovered at a Viking Age burial site in Lisbjerg, a village seven kilometers north of Aarhus, Denmark’s second largest city, on June 13, 2025. (AFP)
A Moesgaard Museum conservator holds a Viking Age ceramic bowl discovered at a Viking Age burial site in Lisbjerg, a village seven kilometers north of Aarhus, Denmark’s second largest city, on June 13, 2025. (AFP)

In an accidental find, a 10th-century burial site believed to have belonged to a Viking noble family has been discovered in northern Denmark, packed with a "spectacular" trove of ancient objects, a museum announced Tuesday.

The discovery came when pearls, coins, ceramics and a box containing a gold thread were unearthed during construction work near Lisbjerg, a village located seven kilometers (four miles) north of Aarhus, Denmark's second-largest city.

Archaeologists found the site contained around 30 graves dating from the second half of the 10th century, when the famous King Harald Bluetooth reigned, said the Moesgaard Museum in Aarhus.

According to the museum's archaeologist Mads Ravn, the graves are most likely linked to a noble family from the Viking Age -- which lasted between the eighth and 11th centuries -- whose farm was discovered less than a kilometer from the burial site in the late 1980s.

"This could have been one of Harald Bluetooth's earls or stewards," Ravn told AFP.

Ravn noted that the king, who introduced Christianity to what is today Denmark, tasked nobles with managing certain regions.

Researchers also discovered some human remains, such as teeth and bones, at the site.

"People basically took what was important to them into the grave because they wanted to transfer it to the other world," the archaeologist said.

One of the graves, which scientists believe belonged to an important woman, contained a box filled with decorative objects and a pair of scissors.

The "magnificent" box is a remarkable find, according to Ravn, with only a few having been discovered before, including one in southeastern Germany.

"It's very rare, there's only three of them we know of," he said.

The excavations at Lisbjerg are due to be completed this week, after which experts will begin a thorough analysis of the objects recovered.

Wooden objects in particular should help them accurately date the burial site.

As a royal and commercial center, Aarhus was one of Denmark's most important cities during the Viking Age.