Saudi Culture Ministry to Feature at Venice Architecture Biennale 2025

Through a curated cultural program, the ministry will highlight the diversity of Saudi culture and its contemporary creative renaissance
Through a curated cultural program, the ministry will highlight the diversity of Saudi culture and its contemporary creative renaissance
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Saudi Culture Ministry to Feature at Venice Architecture Biennale 2025

Through a curated cultural program, the ministry will highlight the diversity of Saudi culture and its contemporary creative renaissance
Through a curated cultural program, the ministry will highlight the diversity of Saudi culture and its contemporary creative renaissance

The Saudi Ministry of Culture is set to host a comprehensive program of cultural events at the Abbazia building in Venice, Italy, from May 10 to November 23. This initiative is part of Saudi Arabia's participation in the 19th Venice Architecture Biennale.
Through a curated cultural program, the ministry will highlight the diversity of Saudi culture and its contemporary creative renaissance, while contributing to global discourse on key issues such as the preservation of cultural heritage and artistic innovation.
According to a statement issued by the ministry, the events will spotlight several cultural sectors, including architecture and design, heritage, visual arts, fashion, and culinary arts. The program will also feature panel discussions and workshops in traditional crafts and other fields, providing the international community with insights into the defining features of Saudi culture, its uniqueness, and its deep historical and civilizational roots.
The cultural activities will be held within the two-story Abbazia building. The ground floor will be dedicated to an exhibition titled "Rooted Transience", which forms part of the official collateral event in the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale and showcases the winning design of the AlMusalla Prize 2025.
The statement added that the upper floor of the venue will include a fully equipped conference hall, designated for the presentation of distinguished cultural programming throughout the Biennale period. These events will underscore Saudi Arabia's artistic and cultural excellence through collaborations with leading cultural and artistic institutions in Venice and across Italy.

A cultural retail space will also be available, featuring a curated selection of artisanal products representing Saudi heritage and premium culinary offerings such as traditional Saudi coffee and dates.
The cultural events organized by the Ministry of Culture as part of the 2025 Venice Biennale represent a key aspect of its ongoing efforts to strengthen Saudi culture's presence on international platforms and introduce the global community to the diversity of the Kingdom's cultural heritage and the aesthetic and creative vitality of its artistic scene, reflecting the cultural renaissance taking place in the Kingdom.



'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.