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Saudi Arabia’s AlUla, the World’s Largest Living Museum, Marks Int'l Museum Day

The Royal Commission for AlUla continues its efforts to protect and promote human heritage on a global scale, reinforcing AlUla’s position as a leading cultural destination. (SPA)
The Royal Commission for AlUla continues its efforts to protect and promote human heritage on a global scale, reinforcing AlUla’s position as a leading cultural destination. (SPA)
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Saudi Arabia’s AlUla, the World’s Largest Living Museum, Marks Int'l Museum Day

The Royal Commission for AlUla continues its efforts to protect and promote human heritage on a global scale, reinforcing AlUla’s position as a leading cultural destination. (SPA)
The Royal Commission for AlUla continues its efforts to protect and promote human heritage on a global scale, reinforcing AlUla’s position as a leading cultural destination. (SPA)

Saudi Arabia's Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) is marking International Museum Day, observed annually on May 18, as part of its continued efforts to reinforce AlUla’s position as the world’s largest living museum and a global cultural destination that preserves a civilizational legacy spanning thousands of years, within a comprehensive development vision focused on heritage conservation and cultural and economic growth.

The occasion underscores the role played by RCU in safeguarding human heritage and preserving historical and natural sites, while strengthening AlUla’s presence on the global cultural map through the development of an integrated ecosystem of archaeological sites and cultural experiences that embody the meeting point between history and innovation.

These efforts align with the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030 to develop the cultural sector, diversify the national economy, and reinforce the Kingdom’s status as a leading global destination for culture, heritage, and tourism.

RCU is continuing its efforts to develop and preserve historical and archaeological sites in accordance with the highest international standards. At the forefront is Hegra, the first Saudi site inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, featuring monumental Nabataean tombs carved into sandstone outcrops that reflect the prosperity of the Nabataean civilization and AlUla’s historic significance along ancient caravan routes.

RCU is also working to highlight the cultural significance of Dadan, one of the oldest Arab kingdoms in northwest Arabia, through archaeological conservation programs, scientific research and development projects aimed at deepening understanding of the site’s historical legacy and enhancing accessibility for visitors and researchers alike.

RCU is continuing its efforts to develop and preserve historical and archaeological sites in accordance with the highest international standards. (SPA)

As part of its commitment to safeguarding human heritage, RCU has given special attention to Jabal Ikmah, recognized as one of UNESCO’s Memory of the World sites for its thousands of ancient inscriptions and writings documenting various aspects of social, religious and economic life in ancient civilizations, making it a living testament to the depth of AlUla’s cultural heritage.

This cultural momentum forms part of RCU’s strategy to deliver an exceptional cultural tourism experience, where archaeological landmarks integrate seamlessly with development projects, reflecting the convergence of past and present in a continuously evolving civilizational landscape.

Through its local and international partnerships, the Royal Commission for AlUla continues its efforts to protect and promote human heritage on a global scale, reinforcing AlUla’s position as a leading cultural destination that celebrates history, nature and humanity, while presenting a global model for sustainable development founded on balancing progress with the preservation of cultural heritage.

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Culture

Massive Ancient Roman Bath Complex Opens to Visitors

A visitor views the restored south-western exedra of the Baths of Trajan, a monumental second-century AD hall believed to have served as a library or space for public readings, with the Colosseum seen in the background, in Rome on September 8, 2026. (AFP)
A visitor views the restored south-western exedra of the Baths of Trajan, a monumental second-century AD hall believed to have served as a library or space for public readings, with the Colosseum seen in the background, in Rome on September 8, 2026. (AFP)
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Massive Ancient Roman Bath Complex Opens to Visitors

A visitor views the restored south-western exedra of the Baths of Trajan, a monumental second-century AD hall believed to have served as a library or space for public readings, with the Colosseum seen in the background, in Rome on September 8, 2026. (AFP)
A visitor views the restored south-western exedra of the Baths of Trajan, a monumental second-century AD hall believed to have served as a library or space for public readings, with the Colosseum seen in the background, in Rome on September 8, 2026. (AFP)

Rome's Baths of Trajan, an ancient bathing and leisure complex featuring giant frescoes and mosaics, is opening to visitors for the first time, the city's mayor said on Tuesday.

Inaugurated in 109 AD, the baths were built by the most famous architect of the time -- Apollodorus of Damascus -- and covered an area of 60,000 square meters (646,000 square feet).

The remains are located on top of the Colle Oppio near the Colosseum and the Roman Forum.

Visitors will be able to see a fresco entitled "The Painted City", depicting an unidentified city of the Roman Empire, as well as a large mosaic dubbed "The Muse and the Philosopher", whose colors are still vivid and whose figures are rendered with striking realism.

"These are the largest fresco and the largest mosaic of the Roman era ever discovered," mayor Roberto Gualtieri told reporters as he announced the site would open this weekend.

He called them "marvelous works that are truly unique in the world for their artistic beauty and their historical... significance".

The site also includes an exedra, a semicircular building whose precise purpose is unknown, which will in future host artistic and cultural events.

The area, which is still undergoing restoration, will initially open only at weekends for groups of no more than 15 people during September.

Culture

France: Thieves Steal Works Worth $10 Mn from Renoir Museum

Members of the French riot police take part in a training exercise to handle violent demonstrations, in Ris-Orangis, south of Paris, August 30, 2021. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo
Members of the French riot police take part in a training exercise to handle violent demonstrations, in Ris-Orangis, south of Paris, August 30, 2021. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo
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France: Thieves Steal Works Worth $10 Mn from Renoir Museum

Members of the French riot police take part in a training exercise to handle violent demonstrations, in Ris-Orangis, south of Paris, August 30, 2021. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo
Members of the French riot police take part in a training exercise to handle violent demonstrations, in Ris-Orangis, south of Paris, August 30, 2021. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo

Two thieves broke into a museum dedicated to French impressionist painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir in southern France on Tuesday, stealing "four works of art", one of which they dropped as they fled, a mayor said.

"This morning, two individuals broke into the Renoir Museum and stole four works of art," said Bryan Masson, the far-right mayor of the town of Cagnes-sur-Mer.

"Spotted thanks to the town's video surveillance cameras, the two individuals fled, abandoning one of the stolen paintings as they ran," he said, adding his office estimated the value of the stolen works at 9 million euros ($10 million).

The Renoir Museum was opened in 1960 in the painter's last home before his death in 1919.

Its collection includes objects and furniture that belonged to Renoir, including his easel and wheelchair, as well as portraits, landscapes, and nudes painted by the artist.

The mayor said it took just five minutes for the authorities to respond.

"The museum alarm went off at 5:48 am. At 5:53 am, just five minutes later, our municipal police were on the scene," AFP quoted him as saying.

The theft comes less than a year after eight items valued at around $100 million were stolen during a daylight robbery from the Louvre in Paris.

The four suspected Louvre robbers have been arrested, but the stolen items have still not been found despite extensive searches by French investigators in the Paris region and exchanges with police in Belgium, Italy and beyond.

Culture

UK's Bayeux Tapestry Exhibition Set to Wow Visitors with Battle Scenes, Scale

The 70-meter-long Bayeux Tapestry is displayed during a press preview at the British Museum in London after returning to England, following a historic agreement between the UK and France, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP)
The 70-meter-long Bayeux Tapestry is displayed during a press preview at the British Museum in London after returning to England, following a historic agreement between the UK and France, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP)
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UK's Bayeux Tapestry Exhibition Set to Wow Visitors with Battle Scenes, Scale

The 70-meter-long Bayeux Tapestry is displayed during a press preview at the British Museum in London after returning to England, following a historic agreement between the UK and France, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP)
The 70-meter-long Bayeux Tapestry is displayed during a press preview at the British Museum in London after returning to England, following a historic agreement between the UK and France, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP)

Visitors to the sell-out Bayeux Tapestry Exhibition should be ready for the "brutal reality" of battle scenes and expect to be astonished by the scale of the 1,000-year-old embroidery, as excitement mounts ahead of the London show's opening on Thursday.

King Charles and French President Emmanuel Macron were among the first viewers at the British Museum last week, where the monarch celebrated ‌the artwork ‌that depicts the conquest of England by his ancestor ‌William ⁠I in 1066.

Thought ⁠to have been stitched in Kent, southern England, the tapestry was subsequently taken across the Channel and is being shown outside France for the first time, generating a wave of interest in its significance to English history.

Millie Horton-Insch, a curator of the Bayeux Tapestry exhibition, told Reuters on Monday that its 70-meter (230-foot) length would stun visitors.

"No matter how many times ⁠I see it, I'm still blown away by its ‌size," she said.

The tapestry recounts ‌the events leading up to the famous Battle of Hastings and the subsequent ‌Norman defeat of Anglo-Saxon King Harold II.

"We see an incredible battle that ‌really doesn't shy away from the brutal reality of medieval warfare and how devastating it was for both sides," the curator added.

Initial tickets for the nine-month show sold out within hours, generating sales of £2.5 million and making it ‌the museum's best-selling exhibition. Another batch of tickets will go on sale in October.

William's conquest was the last ⁠time England was successfully ⁠invaded, and 1066 remains the most famous year in the nation's history.

The loan from France is seen as a sign of closer ties between the countries after the discord caused by the 2016 Brexit vote, and Macron talked of the unifying role of art to show "what humanity is capable of creating".

Horton-Insch said that it was difficult for a modern audience to comprehend the thousands of hours it would have taken the English seamstresses to weave it, including spinning the wool thread and mastering the natural dyes.

The Bayeux Tapestry arrived in Britain in July having travelled in an air-conditioned, anti-vibration crate under police escort from France.

"It seems to have borne the journey incredibly well," Horton-Insch said.