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Dazzling Opening Held for Disney Castle in Boulevard City in Riyadh

The Riyadh Season 2023 kicked off on Thursday with the opening of "The Disney Castle," one of the entertainment zones in Boulevard City.
The Riyadh Season 2023 kicked off on Thursday with the opening of "The Disney Castle," one of the entertainment zones in Boulevard City.
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Dazzling Opening Held for Disney Castle in Boulevard City in Riyadh

The Riyadh Season 2023 kicked off on Thursday with the opening of "The Disney Castle," one of the entertainment zones in Boulevard City.
The Riyadh Season 2023 kicked off on Thursday with the opening of "The Disney Castle," one of the entertainment zones in Boulevard City.

The Riyadh Season 2023 kicked off on Thursday with the opening of "The Disney Castle," one of the entertainment zones in Boulevard City. These events offer some of the world's best entertainment destinations, SPA said.
The Castle is spread over an area of approximately 20,000 square meters and offers visitors a nightly 20-minute concert, a screening of the movie "Encanto," the famous house from the movie "Frozen," and an exploration of the wonders of the cave.
The Castle's activities include "Jimba" drumming for pieces from "The Lion King," exploring the underwater world with the character "Ariel," the mermaid, exclusive Disney merchandise, and the opportunity to capture memorable photos of The Disney Castle's magical worlds.
Visitors can also enjoy a 90-minute immersive experience of fun and excitement through shows that take them on a journey through the worlds of famous Disney cartoons.
The exceptional Disney family festival celebrates the most famous animated films through interactive performances in front of the towering castle stage, which reaches a height of 30 meters.
The Senior Vice President of Business Development & Business Affairs for the Disney Music Group (DMG), Chip MacLean, expressed his joy in presenting the world's first-of-its-kind show at the "Disney Castle" festival as part of the Riyadh Season 2023 events.
He emphasized that the success of launching this event emanates from creativity and close collaboration among a large group of talented people who made significant efforts to translate the shared vision into tangible reality.
The Riyadh Season, in its fourth edition under the theme "Big Time," celebrates a variety of global entertainment options, experiences, and unique entertainment events featuring a lineup of celebrities.

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Kashmir’s Saffron Growers Experiment with Indoor Farming as Climate Pressures Mount

Kashmiri villagers collect stigma from saffron flowers in Pampore, 19 km (12 miles) south of Srinagar.(Reuters)
Kashmiri villagers collect stigma from saffron flowers in Pampore, 19 km (12 miles) south of Srinagar.(Reuters)
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Kashmir’s Saffron Growers Experiment with Indoor Farming as Climate Pressures Mount

Kashmiri villagers collect stigma from saffron flowers in Pampore, 19 km (12 miles) south of Srinagar.(Reuters)
Kashmiri villagers collect stigma from saffron flowers in Pampore, 19 km (12 miles) south of Srinagar.(Reuters)

Tucked in a valley beneath the snow-capped Himalayas of the Indian Kashmir region is the town of Pampore, famed for its farms that grow the world's most expensive spice - the red-hued saffron.

This is where most of saffron is farmed in India, the world's second-largest producer behind Iran of the spice, which costs up to 325,000 rupees ($3,800) a kg (2.2 pounds) because it is so labor-intensive to harvest.

Come October, the crocus plants begin to bloom, covering the fields with bright purple flowers from which strands of fragrant red saffron are picked by hand, to be used in foods such as paella, and in fragrances and cloth dyes.

"I am proud to cultivate this crop," said Nisar Ahmad Malik, as he gathered flowers from his ancestral field.

But, while Malik has stuck to traditional farming, citing the "rich color, fragrance and aroma" of his produce through the years, some agrarian experts have been experimenting with indoor cultivation of the crop as global warming fears increase.

About 90% of India's saffron is produced in Kashmir, of which a majority is grown in Pampore, but the small town is under threat of rapid urbanization, according to the Indian Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR).

Experts say rising temperatures and erratic rainfall pose a risk to saffron production, which has dropped from 8 metric tons in the financial year 2010-11 to 2.6 metric tons in 2023-24, the federal government told parliament in February, adding that efforts were being made to boost production.

One such program is a project to help grow the plant indoors in a controlled environment in tubes containing moisture and vital nutrients, which Dr. Bashir Ilahi at state-run Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences said has shown good results.

"Growing saffron in a controlled environment demonstrates temperature resistance and significantly reduces the risk of crop failure," said Ilahi, standing in his laboratory between stacks of crates containing tubes of the purple flower.

Ilahi and other local experts have been helping farmers with demonstrations on how to grow the crocus plant indoors.

"It is an amazing innovation," said Abdul Majeed, president of Kashmir's Saffron Growers Association, some of whose members, including Majeed, have been cultivating the crop indoors for a few years.

Manzoor Ahmad Mir, a saffron grower, urged more state support.

"The government should promote indoor saffron cultivation on a much larger scale as climate change is affecting the entire world, and Kashmir is no exception," Mir said.