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Design Space AlUla Celebrates Architectural Designs

Design space AlUla celebrates architectural designs. (SPA)
Design space AlUla celebrates architectural designs. (SPA)
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Design Space AlUla Celebrates Architectural Designs

Design space AlUla celebrates architectural designs. (SPA)
Design space AlUla celebrates architectural designs. (SPA)

Design Space AlUla gallery, located in the heart of AlJadidah Arts District, has become a focal point for wide-ranging design initiatives, in line with AlUla's goal to support the Kingdom's thriving arts and culture scene, including students, design experts, and enthusiasts, SPA said on Monday.
Opened on February 15, Design Space AlUla hosts exhibitions in a contemporary building surrounding a luminous courtyard. The building, designed by the Italian studio Gio Forma, and inspired by the ancient, textured brick buildings commonly used in the surrounding buildings in AlJadidah neighborhood, is made of Corten steel (weathering steel), glass, and polished concrete.
Through a series of exhibitions and workshops overseen by Design Space AlUla's curator Eng. Sara Ghani, the gallery aims to get in touch with local and international design experts, and emerging designers, to discuss design principles and the stages of creative design. The space allows for the display of architecture, urban planning, production, and graphic design.
The gallery's opening exhibition, "Mawrid: Celebrating Inspired Design", is accompanied by a busy program of cultural and dialogue events. Mawrid, which will run until June 1, is the first exhibition among a series that will show.
The exhibition also explores the visual identity of Design Space AlUla, which was designed by Clara Sancho Studio and 29Letters design studio, and was inspired by AlUla's unique architecture.
Meanwhile, an exhibition designed by Atelier Brückner, a German architecture firm, takes the visitors on a sensorial trip through designs inspired by AlUla as well, bringing various designers' works in a captivating spatial narration.
The second edition of AlUla Design Award finalists are also participating in the exhibition.
According to Ghani: "Design Space AlUla celebrates AlUla's natural history and cultural heritage and enables a sustainable future rooted deep within the place. Our ambition is to support the design sector and provide resources for designers to explore and experiment. We aim to make this space a place that enables visitors to search, explore, and communicate with the stages of AlUla's design trip.
AlUla is creating an archive for all the creative projects, acting as a source of design inspiration and a compendium of local design initiative

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'Mimmo' the Dolphin Delights Venice Tourists, Worries Experts

A dolphin nicknamed 'Mimmo' jumps out of the water as people on a boat take pictures in the San Marco Basin, in Venice, Italy, November 8, 2025. REUTERS/Manuel Silvestri
A dolphin nicknamed 'Mimmo' jumps out of the water as people on a boat take pictures in the San Marco Basin, in Venice, Italy, November 8, 2025. REUTERS/Manuel Silvestri
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'Mimmo' the Dolphin Delights Venice Tourists, Worries Experts

A dolphin nicknamed 'Mimmo' jumps out of the water as people on a boat take pictures in the San Marco Basin, in Venice, Italy, November 8, 2025. REUTERS/Manuel Silvestri
A dolphin nicknamed 'Mimmo' jumps out of the water as people on a boat take pictures in the San Marco Basin, in Venice, Italy, November 8, 2025. REUTERS/Manuel Silvestri

A wild dolphin, nicknamed "Mimmo" by the local press, has become a regular visitor in the waters off Venice's St. Mark's Square, captivating tourists but raising concerns about its safety amid heavy marine traffic.

Dolphins are rare visitors to the UNESCO World Heritage city's lagoon, though two were spotted in March 2021 during COVID-19 restrictions that had reduced boat activity.

Mimmo, believed to have entered the lagoon in late June, has been dodging the water buses, taxis, and gondolas in the busy St. Mark's Basin area since last month, according to marine biologist Luca Mizzan, head of Venice's Natural History Museum.

Unusually, the dolphin remains near St. Mark's even when it has fed and appears unfazed by the noise of the boats and crowds, Mizzan told RAI public television.

Experts are concerned that Mimmo could get injured by a boat propeller and are monitoring its movements, but are uncertain how to encourage the dolphin to leave the area, Reuters quoted him as saying.

The approach of winter, which normally drives away fish, may make the lagoon less attractive for Mimmo and encourage it to return to the open sea, Mizzan said, adding there was no way to force it away.

"This animal seems really sure of what it wants to do... It is perfectly capable of going out to sea, but even if we were to escort it, it could come back within a couple of hours."

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Saudi Interior Ministry Issues Special Passport Stamp for Hajj Conference and Exhibition 2025

The Saudi Ministry of Interior issued a special passport stamp for the fifth edition of the Hajj Conference and Exhibition. (SPA)
The Saudi Ministry of Interior issued a special passport stamp for the fifth edition of the Hajj Conference and Exhibition. (SPA)
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Saudi Interior Ministry Issues Special Passport Stamp for Hajj Conference and Exhibition 2025

The Saudi Ministry of Interior issued a special passport stamp for the fifth edition of the Hajj Conference and Exhibition. (SPA)
The Saudi Ministry of Interior issued a special passport stamp for the fifth edition of the Hajj Conference and Exhibition. (SPA)

The Saudi Ministry of Interior, represented by the General Directorate of Passports and in cooperation with the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, has issued a special passport stamp for the fifth edition of the Hajj Conference and Exhibition, the Saudi Press Agency said on Monday.

The exhibition is held from November 10 to 12 under the patronage of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

The stamp will be available to travelers arriving in the Kingdom through King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah during the conference period.

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Typhoon Exposes Centuries-old Shipwreck Off Vietnam Port

People stand next to a centuries-old shipwreck uncovered in the aftermath of Typhoon Kalmaegi on a beach off the Hoi An coast in central Vietnam, on November 10, 2025. (Photo by Tam Xuan / AFP)
People stand next to a centuries-old shipwreck uncovered in the aftermath of Typhoon Kalmaegi on a beach off the Hoi An coast in central Vietnam, on November 10, 2025. (Photo by Tam Xuan / AFP)
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Typhoon Exposes Centuries-old Shipwreck Off Vietnam Port

People stand next to a centuries-old shipwreck uncovered in the aftermath of Typhoon Kalmaegi on a beach off the Hoi An coast in central Vietnam, on November 10, 2025. (Photo by Tam Xuan / AFP)
People stand next to a centuries-old shipwreck uncovered in the aftermath of Typhoon Kalmaegi on a beach off the Hoi An coast in central Vietnam, on November 10, 2025. (Photo by Tam Xuan / AFP)

Severe coastal erosion caused by Typhoon Kalmaegi exposed a centuries-old shipwreck in Vietnam, providing a narrow window to salvage what experts say could be a historically significant find.

Initially discovered in 2023 off the coast of Hoi An, the at least 17.4-metre (57-foot) vessel -- whose heavy wood-ribbed hull survived hundreds of years of rough seas almost perfectly intact -- was resubmerged before authorities could reclaim it.

Experts have not yet dated the wreck, but preliminary findings suggest it was built between the 14th and 16th centuries -- when UNESCO-listed Hoi An was at the center of a thriving regional trade in silk, ceramics and spices.

"We are currently preparing to apply for an emergency excavation (permit)," Pham Phu Ngoc, director of the Hoi An Center for the Preservation of World Cultural Heritage, told AFP on Monday after the wreck resurfaced following the passage of Typhoon Kalmaegi last week.

"The discovery of this ancient ship is clear evidence of Hoi An's significant historical role in regional trade," he said, adding more of the ship had been exposed this time "which could provide us with more information.”

A team of experts from the Hoi An preservation center, the University of Social Sciences and Humanities in Ho Chi Minh City and a local museum surveyed the wreck last year.

In addition to the rough age estimate, they found it had been made from "durable and high-strength timber" and reinforced with waterproofing materials to seal its joints.

"The ship's structure suggests that it was capable of long-distance voyages, likely used for maritime trade or naval operations," the Hoi An center said in an earlier statement.

The relic is at risk of "serious deterioration without immediate conservation actions" given the severe coastal erosion and the ship's frequent exposure to harsh weather conditions, it said.

The wreck was still clearly visible on Monday, with crowds gathered on the beach to view its striking skeletal frame.