Saudi Gazette report

JEDDAH — After 40 years of neglect, Jeddah Dome, the first art gallery built in the Red Sea coastal city, is set for a revamp.

Minister of Culture Prince Badr Bin Abdullah Bin Farhan said Jeddah Dome, which was built in the 1970s, would be renovated in collaboration with the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs.

"The dome will resume its old role of a bastion playing host to the works of painters and various other cultural events," he said.

The minister on Tuesday visited the dome, which is located in the Sharafiyyah district at the intersection of Palestine Road with King Fahd Road.

The minister's visit was considered a signal to revive the dome, which was the first galleria in Saudi Arabia where painters would hold their exhibitions to showcase their works to the public.

The ministry has decided to include visual arts and archeological and cultural sites among 16 sectors on which it would focus its attention.

The ministry has been making efforts to preserve and take good care of archeological sites and historic buildings all over the Kingdom for their heritage value.