Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — The Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO) has announced the selection of Diriyah as the capital of Arab culture for the year 2030. The decision in this regard was taken by the Arab Ministers of Culture at their annual meeting under ALECSO held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on Dec. 19-20.

Minister of Culture Prince Badr Bin Abdullah Bin Farhan, who is also chairman of the National Committee for Education, Science and Culture (NCESC), highlighted that choosing Diriyah as the capital of Arab culture for 2030 is a culmination of the march of the first capital Riyadh and what it produced of historical and cultural richness over centuries.

Diriyah, alongside Riyadh, has also been long recognized as a prominent historical site due to its cultural and knowledge position in the Kingdom. At present, Diriyah has been experiencing major development boom after the issuance of the royal order to establish the Diriyah Gate Development Authority (DGDA) in 2017 so as to include it within one of the mega Saudi projects. This will cement the township of Diriyah as one of the most important international tourism destinations.

To mark the occasion, many events and activities will be organized in a way that will showcase all the cultural elements Diriyah has to offer, including youth workshops, theater and cinema performances, festivals, cultural weeks, and exchange of delegations and artist groups. In addition to rehabilitating existing cultural institutions and developing their performances by nurturing creativity, encouraging creators, supporting educators and activating the cultural field.

The selection will enhance the status of two cities of high cultural and knowledge value. Connecting Diriyah to the year 2030, specifically bears great significance as it is the same year to which the comprehensive national development goals of Vision 2030 are linked.

The Tunis-based ALESCO, which is a specialized institution working under the umbrella of the Arab League, is dealing with the development and coordination of the activities related to education, culture and sciences in the Arab world. It was established in 1970 with the aim of promoting Arab intellectual unity through education, culture and sciences, and enhancing the educational, cultural and scientific level in the Arab world so that it can positively contribute to universal civilization.

ALECSO’s involvement in the selection of culture capital is attributed to its specialization in this field. Each country submits its proposal about the candidate city to ALECSO. The Permanent Committee for Culture discusses the proposal and then submit for final review and approval at the annual conference of Arab Ministers of Culture.