Ƶ

Ƶ’s historic mosque in Al-Majma’ah restored with traditional Najdi style

The restoration expanded the mosque’s area to 705 sq. meters, increasing its capacity to 210 worshippers. (SPA)
1 / 3
The restoration expanded the mosque’s area to 705 sq. meters, increasing its capacity to 210 worshippers. (SPA)
Ƶ’s historic mosque in Al-Majma’ah restored with traditional Najdi style
2 / 3
The restoration expanded the mosque’s area to 705 sq. meters, increasing its capacity to 210 worshippers. (SPA)
Ƶ’s historic mosque in Al-Majma’ah restored with traditional Najdi style
3 / 3
The restoration expanded the mosque’s area to 705 sq. meters, increasing its capacity to 210 worshippers. (SPA)
Short Url
Updated 17 March 2025

Ƶ’s historic mosque in Al-Majma’ah restored with traditional Najdi style

Ƶ’s historic mosque in Al-Majma’ah restored with traditional Najdi style
  • The project’s stated aims include restoring historic mosques for worship, preserving their architectural authenticity, highlighting the Kingdom’s cultural heritage, and enhancing the mosques’ religious and cultural significance

RIYADH: The historic Al-Roasa Mosque in Al-Majma’ah governorate has been restored as part of the Prince Mohammed bin Salman Project for the Development of Historic Mosques, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Saturday.

The mosque, originally constructed between 1946 and 1950 in the traditional Najdi style, has been renovated using clay construction techniques and natural materials.




The restoration expanded the mosque’s area to more than 705 sq. meters, increasing its capacity to accommodate up to 210 worshippers. (SPA)

The restoration expanded the mosque’s area to more than 705 sq. meters, increasing its capacity to accommodate up to 210 worshippers.

It is one of 30 mosques across 13 regions included in phase two of the project: six mosques in Riyadh; five in Makkah; four in Madinah; three in Asir; two each in the Eastern Province, Jouf, and Jazan; and one in each of the Northern Borders, Tabuk, Baha, Najran, Hail, and Qassim.

HIGHLIGHT

Al-Roasa Mosque has not been renovated since its construction nearly 70 years ago west of Munikh Mountain. Construction began in 1946 and was completed in 1950.

Phase one was completed in 2018, and saw the restoration of 30 mosques in 10 regions.

The project balances traditional and modern construction standards, ensuring the sustainability of mosque components while preserving their heritage and historical features. Saudi companies and engineers specializing in heritage restoration are leading the development efforts, the SPA reported.

The project’s stated aims include restoring historic mosques for worship, preserving their architectural authenticity, highlighting the Kingdom’s cultural heritage, and enhancing the mosques’ religious and cultural significance.


Ƶ’s aid reaches needy families in Gaza

Ƶ’s aid reaches needy families in Gaza
Updated 8 sec ago

Ƶ’s aid reaches needy families in Gaza

Ƶ’s aid reaches needy families in Gaza

RIYADH: Saudi aid agency KSrelief continued distributing food baskets to thousands of Palestinian families in Gaza as part of its public relief campaign, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Sunday.

The Saudi Center for Culture and Heritage, KSrelief’s implementing partner in Gaza, distributed thousands of food baskets, prioritizing households headed by women and large families with more than five members to ensure aid reaches the neediest.

This initiative is part of Ƶ’s efforts to provide relief to Gaza’s residents, particularly in food security, amid the severe conditions faced by the population.

The UN recently declared that Gaza has officially entered the famine phase, with acute food shortages caused by the ongoing war and blockade.

Beneficiary families expressed deep gratitude to the Kingdom, noting that the aid serves as a lifeline, providing essential food amid harsh circumstances in the Gaza Strip.

Muslim World League Secretary-General Dr. Mohammad Al-Issa renewed the league’s urgent call for the international community to fulfill its moral and legal responsibilities and take swift action to end the famine and genocide in Gaza.

The World Assembly of Muslim Youth also voiced concern over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, worsened by famine in several areas due to the blockade and severe shortages of food and medical supplies.

The assembly stressed the urgent need for international and humanitarian action to save innocent lives, the SPA reported.

The organization commended Ƶ for its continued support of the Palestinian people, including relief airlifts, donation campaigns, and urgent medical and food assistance facilitated by KSrelief.


The Place: Tanumah governorate in southwest Ƶ

The Place: Tanumah governorate in southwest Ƶ
Updated 24 August 2025

The Place: Tanumah governorate in southwest Ƶ

The Place: Tanumah governorate in southwest Ƶ

ABHA: Located 150km north of Abha in Asir, the Tanumah governorate is a prominent geological and tourist destination known for its unique natural diversity and stunning formations.

Its sites are a key part of Ƶ's plan to diversify its national economy under Saudi Vision 2030 by attracting tourists, explorers and those interested in earth sciences.

Abdullah Al-Amri, chairman of the Saudi Society for Geosciences board and director of King Saud University's Seismic Studies Center, said the Tanumah Mountains, part of the Sarawat Mountains, were a rich natural resource.

The governorate’s geographical area extends some 25 km from north to south and 80 km from east to west.

The Tanumah Mountains hold natural treasures, including precious minerals, and have a rich historical and commercial heritage due to their location on the Yemeni Hajj route, once a major trading hub for pilgrims.


Saudi artist Bdour Al-Maliki paints with passion and pain

A portrait of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman by artist Bdour Al-Maliki. (Supplied)
A portrait of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman by artist Bdour Al-Maliki. (Supplied)
Updated 23 August 2025

Saudi artist Bdour Al-Maliki paints with passion and pain

A portrait of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman by artist Bdour Al-Maliki. (Supplied)
  • Al-Maliki spoke optimistically about the state of the Saudi art scene, noting that it is witnessing an unprecedented boom thanks to Saudi Vision 2030’s initiatives for culture and the arts

MAKKAH: Saudi visual artist Bdour Al-Maliki has emerged as a distinct voice in the local art scene, transforming her personal pain and lived experience into colorful works. 

Al-Maliki’s childhood was shaped by her artist father, who nurtured her visual awareness from an early age.

“My father being an artist had a profound impact on my early years,” she said. “I would watch him paint with passion, handling colors and tools with love. That instilled in me the understanding that painting isn’t just a hobby, it’s a form of expression and a way of life.”

Her father did not impose art on her, she stressed. Rather, his inspiring presence made her turn to it naturally, as if it were part of her identity: “Even now, I feel that every painting I work on carries a part of his artistic spirit,” she said. 

I draw inspiration from the environment, the stories, and the feelings we experience, and I try to express them in my own way. My art carries the spirit of the place to which I belong.

Bdour Al-Maliki, Saudi visual artist

Painting evolved from being a childhood companion for Al-Maliki into a lifelong pursuit.

“The first time I realized that painting wasn’t just a hobby was when I saw how my paintings touched people’s emotions,” she said. “From that moment, I knew it was my passion and the way I expressed myself.” 

Al-Maliki believes art holds a profound power to touch the soul, which in turn fuels her sense of responsibility to the work she creates. She explained that she tends toward exploring sad and painful topics, especially human stories that “shake people’s hearts.” She believes that such emotions carry an energy that deserves to be conveyed to people through art.

Al-Maliki explained that she does not follow a specific artistic school, but strives to create her own style in each painting — a style that serves the story’s emotions and conveys the feeling in its most authentic form, even if it changes from one work to the next. “Expression is more important than adherence to any one artistic school,” she said. “My Saudi identity is present in my feelings above all else. I draw inspiration from the environment, the stories, and the feelings we experienced, and I try to express them in my own way. My art carries the spirit of the place to which I belong.” 

Al-Maliki spoke optimistically about the state of the Saudi art scene, noting that it is witnessing an unprecedented boom thanks to Saudi Vision 2030’s initiatives for culture and the arts, which has provided artists with greater opportunities to fulfill their potential. When Al-Maliki was starting out — before such initiatives were in place — she felt there was a notable lack of support for artists.

But she transformed those challenges— as well as personal ones including her divorce — into fuel for her creativity, viewing every painting she completes as a victory over adversity. 

Al-Maliki is currently preparing for an international exhibition of works the she explained reflect her identity and stories.

“My next ambition is for the world to hear my voice through my art,” she said. “Art is my voice and my homeland.”

 


Abha hosts first in series of forums

The forum aimed to promote film criticism as part of a strategy to enhance the Kingdom’s cultural identity. (SPA)
The forum aimed to promote film criticism as part of a strategy to enhance the Kingdom’s cultural identity. (SPA)
Updated 23 August 2025

Abha hosts first in series of forums

The forum aimed to promote film criticism as part of a strategy to enhance the Kingdom’s cultural identity. (SPA)
  • Mishari Al-Khayat, general supervisor of the International Film Criticism Conference, said that launching the forum in Abha reflected the city’s cultural and artistic status

ABHA: The Film Commission has hosted the Film Criticism Forum in Al-Muftaha village, Abha. It marks the first in a series of such events the commission is hosting this year, concluding with the International Film Criticism Conference in Riyadh in November.

The forum aimed to promote film criticism as part of a strategy to enhance the Kingdom’s cultural identity.

Mishari Al-Khayat, general supervisor of the International Film Criticism Conference, said that launching the forum in Abha reflected the city’s cultural and artistic status.

He added that a solid national film industry was incomplete without criticism that analyzed the image behind the lens and deconstructed visual meanings.

He said the previous edition of the conference had attracted more than 10,000 visitors and 42 speakers from 30 countries, strengthening the Kingdom’s position as a leading platform for global cinematic dialogue.

 


KSrelief continues to support orphans in Syria

Each child received a cash grant of $100 for July and August, aimed at supporting orphaned children. (SPA)
Each child received a cash grant of $100 for July and August, aimed at supporting orphaned children. (SPA)
Updated 23 August 2025

KSrelief continues to support orphans in Syria

Each child received a cash grant of $100 for July and August, aimed at supporting orphaned children. (SPA)
  • This initiative is part of the humanitarian and relief efforts provided by the Kingdom to assist those in need and affected by crises around the world

RIYADH: The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center has distributed monthly sponsorships to orphans affected by the earthquake in Jindires, Aleppo governorate, Syria, as part of its orphan care and economic empowerment project in the earthquake-affected areas.

Each child received a cash grant of $100 for July and August, aimed at supporting orphaned children and meeting their basic needs, particularly in food security, healthcare and education.

This initiative is part of the humanitarian and relief efforts provided by the Kingdom to assist those in need and affected by crises around the world.