Egypt to prosecute travel agents over hajj ‘fraud’: government
Cairo, Egypt - Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly ordered 16 tourism companies stripped of their licences and referred their managers to...
Restoration project for Jeddah district’s old buildings completed
JEDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA – The Ministry of Culture, represented by the Jeddah Historic District Program, has announced the completion of...
Arts & Culture
Arts & Culture
Festivals, guesthouses breathe life into Old Tunis, boost tourism
The government has this month begun bailout negotiations with the International Monetary Fund, as its tourism and import-dependent economy has been...
- Under the Hafsids, Tunis was one of the biggest cities in the Islamic world, and their legacy has remained in the form of narrow, crowded souks.
- The district also has some two dozen small souks devoted to specific artisans such as tanners, perfume sellers and shoemakers.
Arts & Culture
Troubled waters: Iraqi spa reborn after IS massacres
Located 30km south of Mosul, Hamam al-Alil , meaning the baths of the sick in Arabic, built a solid reputation...
- The spa and surrounding village, which shares the same name, is now also known for massacres committed by IS during its occupation of the area.
- After the defeat of IS in 2017, the baths remained popular although the building had fallen into disrepair, with chipped tiles and broken windows.
Arts & Culture
Reforms crucial to revive pandemic-hit culture sector
The sector also saw a decline of 25 percent of its Gross Value Added in 2020. However, while most of...
- The culture was one of the most seriously impacted sectors globally due to COVID-19 pandemic, with more than 10 million jobs lost in 2020 alone
- Revenues from the digital creative economy totalled US$2.7 billion globally in 2020, over a quarter of the sector’s overall revenue, says a report
Business
Metaverse is in the making since 90s: Expert
As a multidimensional world extending the physical realities of our current 4D world, it is rather a product of the...
- Metaverse is the product of a several waves of digitization and internet development since the 90s.
- Metaverse will create new opportunities for new services and, in fact, new activities altogether.
Arts & Culture
Women upbeat over guardian-free Hajj
This year's Hajj, the first large-scale edition since the guardian requirement was dropped in 2021, has taken on a different...
- Many of them have abandoned the black robes traditionally preferred by hajj organisers, adding a dash of colour with reds, greens, oranges and blues dotted around the crowds.
- The decision to drop the "mehrem" is part of the social reforms rolled out by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is trying to shake off the kingdom's austere image.
Arts & Culture
High up in Turkish valleys, Afghan shepherds dream of home
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan estimates that 300,000 Afghans now live in Turkey, which also hosts 3.7 million people from war-ravaged...
- President Erdogan estimates that 300,000 Afghans now live in Turkey, which also hosts 3.7 million people from Syria
- Tunceli native Mustafa Acun says the locals have grown used to Afghans taking care of their herds
Arts & Culture
In the ‘borshch war’, Kyiv defeats Moscow
UNESCO inscribes the culture of cooking borshch soup in Ukraine on its list of endangered cultural heritage amid Moscow's opposition.
- Ukraine considers borshch, a thick nourishing soup usually made with beetroot, a national dish.
- UNESCO noted that the war had "threatened the viability" of the soup culture in Ukraine.
Arts & Culture
Woody Allen says ‘thrill is gone,’ next movie may be his last
The 86-year-old director and comedian spoke for about half an hour with actor Alec Baldwin on the latter's Instagram show.
- The 86-year-old director and comedian spoke for about half an hour with actor Alec Baldwin on the latter's Instagram show
- Allen said the excitement had been in showing his films on the big screen in cinemas, while these days so many people stream their movies at home
Arts & Culture
Iran craftsmen make ‘world’s largest’ kilim
Produced by the weavers in southern Fars province, the rug measures an enormous 1,100 square feet. It was commissioned by...
- Kilims, which are flat and not knotted, have traditionally been woven by hand by nomads in Turkey, the Caucasus, Iran, Afghanistan and Turkmenistan, for use in tents.
- The export of Iran's world-renowned carpets raise between $400 million and $500 million a year.
Arts & Culture
Turkey’s banned musicians sing the blues in run-up to 2023 vote
Artists fear that the fun is being drained out of Turkey to flatter the conservative Islamic core of Erdogan's eroding...
- Artists fear that the fun is being drained out of Turkey to flatter the conservative Islamic core of Erdogan's eroding support
- The conservatives' resurgent cultural influence under Erdogan is most vividly visible on the Turkish music scene
Egypt to prosecute travel agents over hajj ‘fraud’: government
Cairo, Egypt - Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly ordered 16 tourism companies stripped of their licences and referred their managers to...
Company News
Cinematic revolution helps KSA realize cultural dreams
Arts & Culture
Saudi MMA players out to ‘prove themselves’
Arts & Culture
‘Humanitarian workers play key role in restoring hope’
Arts & Culture
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Football fever hits rebel-held northwest Syria
Arts & Culture
Cat cafe brings pawsitivity to war-scarred Gaza
Arts & Culture
RIP Stoneman Willie: US mummy to be buried after 128 years
The corpse has eerily laid in an open casket for almost his entire stay at the funeral home.
Global tributes pour in for Nobel Prize winner jailed Iranian activist
Human rights office spokeswoman Elizabeth Throssell said at a press briefing that the Nobel award for Mohammadi "highlights the courage...
Geostrategy
Dubai must possess its distinct emblem, says new decree
Dubai, UAE - Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, issued Law No....
Geostrategy
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Arts & Culture
Archaeology talks unravel past’s influence on future
Insights from the recently held archaeology summit highlight AlUla's prominence as an archaeological epicenter, helping to bridge historical gaps and...
- Insights from the recent archaeology summit highlight AlUla's prominence as an archaeological epicenter, helping to bridge historical gaps and deepen understanding
- Organized by the Royal Commission for AlUla, the event attended by over 300 delegates from 39 countries, tries to look beyond traditional archaeological boundaries
Arts & Culture
Broadway musical ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ to Debut in Riyadh
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- The iconic Broadway musical 'The Phantom of the Opera' will be performed in Riyadh from Oct...
- The musical will be performed 59 time at The Arena Riyadh. It consists of 100 cast, crew and orchestra members, and more than 230 intricately designed costumes.
- The show is part of the Royal Commission for Riyadh City's Riyadh Life sector to provide entertainment options, in line with the objectives of Vision 2030 Quality of Life program.
Arts & Culture
Saudi Arabia’s natural reserve makes it to UNESCO heritage list
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- The Uruq Bani Ma'arid Reserve in Saudi Arabia has been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage...
- Uruq Bani Ma'arid Reserve occupies an area of over 12,750 km2 and is the only major sand desert in tropical Asia.
- It provides vital natural habitats for the survival of more than 120 indigenous plant species.