ALKHOBAR: A historic neighborhood has turned its aging streets and houses into a living art exhibition with the help of graffiti artists from around Saudi Arabia.
The “Alfan Sharqy” (“Art is Eastern”) exhibit in Bayoonya opened on Monday and is believed to be the first street graffiti project in the Kingdom.
Saudi artist Madawi Albaz, founder of the Dawi gallery, organized the exhibition under the sponsorship of Princess Abeer bint Faisal Al-Saud.
Albaz said she “had a dream of spreading beautiful art around the Kingdom, starting with Alkhobar, and thank God the dream has come true.”
More than 20 Saudi graffiti artists worked for 10 days to complete the project, painting six houses and transforming an entire neighborhood on Alkhobar’s southern side.
Albaz said: “I wanted to give Saudi artists the opportunity to show their talents, and decorate the neglected houses. This is a different experience, with a big challenge that included a large population and old streets.
“The initiative goes hand in hand with Vision 2030, offering talented youth the chance to spread art and beauty.”
Planning for the project took six months, she said. The exhibition was approved by the Alkhobar municipality.
The exhibition had been welcomed by neighborhood residents. “People are coming from everywhere to see it. Everyone is happy,” she said. “There is a lot of excitement, and other neighborhoods have expressed interest in similar projects.
“This is just the start,” Albaz said. “We plan to go to different cities and neighborhoods with new visions and big ambitions.”
CLICK HERE TO VIEW OUR PHOTO GALLERY
Streets come to life in Saudi Arabia’s first graffiti project
Streets come to life in Saudi Arabia’s first graffiti project
Musaned confirms mandatory salary transfers for domestic workers via official channels
- Move aims to protect wage-related rights, enhance transparency
RIYADH: All employers in Saudi Arabia have been informed they must transfer domestic workers’ salaries through official channels, starting from Jan. 1, 2026.
The move, confirmed through Musaned platform’s X account, aims to protect wage-related rights, enhance transparency and simplify employer-worker relationships.
The electronic payment service provided through Musaned will use approved digital wallets and participating banks to ensure reliability, security and consistency in wage transfers.
Lawyer Majed Garoub told Arab News that the new regulation would help tackle persistent issues in employer-worker relationships, especially disputes over unpaid wages.
He said: “This regulation will significantly help resolve many problems that arise when domestic workers leave the country without proper verification of receiving their full rights.”
Garoub explained that informal salary payments were common in the past, often made without proper documentation or signatures.
This, he added, made it challenging for Saudi employers to prove they had paid all wages if workers later filed claims after returning to their home countries.
The new regulation, which has been rolled out in stages, began with domestic workers newly arriving in the Kingdom on July 1, 2024.
It was then extended to employers with four or more domestic workers in January 2025, followed by those employing three or more by July 2025.
The latest stage, which took effect on Oct. 1, applies to employers with two or more domestic workers. This phased approach has ensured a smooth adoption of the system for all employers.
Garoub said the regulation would bring broader legal and security benefits. He explained that informal salary payments had, at times, enabled illegal practices.
He added: “Workers might have falsely claimed unpaid wages or engaged in activities outside their employment.”
Such funds, he added, could even have contributed to crimes like money laundering or the financing of terrorism.
He said: “By mandating official payment channels, this regulation protects the Saudi economy, national security, and international financial systems.”
The Musaned platform offers significant advantages for both employers and workers. Employers gain a reliable salary verification mechanism that simplifies end-of-contract and travel-related procedures, while workers benefit from consistent, secure and timely payments.
The system also allows domestic workers to transfer their earnings to family members abroad through trusted channels.
For those who prefer cash withdrawals, a Mada card will be issued for secure and convenient access to salaries.
According to Musaned, salary transfers for workers covered under the Wage Protection System must be made through authorized channels.
This regulatory change marks a significant step forward in protecting the rights of domestic workers, ensuring transparency in employer-employee relationships, and bolstering the Kingdom’s economic and security interests.
