Scholarship targeting global singers, including Saudis, launched by Community Jameel
The Andrea Bocelli Foundation and Saudi Arabia-based Community Jameel have partnered up to launch a new scholarship
The scholarship targets singers seeking to study at the Royal College of Music in London, including budding Saudi talents
Updated 26 November 2019
Arab News
DUBAI: The Andrea Bocelli Foundation (AFB) and Saudi Arabia-based organization Community Jameel have partnered up to launch a new scholarship targeting singers seeking to study at the Royal College of Music (RCM) in London, including budding Saudi talents.
Open to students from around the world, including Saudi Arabia, the Andrea Bocelli Foundation-Community Jameel Scholarship supports students who study full-time at the RCM and will be awarded on merit at audition and need.
The ABF supports students who study full-time at the London musical institute. It was founded by the world-famous tenor in 2011 to empower people and communities affected by poverty, illiteracy and social exclusion.
Meanwhile, Community Jameel is an organization that focuses on creativity, entrepreneurship, innovation and youth that was founded by Saudi business leader Mohammed Jameel. Last year, during Bocelli’s performance at the Winter in Tantora festival in AlUla, the singer shared on-stage how Jameel had inspired him to pursue philanthropy and launch the scholarship.
“Community Jameel is committed to supporting access to education for young Saudis, in line with Vision 2030,” Fady Jameel, the international president of Community Jameel, said to Arab News.
“Whether through this new scholarship, or Art Jameel's traditional arts programme in Jeddah, or with King Abdulaziz University joining the MIT Abdul Latif Jameel World Education Lab, we are working to ensure Saudi students and creative talents have the best opportunity to thrive.”
Echoing on his statement, RCM Director Professor Colin Lawson thanked the ABF and Community Jameel, stating that “philanthropic partnerships such as this is vital to the vision.”
In recent months, and in line with Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia has taken steps to bolster the nation’s musical creatives. Last January, Egyptian violinist Mahmoud Sorour launched a musical institute in Riyadh, with support and sponsorship from the Kingdom’s government, that focuses in providing violin classes and houses a recording studio available for artists and students alike to record their music.
At the request of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Sorour plans to train 50 Saudi violinists who will go on to perform at a new opera house in Jeddah, due to be completed by 2022.
Saudi traditional meal anchors Al-Balad’s culinary scene
Slow-cooked sheep’s head is drawing new generations and visitors to Jeddah’s historic district
Updated 14 December 2025
SALEH FAREED
JEDDAH: In the streets of Al-Balad, where centuries-old buildings frame one of Saudi Arabia’s most storied districts, culinary heritage continues to draw visitors as powerfully as architecture.
Among the area’s enduring attractions is Al-Shadwy for Sheep Head Meat, a family-run restaurant that has served one of the Kingdom’s most traditional dishes since 1958, turning a once-necessity meal into a symbol of Saudi food culture and hospitality.
Tucked into Baba Makkah, Al-Balad’s historic core, Al-Shadwy began as a modest corner table before becoming a landmark destination for locals, food enthusiasts and tourists seeking an authentic taste of the past.
Eating sheep’s head has long been rooted in Arab culinary traditions, shaped by the principle of using the entire animal and avoiding waste. (AN photo)
Now run by the third generation of the Al-Shadwy family, the restaurant remains devoted to a single specialty; sheep’s head, slow-roasted over charcoal using a recipe unchanged for decades.
Eating sheep’s head has long been rooted in Arab culinary traditions, shaped by the principle of using the entire animal and avoiding waste. In Saudi Arabia, the dish evolved into communal meal associated with generosity, warmth and social gathering.
Sixty-five-year-old owner Ghalib Naji Al-Shadwy, who inherited the restaurant from his grandfather and father, remains a familiar presence at the restaurant, overseeing the service and greeting customers.
FASTFACTS
• Al-Shadwy for Sheep Head Meat is a family-run restaurant in Al-Balad that has served one of the Kingdom’s most traditional dishes since 1958.
• It began as a modest corner table before becoming a landmark destination for locals, food enthusiasts and tourists seeking an authentic taste of the past.
He told Arab News that the dish has been central to Saudi culinary culture for generations.
“The sheep’s head has been a staple in Saudi Arabia and other GCC countries culinary culture for centuries,” he said. “Traditionally, it was a meal served during cold winter mornings to provide energy and warmth. In many regions of Saudi Arabia, the sheep head (is) always on the top of the main plate for guests, and families festive holidays gather in restaurants or at home to enjoy the sheep’s head, making it a social and festive occasion.”
In Saudi Arabia, the dish evolved into communal meal associated with generosity, warmth and social gathering. (AN photo)
Speaking about its significance in hospitality culture, he added: “Serving it to guests is considered an act of generosity and care.” Rich and filling, it is most commonly eaten as breakfast or an early morning meal.
Preparing sheep’s head is a slow, careful process. According to Al-Shadwy, the heads are cooked at low temperatures to soften the tendons and connective tissue, resulting in tender meat and deep flavor.
The preparation includes curing and slow cooking, a method that has remained largely unchanged at the restaurant for more than six decades.
Being a family-owned restaurant here for so many years makes us a part of Jeddah’s history.
Ghalib Naji Al-Shadwy, Al-Shadwy for Sheep Head Meat owner
“I’ve cooked many sheep heads a while back and I still enjoy it,” he said. “Most of the customers actually prefer the head and the brain.”
Despite its small size and somewhat tucked-away location, the restaurant’s popularity is unmistakable. Long queues form outside each morning, often guiding first-time visitors to its door. A sign reading “Al-Shadwy Mandi” in Arabic marks the entrance, while the steady crowd confirms its reputation.
Over the years, the restaurant has attracted officials, celebrities and social media figures, with photographs of notable guests lining the walls. Al-Shadwy said the steady attention reflections Al-Balad’s growing appeal as a cultural and culinary destination.
He said that interest in sheep’s head is no longer limited to older generations. Younger Saudis, he said, are increasingly curious about traditional dishes, while tourists often see it as an adventurous experience.
“For many visitors, trying sheep’s head is considered ‘extreme food’ or a challenging dish,” he said. “But it gives them a sense of adventure and a unique story to tell.”
Inside the lively restaurant one morning, longtime customer Abu Samer Al-Sulami, who has been dining there for 40 years, described it as a rare example of authentic Saudi cuisine.
“I am a regular customer here and always come early in the morning because when you eat the sheep’s head it really gives you energy for work,” he said.
Demand is highest in the early hours, particularly on Fridays. Al-Shadwy said the restaurant often sells out by mid-morning, making early visits essential.
“The number of sheep heads our restaurant sells daily varies but it reaches around 200 heads,” he added.
As he works alongside his two sons, Al-Shadwy says preserving the family legacy is as important as serving the fish.
“Being a family-owned restaurant here for so many years makes us a part of Jeddah’s history,” he said.
