Andrea Bocelli serenades audience for second time in AlUla

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Bocelli and his family visited several museums, as well as archaeological and historical sites.
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The opera singer serenaded a delighted audience that came from across the Kingdom and neighboring countries.
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Updated 04 February 2020
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Andrea Bocelli serenades audience for second time in AlUla

  • Bocelli performed many of the songs that helped to make him an international star,

ALULA: Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli returned to Saudi Arabia at the weekend to perform at Maraya Concert Hall as part the Winter At Tantora Festival in AlUla. His first concert in the country was at the same venue during last year’s festival.

The opera singer serenaded a delighted audience that came from across the Kingdom and neighboring countries. He performed many of the songs that helped to make him an international star, including “Overture,” “La Donna è Mobile,” “Di Quella Pira,” and “Donna Non Vidi Mai.”

During his visit, Bocelli and his family visited several museums, as well as archaeological and historical sites.

The visually striking, mirror-walled Maraya Concert Hall is the largest theater of its kind in the world. The modern architectural masterpiece can seat five-hundred guests and is fitted with a state-of-the-art sound system.

Organized by the Royal Commission for AlUla, the Winter At Tantora festival features a wide range of cultural and artistic events inspired by areas heritage, which dates back thousands of years. In addition, there are a number of other activities and attractions, including markets, a winter garden, farms and the historic old town.

The festival continues each weekend until Mar. 7. It offers the final chance to visit AlUla’s heritage sites before they are closed to the public until October.

The rebirth of AlUla
Hegra, ancient city of the Nabataeans in Saudi Arabia’s historic AlUla Valley, is emerging from the mists of time to take its rightful place as one of the wonders of the world

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Saudi scientific organization celebrates 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry laureate Omar Yaghi

Updated 30 January 2026
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Saudi scientific organization celebrates 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry laureate Omar Yaghi

  • King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology honors him with a reception at its headquarters in Riyadh
  • Yaghi, the first Saudi recipient of a Nobel Prize, shared the Nobel Prize with 2 other scientists for their pioneering work in molecular chemistry

LONDON: King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology in Riyadh honored Omar Yaghi, the Saudi scientist and recipient of the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, with a reception at its headquarters in Riyadh on Thursday.

Yaghi is the first Saudi scientist awarded a Nobel Prize. He received it in December, alongside two other scientists, for their pioneering work in the field of molecular chemistry, and for contributions to energy, the environment and advanced materials.

He is also supervisor of the Center of Excellence for Nanomaterials for Clean Energy Applications, a collaboration between KACST and the University of California, Berkeley.

Munir Eldesouki, the president of KACST, said that the Kingdom is keen to recognize its scientific talents, in keeping with Saudi Vision 2030 and its goals relating to the fostering of scientific research. 

King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology in Riyadh honored Omar Yaghi, the Saudi scientist and recipient of the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. (SPA)

Yaghi said he appreciated the support he had received from Saudi leaders during his career, and praised them for creating an enabling environment in which scientists are able to pursue world-class research, development and innovation.

Investment in national talent has created a research ecosystem that positions Saudi Arabia among the leading scientific nations, he added.

Thursday’s event, attended by the organization’s staff and students, also honored the winning teams from the recent “GenAI for Materials Discovery Hackathon,” which KACST organized in partnership with the University of California, Berkeley, and Academy 32, a nonprofit Saudi organization dedicated to research, development and innovation.

The celebration concluded with an interactive discussion session during which Yaghi talked with students and researchers, reflected on key milestones in his scientific journey, and shared insights into the factors that helped shape his career, the Saudi Press Agency reported.