This year’s event will offer visitors a wide range of entertainment options across 15 zones
Updated 19 October 2022
Arab News
JEDDAH: The third Riyadh Season will kick off on Oct. 21 with more than 8,500 activities, under the slogan “Beyond Imagination.”
This year’s event will offer visitors a wide range of entertainment options across 15 zones, each characterized by a variety of activities and events, including stores, cafes, restaurants, games, theaters, and a number of new global experiences.
The zones include: Boulevard World, Boulevard Riyadh City, Winter Wonderland, Al-Murabaa, Sky Riyadh, Via Riyadh, Riyadh Zoo, Little Riyadh, The Groves, Imagination Park, Al-Suwaidi Park, Souq Al-Zel, Qariat Zaman, Fan Festival and Riyadh Front.
The Groves zone will allow visitors to experience living in the North Pole through the ice lounge, which is the first of its kind in the Kingdom and transports people to low temperatures of up to -18 C.
Qariat Zaman will offer visitors an archaeological window into a historical era through its sections: Oldies Theater, Marbles Valley, Backyard Stadium, Meznah’s House, Saudia Channel One, Al-Meydan, and Bazaar.
The area gives visitors a tour of the past and its long-standing customs.
In addition, there are numerous old-style stores, cafes, and restaurants where visitors may learn about historical lifestyles in an exciting setting.
More than 1,300 animals from 190 species will be housed at the Riyadh Zoo zone. Visitors will enjoy watching them and taking pictures, and can also take part in other engaging activities like feeding them and watching entertaining performances.
The Little Riyadh zone, located in the Diplomatic Quarter, features many entertainment events, such as live musical shows, a farmers' market for local products and various workshops. The zone will also include yoga and aerobics sessions.
Grant was joined on the visit by James Sindle, US consul-general in Dhahran
“The food has been great, super tasty, great flavors, but also, there’s some similarities here and there, so it always felt welcoming and inviting,” Grant told Arab News
Updated 9 sec ago
Jasmine Bager
ALKHOBAR: Celebrated American chef Jerome Grant ventured to Dhahran on Thursday to teach Saudi culinary students about a dish close to his heart. As a culinary diplomat, Grant visited ZADK Culinary Academy to break bread, learn about Saudi cuisine, and provide a bit of his homeland on a plate.
Grant was joined on the visit by James Sindle, US consul-general in Dhahran.
“It’s my first visit to Saudi. The food has been great, super tasty, great flavors, but also, there’s some similarities here and there, so it always felt welcoming and inviting,” Grant told Arab News.
“I think food is a great tool that connects us as people and human beings. We could all be all different walks of life, different cultures, different religions, but the connection at our dinner table in our food, I believe, is what helps with a lot of the communication.”
Before owning his current BBQ joint, Grant led the revolution in museum dining, landing him three James Beard nominations. Grant uses recipes that highlight the richness of his multi-cultural heritage — he is half Filipino, half Jamaican, and resides in the US — and each part of his story is steeped in playful flavor. In 2019, he was named one of the “16 Black chefs changing food in America” by the New York Times and was nominated that same year for Best Chef Mid-Atlantic and Best American Cookbook. In 2017, his restaurant was on the James Beard Foundation’s list of Best New Restaurants.
Sindle was elated to swap his suit jacket and tie for a ZADK apron and was immediately put on tomato-peeling duty.
“It was absolutely lovely. It was nice to see the exchange between a US food diplomat and the students learning the culinary arts and having an opportunity to share a little bit about American culinary tradition. It’s not just about hamburgers and hotdogs,” Sindle said with a laugh.
The students at ZADK were curious, attentive, passionate and overjoyed at cooking with Grant. At the end of the cooking demonstration, each took a spoon and scraped a bite. Some students compared the creamy grits to the popular milky Hijazi dish, saleeg. Grant stood around answering questions and taking selfies with the budding chefs.
“As a graduate ... from ZADK, I had the opportunity to explore the chef life and explore the back of the house and now I’m exploring the opportunity to be in front of the house,” Saudi chef Esmaeel Bukhamseen told Arab News.
“It was honestly an amazing thing. The students had good questions. I’m very proud of them. They’re asking the right questions to the chef. The chef himself was impressed with their knowledge and was learning a lot of things from the students and the students were learning from him. I honestly encourage that we have such visits more often,” he continued.
“(It was) just a great honor for me to sit with such personalities and to showcase what it is being a Saudi chef.”
Bukhamseen is the epitome of the ZADK success story. First enrolled as a student, then hired to work with the team overseeing the new batch of students, he has seen both sides of the culinary experience and empathizes with the mission that Rania Moualla, founder of ZADK, has been amplifying.
Moualla, who was present during the visit, walked the US envoy through her journey. As the founder of the first non-profit culinary academy to offer a Saudi-centric curriculum, ZADK — whose name derives from the Arabic word “zad,” which alludes to Arab generosity and food for travel — combines a revolutionary concept with a humble mission. In just five years, it has established itself as an important part of the culinary sector in the region.
ZADK’s mission was to be situated strategically at their flagship location, further turning the Eastern Province into a culinary and cultural hub. About 50 percent of the academy’s students are from the area and the rest come from other parts of the Kingdom. Everyone at ZADK is actively exploring Saudi cuisine — merging medleys of traditional Saudi flavors from their families and adding their own innovative twists — to help feed the community and the world at large.
“Our best memories always are about the food,” Moualla told Arab News. “When we’re sharing a meal with somebody we love, actually it’s building memories, and we are what we are now because of those memories.”
Saudi students win 9 special awards at ISEF 2024 in US
Saudi team also hopeful to win grand prizes tonight
The Saudi Science and Engineering team now holds 50 prizes
Updated 18 min 7 sec ago
Arab News
RIYADH: For the 18th year in a row, students from Saudi Arabia participating in the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair have won nine special awards.
The fair, being held in Los Angeles in the US, was sponsored by the King Abdulaziz and His Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity, or Mawhiba, and the Ministry of Education.
The special awards were won by Jamal Mohammed Al-Luqmani in materials science, Elias Maho Khan in biomedicine and health sciences, Layan Al-Qarafi in software systems, Areej bint Abdullah Al-Qarni, won two special awards in the field of materials science, Fatima Al-Shakhs in environmental engineering, Lana Al-Mazrouei in cellular and molecular biology, Abeer Al-Yousef in chemistry, and Saleh Al-Anqari in chemistry.
Mawhiba’s Secretary-General Dr. Amal bint Abdullah Al-Hazzaa said that this victory reflects the combined efforts and complementary relationship between Mawhiba, the Ministry of Education, and their strategic partners in achieving the goals and initiatives of the Saudi Vision 2030.
She praised the results and fruits of this partnership, highlighting the numerous achievements at the international level and the representation of the Kingdom in a manner worthy of its global status.
The Saudi Science and Engineering team now holds 50 prizes from the special awards presented by various companies during their participation in the ISEF.
The results of the grand prizes are expected to be announced on Friday evening, when the Saudi team is hopeful to win more accolades.
Regeneron ISEF 2024, the world’s largest pre-college STEM competition, taking place from May 11-17 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
The ISEF is an annual science fair in the US. It is owned and administered by the Society for Science, a 501 non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C.
DHAKA: Saudi officers are working round the clock to offer smooth immigration to thousands of Bangladeshi Hajj pilgrims under the Kingdom’s Makkah Route initiative, authorities in Dhaka said on Friday.
Most of the pilgrims are departing from Dhaka under the flagship pre-travel program, which was launched by the Kingdom in 2019 to help pilgrims meet all the visa, customs and health requirements at their airport of origin and save them long hours of waiting before and upon arrival in Saudi Arabia.
Makkah Route preparations and facilities at the Dhaka airport were inspected this week by Saudi Deputy Interior Minister Nasser bin Abdulaziz Al-Dawood, as Saudi officers arrived in Bangladesh to facilitate the journey for pilgrims.
“The officials who arrived for the immigration process are facilitating the (journey for) pilgrims rigorously and religiously. A team of around 150 Saudi officials is offering them assistance round the clock,” Mohammed Kamruzzaman, director of Bangladesh’s Hajj Office, told Arab News.
“All our Hajj agencies and relevant stakeholders also appreciate the e-Hajj management. They are getting services beyond their expectations as immigration formalities are being completed very smoothly.”
This year, the Hajj is expected to start on June 14 and end on June 19. While the pilgrimage itself can be performed over five or six days, pilgrims often arrive early, knowing that it may be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to fulfill their religious duty.
“This year’s Makkah Route operations in Dhaka are running very smoothly. We complete the pilgrims’ Bangladeshi immigration part at the Ashkona Hajj camp near the airport, and the Saudi immigration part is being done at the airport in the shortest possible time. This arrangement amazed the pilgrims and is beyond their expectations,” Kamruzzaman said.
“It’s taking even less time for the completion of the Saudi immigration, which became possible due to introducing upgraded equipment.”
Saudi Arabia granted Bangladesh a quota of 127,000 pilgrims to perform the spiritual journey that is one of the five pillars of Islam. The Hajj flights from Dhaka began last week.
“Till Friday, 25,559 pilgrims have traveled to the Kingdom on 66 flights,” Kamruzzaman said.
“We are maintaining excellent coordination between the e-Hajj management of Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia. Due to these smooth operations, our pilgrims expressed their heartfelt gratitude to the Saudi authorities.”
Saudi writer brings massive crowds to Rabat Book Fair
His first novel was rejected by more than 20 publishing houses, so Al-Muslim printed and self-published the title at his own expense
Today, Al-Muslim has published 32 works, ranging from epic series to short stories
Updated 17 May 2024
Tareq Al-Thaqafi
MAKKAH: Saudi author Osamah Al-Muslim’s appearance at the Rabat International Book Fair in Morocco has sparked huge interest from visitors at the event, which runs until May 19.
A book signing event by Al-Muslim drew large crowds, especially among young people and teenagers. The fair’s management was later forced to shorten the signing ceremony to alleviate overcrowding.
The 47-year-old writer, born in Al-Ahsa, spent his childhood in the US before returning to the Kingdom to complete his studies. He graduated from the Department of English Literature at King Faisal University.
“The Rabat International Book Fair is one of the most prestigious exhibitions, and I was pleased to visit it for the first time to meet my dear readers who came from all parts and cities of Morocco,” Al-Muslim told Arab News.
“The attendance was remarkable, but unfortunately, I was not able to meet most of them, which saddened me. However, there is now an intention, with the kind invitation of Moroccan Minister of Youth, Culture and Communication Mohamed Mehdi Bensaid, to hold a series of signing events in many major Moroccan cities to meet as many readers as possible,” he added.
Al-Muslim spoke about his origins as a writer, expressing how difficult it was to get a start in the industry. His first novel was rejected by more than 20 publishing houses, so Al-Muslim printed and self-published the title at his own expense.
“I marketed it myself through a small online store run by a young Saudi. The funny thing is that after the success of the first edition, all the publishing houses that had rejected the novel contacted me to collaborate with them,” he said.
Today, Al-Muslim has published 32 works, ranging from epic series to short stories. More than 15 editions have been translated into English, with work underway to translate the rest of Al-Muslim’s books.
“The first part of ‘Arabistan Orchards’ has been translated into Chinese, with more than 50,000 copies printed, and efforts are ongoing to translate the remaining parts,” he said.
“As for my cultural vision, I believe that old templates are no longer attractive to this generation. Relying on difficult and complex language, and showcasing linguistic and cognitive proficiency as a challenge to the reader is no longer appealing. Today’s readers need an interesting story, woven intelligently and in smooth language,” he added.
Al-Muslim “never paid attention to the critics” because he “knew their backgrounds, orientations and ideas.
“Had I listened to them, I would have stopped from the first day. They want everyone to adopt their views and not deviate from the methods they have set,” Al-Muslim said.
A book signing event by Al-Muslim drew large crowds, especially among young people and teenagers. (Supplied)
“The fantasy I present combines truth and imagination, relying on our Arab heritage and myths, especially those from Saudi Arabia, rather than global stories and legends that do not belong to us or resemble us. Therefore, readers become attached to this genre because it stems from their environment and is close to their thoughts, personalities and feelings.
“I present it in an easy and smooth language, but with philosophical and cognitive depth. This style is known as simple, yet it is enjoyed and understood by both young and old, and by all segments of society,” he added.
By breaking old, outdated literary molds, Al-Muslim hopes to keep up with the ideas, problems, wishes and aspirations of a new generation, saying he has “become close to them” and “understands them greatly.”
He added: “There is no doubt that the originality in my writing and my lack of imitation offers something new and unfamiliar, which has sparked excitement, enthusiasm, attachment and a desire to seek out new things among my readers.”
The author discussed plans for screen adaptation: “Yes, God willing, MBC Group has acquired the rights to almost all of my publications to turn them into dramatic series and films.
“Approximately 80 percent of the first part of the ‘Arabistan Orchards’ series has already been completed, with production costs considered the highest in Arab fantasy, exceeding $30 million.
“The beginning of work on the ‘Fear’ trilogy, the most famous book in my publications, has also been announced. Additionally, we are working on producing a movie based on one of my short novels, which the group will announce later.”
KSrelief provides 500 mobile homes for Syrian refugees in Jordan
KSrelief’s sanitation project has provided 12.2 million liters of water for residents in Saada, Hajjah and Hodeidah
Updated 17 May 2024
Arab News
RIYADH: The Kingdom’s aid agency KSrelief has provided 500 new mobile homes for Syrian refugees in Zaatari camp in Jordan, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Friday.
The homes are for the most vulnerable families, including new arrivals and newlyweds.
Meanwhile, in Yemen, the aid agency’s sanitation project has provided over the past week 12.2 million liters of water for residents in Saada, Hajjah and Hodeidah.
Over 40,000 people in Yemen are benefitting from this initiative.
These projects are a part of the Kingdom’s humanitarian and aid efforts to assist people in need across the world.
