Minzal returns to celebrate heritage of historic Diriyah

1 / 4
The program offers an experience inspired by traditional life and authentic Saudi hospitality. (SPA)
2 / 4
The program offers an experience inspired by traditional life and authentic Saudi hospitality. (SPA)
3 / 4
The program offers an experience inspired by traditional life and authentic Saudi hospitality. (SPA)
4 / 4
The program offers an experience inspired by traditional life and authentic Saudi hospitality. (SPA)
Short Url
Updated 03 January 2026
Follow

Minzal returns to celebrate heritage of historic Diriyah

RIYADH: The Minzal program, part of this year’s Diriyah Season, celebrates the rich natural and cultural heritage of historic Diriyah, where history meets nature.

Overlooking Wadi Safar, the largest tributary of Wadi Hanifah, the program offers an experience inspired by traditional life and authentic Saudi hospitality.

Open daily from 5 p.m. until midnight, Minzal showcases Diriyah’s traditions through heritage storytelling, scenic views, poetry and traditional cuisine, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Saturday.

Running until Feb. 14, the event features horseback riding, falconry, archery, astronomy, and a selection of international restaurants, cafes and retail outlets.

Spread across four main zones highlighting Diriyah’s historical and cultural significance, visitors can enjoy the “Al-Uloom” experience for leather-working, carpet-weaving and wood-working, and the “Sloom” experience for Saudi coffee, desert plants, fire-lighting, camel-milking and tent-making.

The “Faris Al-Badiyah” experience offers horse-riding and archery, while the “Falconry” experience teaches the art of hunting with Arabian falcons.

The “Al-Mushrif” zone provides stargazing under Diriyah’s clear skies, creating a serene atmosphere amid the natural surroundings.

Diriyah Season serves as a global destination for history enthusiasts, offering journeys through heritage sites that once formed the political and cultural center of the region, the SPA reported.

The program combines Najdi authenticity with innovative designs and international standards, reflecting the values and vision of historic Diriyah alongside the Kingdom’s modern development.


Leading AI company to partner with Saudi Arabia, CEO tells Arab News

Updated 8 sec ago
Follow

Leading AI company to partner with Saudi Arabia, CEO tells Arab News

  • Argentum’s Andrew Sobko: ‘Very easy’ to build new infrastructure, data centers in Kingdom
  • In 2024, Saudi Arabia announced $100bn plan to establish AI hub

CHICAGO: The founder and CEO of Argentum AI, one of the world’s leading artificial intelligence companies, has told Arab News that he is looking forward to partnering with Saudi Arabia.

Ukrainian-born Andrew Sobko, based in Chicago, said Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has made a significant commitment to AI use.

In 2024, Saudi Arabia announced a $100 billion plan under Vision 2030 to build a hub to develop technology and data centers to handle a significant portion of the world’s AI workload.

The Kingdom reportedly expects AI to contribute more than $135.2 billion to its gross domestic product by 2030, representing roughly 12.4 percent of its economy.

“The US still is the kind of core leader of this AI innovation, development and infrastructure, but we quickly realized that Saudi Arabia sees this as an important asset class, not just as an innovation,” Sobko said.

“They’re deploying tons of capital. If you try to build some new infrastructure or data center, it’s very easy to do it in Saudi Arabia,” he added. “Saudi Arabia realizes and sees this compute as almost like a second asset class after oil.”

The term “compute” refers to the process of calculations that fuels AI development and applications in everyday use.

“The Middle East wants to be one of the largest exporters of compute. They realized that a couple of years ago and they’re aggressively expanding,” Sobko said, adding that AI is being used more and more in industries such as sports, in which Saudi Arabia has invested heavily.

Argentum AI recently added Majed Al-Sorour, CEO of the Saudi Golf Federation, to its board.

“Majed is also a huge believer in AI and AI infrastructure,” said Sobko. “With the help of Majed, we’re focusing on global expansion. He’s leading charge on that.”

Sobko said the challenge is not simply recognizing the importance of AI, but the ability to power data centers that it requires, and Saudi Arabia recognizes that need.

“If you secure a significant amount of power and you have data center capacity, you can actually control this kind of compute and AI,” he added.

“And the biggest bottleneck to continue expanding as we enter into this new age of robotics industry, it needs a lot more compute.”

Following meetings with US leadership, including President Donald Trump last November, Saudi Arabia secured agreements on AI technology transfers, aiming to avoid reliance on other nations’ systems.