SCTA President Prince Sultan bin Salman honors Riyadh Gov. Prince Turki bin Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz at the forum.

Riyadh Gov. Prince Turki bin Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz opened a forum on King Abdullah project for preserving Saudi Arabia’s cultural heritage at King Saud University (KSU) here on Sunday evening. The forum was organized to highlight the Kingdom’s historical and cultural importance, confirm its significance in the course of human civilization and its eminence as a crossroads of civilizations through the ages.

The forum targeting college students was held on the recommendation of the advisory committee for antiquities and museums to take the cultural heritage of the Kingdom to universities across the country.

The opening ceremony of the two-day forum, jointly organized by the KSU and the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities, was attended by SCTA President Prince Sultan bin Salman.

In his inaugural address, Prince Turki said the forum aims to introduce the positive outcomes of the King Abdullah project and is expected to contribute significantly to the preservation and development of national heritage.

He underlined that the scientific partnership between the SCTA and KSU to host the forum embodies the extent of cooperation between the state’s sectors and host city Riyadh, which along with its governorates are rich in archaeological and heritage sites.

Prince Sultan thanked Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah for approving the forum to highlight the Kingdom’s historical and cultural importance. The SCTA chief described the approval as important and one “which will make a quantum leap in the programs and projects of the national heritage.”

An SCTA official said the forum will go a long way in highlighting the positive outcomes of the King Abdullah project for cultural heritage, which is expected to contribute significantly to the preservation and development of national heritage and its development through domestic tourism, create jobs for citizens and attract investments in the urban heritage sites.

The forum raised general awareness about the importance of the national heritage and encouraged the participation of local universities, targeting college students to carry the message forward.

“The project will promote citizens’ sense of belonging to the nation’s cultural heritage,” the official said.

On the forum’s concluding day on Monday, a workshop was held to highlight aspects of the national cultural heritage with the participation of a number of officials from the organizing partners, the KSU and SCTA.

A photo gallery on the cultural heritage was also organized with photos of important heritage and archaeological sites in the Kingdom and depicting SCTA’s projects on urban heritage and handicrafts.

Prince Sultan earlier honored Prince Turki and acting Minister of Culture and Information Bandar Hajjar. KSU rector Badran bin Abdulrahman Al-Omar attended the inaugural session.

 
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