Latest news with #Najd
Arab News
3 days ago
- General
- Arab News
Najdi doors reflect Kingdom's craft legacy
Riyadh: The year 2025 has been designated the 'Year of Handicrafts' in the Kingdom to reinforce traditional arts and crafts as authentic cultural heritage. The initiative aims to promote the practice, preservation, documentation and integration of handicrafts into modern life, celebrating a cultural legacy central to national identity, a Saudi Press Agency report said. It seeks to support artisans, enhance their skills and prevent traditional crafts from disappearing. It emphasizes manual crafts made using simple tools, without modern technology. Prominent crafts include Sadu weaving, mud building, wood carving, pottery, hand embroidery, and palm frond products such as baskets and mats. Engraving on doors with Najdi motifs is another traditional art for which the Najd region is renowned, the SPA reported. Artisan Ali Al-Jasser, known for Najdi door engraving, shared his journey from basic wooden installations to intricate three-dimensional pieces blending tradition with contemporary art. He noted regional variations — at Najdi in the center, Al-Qatt Al-Asiri in the south, Rawashin in the west, Bab Al-Bahr in the east, and Sadu in the north. Another artisan, Nouf Al-Suwailim, highlighted that Najdi door engravings were key elements of traditional Najdi architecture, reflecting its cultural and urban identity. She described the doors' elegant designs, featuring geometric and floral patterns enhanced by decorative iron nails.
Asharq Al-Awsat
4 days ago
- General
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Najdi Doors: Portals to Cultural Legacy in the 2025 Year of Handicrafts
The year 2025 has been designated the Year of Handicrafts in the Kingdom to reinforce handicrafts as authentic cultural heritage. This initiative aims to promote the practice, preservation, documentation, and integration of handicrafts into contemporary life, celebrating an ancient cultural legacy central to people's identity. The designation seeks to support artisans, enhance their skills, and prevent traditional crafts from fading. It emphasizes manual crafts that utilize simple tools, without relying on modern technologies, the Saudi Press Agency said on Sunday. Prominent crafts include Sadu weaving, mud building, wood carving, pottery, hand embroidery, and palm frond products like baskets and mats. Engraving doors with Najdi motifs is another traditional art for which the Najd region is renowned. An SPA reporter interviewed artisans skilled in Najdi door engraving. Ali Al-Jasser shared his journey from wooden installations to three-dimensional wooden pieces that blend tradition with contemporary art. He noted the regional variations in engravings: Najdi in the center, Al-Qatt Al-Asiri in the south, Rawashin in the west, Bab Al-Bahr in the east, and Sadu in the north. Nouf Al-Suwailim highlighted that Najdi door engravings are key elements of traditional architecture in the Najd region, embodying its cultural and urban identity. She described the doors' elegant designs, featuring geometric and floral motifs enhanced by decorative iron nails.
Harpers Bazaar Arabia
6 days ago
- Harpers Bazaar Arabia
Discover The Spirit of Diriyah At The Bab Samhan Mariott Hotel
With its mudbrick walls, Najdi details and cultural programming, the Luxury Collection's Bab Samhan Hotel invites guests to experience Saudi tradition from the inside out It's official. Bab Samhan has opened its doors in the heart of Diriyah. Tucked within its winding alleyways, this luxurious Marriott hotel is all set to offer travellers an immersive stay deeply rooted in Saudi tradition. Just steps from the UNESCO-listed At-Turaif district, the hotel is surrounded by centuries of history and the distinctive landscape of the Najd region. Known for its ancient mudbrick architecture and Kingdom's origins through restored palaces, mosques and cultural legacy, Diriyah offers a glimpse into the traditional structures. Bab Samhan takes its name from one of the area's most iconic gates where Imam Abdullah bin Saud once laid plans to defend the city – underscoring the hotel's connection to the region's layered past. The hotel features 134 rooms and suites, many with views over the historic surroundings. Built in the traditional Najdi Style, its design is marked by textured adobe walls, intricately carved timber ceilings and open courtyards that mirror the rhythm of old Diriyah. Inside, hospitality is warm and distinctly local. Guests are welcomed with traditional beverages and dates at Wujar, a lobby lounge inspired by classic Arabian gathering spaces. Local artwork, woven rugs and curated objects add texture and meaning to the interiors. Dining is central to the experience. Jareed reinterprets Najdi classics using seasonal local ingredients. Taleed by chef Michael Mina features Mediterranean flavours, while Medheef offers globally inspired cuisine from 2 lively open kitchen. For wellness, The Earthen Spa delivers organic treatments and guided mindfulness sessions, with dedicated fitness spaces for men and women. The hotel also houses five flexible venues and a 400-square-metre ballroom for events and celebrations. The hotel also offers guests an opportunity to connect deeply with the traditions of the Kingdom. From guided visits to the nearby UNESCO-listed At-Turaif to evenings filled with storytelling, poetry, and culinary discovery, the hotel curates experiences beyond hospitality – inviting travellers to engage with the rich heritage surrounding them. Staying here isn't just another hotel stay – its waking up in a place where the past lingers in every details, and every wall has a tale to tell.
Zawya
17-06-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Oman: Major agro logistics hub coming up in Najd area
MUSCAT - Oman Agriculture Development Company (OADC) – newly rebranded from the wholly state-owned Nakheel Oman Development Company – has announced the commencement of construction work on a major agro logistics hub at Najd in Dhofar Governorate. Formally known as the Integrated Center for the Collection, Sorting, and Marketing of Agricultural Products in the Najd area of Dhofar Governorate, the 50,000-tonnes-per-annum capacity facility will serve as a one-stop aggregation centre for the Najd Agricultural Zone, the largest of its kind in the Sultanate. Construction of the new Najd agro logistics hub at Saih al Khairat is being undertaken in collaboration with the Najd Agricultural Development Office at the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources, according to OADC. 'The project seeks to strengthen collaboration with the agricultural community in Najd by enhancing the region's agricultural logistics infrastructure. This includes produce collection from local farmers, cold storage, sorting, packaging, and processing — all aimed at improving product quality, minimizing waste, and expanding market access for Najd's agricultural output, both locally and regionally,' OADC – a subsidiary of Oman Food Investment Holding Company (Nitaj) – said in a post. 'Scheduled for completion by the end of the second quarter of 2026, the project represents a strategic step forward in building a more efficient and sustainable agricultural sector,' the company further added. Covering a farming area of over 54,000 acres, the Najd zone – with its abundance of groundwater resources, nutrient-rich soil, and favourable climate and environmental conditions – is tipped to evolve into Oman's leading 'breadbasket', with the potential to reduce the country's dependency on basic food imports and move toward self-sufficiency. The zone is witnessing the largest inflow of investments across all facets of the agricultural and livestock value chain, with the government earmarking land plots for, among other activities, crop cultivation, livestock farming, fruit and vegetable production, and greenhouses, alongside processing and value-added industries. According to the Ministry, the value of agricultural and farm assets in Najd totaled around RO 190 million at the end of 2024, with assets worth a further RO 50.5 million under development. Revenues from agriculture and farm output amounted to approximately RO 66 million during the 2023/2024 season, with the livestock sector contributing about RO 40 million. Agricultural production has also grown significantly: date production surged to 1,880 tonnes in 2024, up from 502 tonnes in 2022; wheat output soared by 600 per cent to 10,510 tonnes, up from 1,500 tonnes in 2022. Recognising the zone's potential to contribute to food security and economic diversification, a new Agricultural City is currently in the master-planning phase. The masterplan envisions investments in agri-processing industries, agricultural education, and even agri-tourism. It also aims to build capacity within Oman's agriculture sector through the use of cutting-edge technologies such as vertical farming, hydroponics, and aquaponics, supported by AI-driven solutions. The masterplan further prioritises sustainable water management and the integration of land dedicated to various agriculture-based activities such as post-harvest processing, education, and rural tourism. Significantly, the Najd complex is the latest in a series of agro logistics hubs either operational or under development across the country. The largest by far is the Khazaen Central Fruits & Vegetables Market (Silal), serving as a national node for fresh produce logistics covering Muscat, and North and South Al Batinah. Another hub, albeit smaller, is currently in operation in Nizwa.
Arab News
23-05-2025
- General
- Arab News
‘An architecture of connection' — inside the Saudi pavilion at Venice
VENICE: 'The embroidery that you see is what remains of the vernacular fabric in central Riyadh,' says Sara Alissa, one half of Syn Architects, a small, research-focused practice founded by Alissa and Nojoud Alsudairi in 2019. 'What's interesting is, when people enter and they understand what is embroidered, they are either taken aback by how much remains, or how little.' For the latest updates, follow us on Instagram @ Alissa is sitting on a long sculptural table occupying the central axis of the National Pavilion of Saudi Arabia. It's the second day of previews at the Venice Architecture Biennale, and all eyes are on 'The Um Slaim School: An Architecture of Connection.' Running until Nov. 23 and commissioned by the Ministry of Culture's Architecture and Design Commission, the exhibition is a moment of truth for Alissa and Alsudairi, who have dedicated their careers to ecologically sensitive architectural design. Conceived as a living archive and a hub for communal gathering, the pavilion showcases the work of the Um Slaim Collective — a research, exhibition, and workshop space founded by Syn Architects in 2021. Dedicated to studying the displacement of Najdi architecture in central Riyadh, the collective — or lab — is a physical manifestation of the practice's research, drawing on local architectural theories, creative practices, and environmental histories to examine the impact of rapid urban expansion on central Riyadh. It is, says Alsudairi, who could not make it to Venice, a grassroots attempt to collect history, data, and research in order to rethink both urban spaces and neighborhood communities. In essence, the pavilion is an evolution of the duo's work and acts as a launchpad for The Um Slaim School — a propositional pedagogical platform that builds on the work of both Syn Architects and the Um Slaim Collective. As such, it is a re-evaluation of the role of architects within a city like Riyadh and introduces a new model for architectural education in Saudi Arabia, one that merges historical insight with contemporary practice to create shared spaces for learning, making, and cultural exchange. 'It's a more refined lab than we have in Riyadh,' says Alissa of the pavilion, which has been curated by Beatrice Leanza with assistance from the Saudi interdisciplinary artist and curator Sara Almutlaq. 'We don't know what's going to happen, but we wanted to put forth something in Venice that we could benefit from after and not something that gets discarded right after the exhibition closes. We also wanted to create an experience and a feeling that people can leave with.' Alissa is sitting in a 'building within a building.' Located in the Arsenale — one of the biennale's two main venues — the pavilion's exhibition features four rows of scaffolding wrapped in layered textiles. These textiles, embroidered with maps featuring the nine districts of central Riyadh and various drawings, are interspersed with film, writing, and photography, all of which explore the stories and relationships woven into the architectural fabric of Riyadh. The exhibition includes an immersive sound installation created by Mohammed Alhamdan, which layers urban recordings of Riyadh, the city's construction, and traditional builders' chants. Alhamdan's installation is one of three new commissions integrated into the exhibition. Set into one of the scaffolding walls is Saudi artist Maha Malluh's 'Tamwenat Addirah,' which explores the identity of the Um Slaim neighborhood through collected market items. Elsewhere, the photography of Laurian Ghinițoiu documents the ritualized rhythms of daily life. Alongside these, the photography of Mansour Alsofi captures modernist and postmodernist buildings in the city, while historical photographs and archival books chart its urban and architectural development. All of the artists and photographers have previously collaborated with Syn Architects. Ephemeral in nature, the space highlights some of the projects and interventions carried out by Syn Architects over the past five years, including the Shamalat Cultural Centre, an old mud building on the edge of Diriyah, which was converted into a cultural hub by Malluh and renovated by the architects in 2022. For their reimagining of the traditional mud house through restoration and addition, Alissa and Alsudairi were recently awarded the Moira Gemmill Prize for Emerging Architecture. 'When Nojoud and I started our practice, we felt a responsibility,' says Alissa. 'We're young Saudi architects working in the city and we wanted to create, or help create, this contemporary architectural language within the country. We felt the need to really explore our historical built fabric, but also the values embedded within it. We are advocating for restoration in a physical sense, but also in an intangible sense, where we restore the successful values associated with Najdi architecture.' The duo's work inhabits the metaphorical space between the building and the scaffold, says Alsudairi, and seeks to challenge both neglect and over-romanticization — reviving vernacular structures not as relics or ruins, but as functional, living elements within the urban fabric. It also examines the ways in which cultural preservation and contemporary design can coexist. In doing so, their goal is to restore knowledge, to preserve, and ultimately to share what they have learned. 'We didn't want to depart from the core work we've been doing with the Um Slaim Collective, so we chose to build on that,' explains Alsudairi. 'We saw it as a valuable opportunity to expand the collective's knowledge-sharing focus and move toward something more permanent. Right now, the school is a propositional project, but imagine the value of creating a school that is truly site-specific, in the sense that it doesn't import knowledge, but grows from its own context.' It has been an overwhelming few months for the young studio, which has been catapulted into the spotlight since the announcement of the Saudi pavilion in early February. 'Before we came to Venice, I was telling my daughter I'd be away for the biennale,' says Alissa. 'She's seven, she's aware, and she kind of understands what we're doing. And she was saying, 'Oh, I hope you win in Venice.' I'm like, 'It's not about winning.' And then she sends me a message, saying, 'I don't care if you win. I'm just happy that you're doing what you're doing.' It was so sweet. 'Sometimes we feel very overwhelmed and unsure if we even want to continue because of how difficult things are. But then we have these moments — whether from our children, from people around us, or from each other. I think it's something we rarely say out loud, but having a partner to go through it all with is really key.' Running alongside the exhibition is a complementary program of laboratorial and public sessions led by Leanza and supported by the Bahraini architect, researcher, and photographer Maryam AlNoaimi. It includes lectures, workshops, performances, screenings, readings, and walks that seek to foster dialogue on how architecture influences education and community-based practice. 'I would be lying if I said we have an exact plan of where we're going, because we didn't have this in our plan,' says Alissa. 'We definitely had an aspiration to do the Biennale, but never for this kind of duration. As long as we keep learning along the way, I think the objective is to plant the seed with this propositional school and see where it takes us.'
