RIYADH: The Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH) is working on the expansion of the National Museum to develop and restore its glamor and splendor.
SCTH President Prince Sultan bin Salman issued a decree to establish a board of trustees for the expansion and development of the National Museum in Riyadh, Majed Alshadeed, a spokesman for the SCTH told Arab News.
A committee to review the master plan for the expansion of the museum into the biggest, and most modern and advanced museum projects in the world, will be formed soon that will supervise the museum’s development program, he added.
Earlier, commenting on the expansion project the SCTH president said that the commission is working to bring in a comprehensive development for the National Museum and establish a sophisticated system of regional and specialized museums within the framework of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Program for the preservation of the Kingdom’s cultural heritage.
He pointed out that the National Museum received special attention from King Salman when he was the governor of the Riyadh region and was established as one of the most important museums in the Arab world.
It was inaugurated by the late King Fahd within the grand opening of the King Abdul Aziz Historical Center to mark the 100th anniversary of the founding of the modern Kingdom by late King Abdul Aziz.
“Therefore, the least we can do today after all these years is to restore the glamor and splendor to this important landmark as a gift to King Salman in loyalty to his initiative to establish this museum in a short period of time and with unique architectural standards,” he said.
“We are implementing the expansion and development of the museum through a high-level team in cooperation with the Arriyadh Development Authority (ADA) and in an important partnership with Riyadh Gov. Prince Faisal bin Bandar, chairman of Tourism Development Council of the region and the ADA.”
“This will be a pioneering project to recreate the exhibits of the museum. Today, we need to use technical and interactive methods to study these great civilizations, which were embraced by the Arabian Peninsula and they are now upheld majestically by Saudi Arabia,” said Prince Sultan.
He further said that the aim of the SCTH behind the expansion is to enhance its heritage to attract visitors. Moreover, the development and expansion of the National Museum aims to create an urban oasis in the heart of the city linking the past with the present, attracting quality investment opportunities that support the urban fabric of the region, and providing an integrated showroom and interaction area with sophisticated museum exhibitions, the SCTH chief added.
The development of the National Museum includes the establishment of a four-star heritage hotel, a new exhibition hall, a dining area, and a stadium and a special area for various activities.
The project’s new constructions will also be accompanied by a complete modernization of the content of the existing halls through the addition of interactive display techniques, the allocation of halls for children to simplify the rich cultural continuity of various provinces in the Kingdom and a comprehensive program for the development of human resources and management techniques.
This goal will be achieved by attracting qualified Saudi youth, male and female, and by providing them with intensive training programs in collaboration with international museums that are associated with the SCTH.
The museums that will provide training to the Saudi youth include Metropolitan Museum, New York, Smithsonian Institute and its Washington Museum Series, the Louvre Museum in Paris, the British Museum in London, and other major international museums.