King Salman Royal Reserve Festival to promote afforestation culture
Updated 13 April 2024
Arab News
RIYADH: The King Salman bin Abdulaziz Royal Reserve Festival, organized by the Reserve Development Authority, will take place from April 14-18 at the Cultural Center in Al-Qurayyat governorate.
The festival aims to showcase tourist and recreational sites within the reserve, and encourage local community involvement in reserve activities, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
A variety of festival events will feature recreational, cultural, artistic, and awareness activities.
These include a children’s area with games and drawing areas, an afforestation and planting area to promote afforestation culture and vegetation development, an artisan’s market that celebrates Saudi heritage and traditional crafts, a wildlife area, and a performing arts theater.
The theater will present cultural shows and segments highlighting heritage, history, poetry evenings, theatrical performances, and folk arts.
The King Salman bin Abdulaziz Royal Reserve is the largest wildlife reserve in the Middle East, spanning over 130,000 square km.
It works to protect and encourage wildlife by conserving biodiversity and reintroducing endangered species back into their natural habitats.
Extending across four regions, Al-Jouf, Hail, Tabuk, and the Northern Borders, the reserve also contains UNESCO-registered archaeological sites.
Saudi minister of municipal and rural affairs and housing concludes official visit to Turkiye
Saudi and Turkish companies in the real estate development sector and exploring current and future investment opportunities
Updated 9 sec ago
Arab News
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Municipal, Rural Affairs and Housing Majid Al-Hogail concluded an official visit to Turkiye to enhance cooperation in the areas of real estate development, road infrastructure, waste management and recycling, and to create new alliances between Saudi and Turkish contractors, the state news agency SPA reported on Saturday.
During the visit, he met with the head of Turkiye’s Investment Office, Burak Daglıoglu, where they discussed cooperation opportunities and exchanged successful experiences on the two countries’ strategies for improving the real estate investment environment, developing economic zones, activating partnerships between the public and private sectors, linking Saudi and Turkish companies in the real estate development sector and exploring current and future investment opportunities.
Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Municipal, Rural Affairs and Housing Majid Al-Hogail and his delegation attend a meeting of representatives of Saudi Contractors Authority and the Turkish Contractors Association Erdal Eren, and representatives of Saudi and Turkish companies participated in the event. (SPA)
In Istanbul, Al-Hogail witnessed the launch of the Saudi-Turkish Construction Forum and the accompanying workshop, which was organized by the Saudi Contractor Authority to link contracting companies between the two countries by creating alliances in major development projects.
The Turkish Deputy Minister of Trade Mustafa Tuzcu, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Contractors Authority Zakria Al-Abdulqadir, the President of the Turkish Contractors Association Erdal Eren, and representatives of Saudi and Turkish companies participated in the event.
During the session, Al-Hogail stressed the importance of coordination and joint work between Saudi and Turkish companies in the fields of environment, roads, cleanliness, waste management and recycling “to develop and improve city services in a way that reflects positively on their residents,” the SPA statement said.
He expressed his optimism about the results and outcomes of the workshop in developing joint development work and increasing the volume of trade exchange between the two countries, “harnessing all capabilities for the renaissance and prosperity of cities,” SPA added.
Al-Hogail also witnessed round table meetings between the Saudi and Turkish sides to review the most prominent opportunities and pioneer investment projects in the real estate sector, and highlight the Kingdom’s efforts in the fields of building technologies and development in the construction sector, infrastructure projects, waste management and recycling.
During the meetings, he expressed his aspiration to deepen partnerships with the Turkish side through joint cooperation with contractors, developers and investors in Turkiye’s construction sector, and to contribute to implementing and developing suburbs and major residential projects in the Kingdom.
He said that the ministry was working through the housing program to develop real estate projects in the Kingdom with approximately 200 real estate developers from private sector companies, and qualifying many developers to enter into residential projects.
The minister last visited Turkiye in July of last year, where he sponsored the Saudi-Turkish Business Forum, which saw the signing of several cooperation agreements between Saudi and Turkish companies in the fields of real estate development, construction, engineering consultating and a number of other investment sectors.
How a Saudi couple’s passion for F1 made for a ‘spectacular’ wedding entrance
Khashogji told Arab News that the decision to hold the wedding reception at the Jeddah F1 circuit “was a mutual decision” driven by the couple’s “love for unique experiences and cars in general”
Updated 06 July 2024
Lama Alhamawi
RIYADH: Saudi newlyweds Abdulaziz Khashogji and Amirah Al-Bassam tied the knot in style as the first-ever couple to have their “zaffa,” or wedding entrance, on Jeddah’s F1 circuit.
“Both of us have unconventional ideas when it comes to our lifestyles,” the 32-year-old groom told Arab News.
“The shoot and the location were both iconic and really special; we’re both so grateful we made our night as special as our relationship,” 26-year-old bride added.
The Saudi newlyweds recently made their first entrance as husband and wife on a red 2024 Ferrari Roma Spider waving to their guests and driving across the Jeddah Corniche Circuit. (Supplied)
Last week, the newlyweds made their first entrance as husband and wife on a red 2024 Ferrari Roma Spider waving to their guests and driving across the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, famed as the fastest and longest street circuit in F1 at 6.175 km.
When approaching the planning of their reception and entrance, the couple’s vision was simple, with a slogan of “less is more.”
“I proposed the venue and Amirah thought it would be cool to just have a simple wedding dinner that was iconic. Adding the Ferrari for our entrance was the touch that made it extra special,” Khashogji said.
HIGHLIGHT
Photos and videos of the unique wedding reception has been circulating on social media, with many commenters showing interest and excitement over the extraordinary Saudi wedding entrance.
Photos and videos of the unique wedding reception circulated on social media over the weekend, with many commenters showing interest and excitement over the extraordinary Saudi wedding entrance.
When asked how the idea of the F1 wedding photo shoot came about, Al-Bassam said: “Given that the wedding reception was at the circuit, and my husband is a car and motorsport fanatic, it would have been rude not to,” she said.
“His lifelong passion is Formula 1 and his favorite manufacturer is Ferrari, so we had to do the shoot in a Ferrari at the F1 track,” she added.
A new benchmark for wedding venues has been set, and it’ll be a tough one to follow.
Zaid Khashogji, Relative
Khashogji told Arab News that the decision to hold the wedding reception at the Jeddah F1 circuit “was a mutual decision” driven by the couple’s “love for unique experiences and cars in general.”
The groom works in Saudi Motorsport and manages the circuit, hosting the F1 race along with the other events that take place at the track all year round.
“I’ve been with Saudi Motorsport since the first F1 race in 2021 as part of the hospitality team running premium hospitality. Since that day I knew I wanted to have my wedding in this venue, and when I met Amirah and fell in love with her, we both knew that it would be the perfect place for both of us,” he said.
There was some initial skepticism when the couple first told family and guests about the location they had in mind, Al-Bassam said.
“But everyone was blown away as soon as they showed up. The guests loved the venue, the idea, and everyone had an amazing time, which felt very rewarding to share our joy with everyone,” she added.
Rema Al-Yahya, a close friend of the bride, shared her experience of the unique ceremony. “I’ve never seen a wedding entrance like this before. It was really unexpected and everyone loved it. It was a truly memorable experience that perfectly captured the couple’s personality,” she said.
The groom’s brother, Zaid Khashogji said that the entrance was a “spectacle.”
He added: “For my brother it was a dream come true. Growing up, Aziz used to always say ‘Hawaii? Como? When I get married, it’ll be on an F1 track!
“Subhan Allah, he manifested it from a young age … back when the idea of having a Formula 1 track in Saudi Arabia was nothing more than wishful thinking! And it was amazing to see it happen in our hometown, no less.
“A new benchmark for wedding venues has been set, and it’ll be a tough one to follow!”
Baha farmer spices up region’s agriculture with cardamom
Al-Zahrani said: “I started cultivating cardamom about three years ago in agricultural terraces in the village using a limited quantity of seedings”
Updated 06 July 2024
Arab News
RIYADH: A farmer in Baha has found a way to cultivate the elusive cardamom, the ingredient that gives Saudi coffee, or gahwa, its signature flavor and aroma.
Driven by his love and passion for cardamom-flavored coffee, Abdullah Al-Zahrani, a farmer in Bani Hassan, northwest Baha, tried agricultural experiments that led to him growing more than 350 cardamom plants.
Abdullah Al-Zahrani’s passion and love for agriculture has inspired him to cultivate rare plants and trees, including cardamom and herbaceous plants. (SPA)
In an interview with the Saudi Press Agency, Al-Zahrani said: “I started cultivating cardamom about three years ago in agricultural terraces in the village using a limited quantity of seedings.”
He added that he had no previous experience in growing the plant. “Some believe that cardamom seedlings can only grow in specific regions and climatic conditions,” he said. “Today, I have over 350 cardamom seedlings and I will harvest the first crop within the next couple of months. This experience has been fun to me, and I am working on scaling it up to a production experience in larger commercial quantities.”
Abdullah Al-Zahrani’s passion and love for agriculture has inspired him to cultivate rare plants and trees, including cardamom and herbaceous plants. (SPA)
Al-Zahrani said that his passion and love for agriculture inspired him to cultivate rare plants and trees, including cardamom and herbaceous plants.
To cultivate the spice, he took advantage of the region’s environmental and natural elements, namely soil fertility, fresh water and moderate weather. He planted healthy cardamom seeds 3 cm deep in the ground and left a 20–30 cm distance in between each sowing. Al-Zahrani said that the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture’s branch in Baha provided agricultural guidance that helped him along the way.
FASTFACTS
• To cultivate cardamom, Abdullah Al-Zahrani took advantage of the region’s environmental and natural elements, namely soil fertility, fresh water and moderate weather.
• He planted healthy cardamom seeds 3 cm deep in the ground and left a 20–30 cm distance in between each sowing.
After planting, if carefully tended, cardamom takes about eight months to reach the harvesting stage. A cardamom tree can grow to a height of up to two meters. The tree’s mature fruit is like that found in the market in terms of size, flavor and taste.
Abdullah Al-Zahrani’s passion and love for agriculture has inspired him to cultivate rare plants and trees, including cardamom and herbaceous plants. (SPA)
The Baha farmer aspires to increase the area and number of cardamom trees on his farm in the coming years, and take advantage of the region’s natural elements.
“Crops diversity leads to income source diversity,” he added. “It (agriculture) is also one of the most beautiful manifestations of rural life, capturing the attention of tourists and visitors with its beauty and quality. Agriculture is a tributary of rural tourism, enhancing the region’s identity and the human-land relationship.”
According to the report by the Saudi Press Agency, Baha residents rely on agriculture for its commercial benefits and contribution to developing their livelihoods. With the support of the ministry, the region has embraced various agricultural innovations as well as the cultivation of new and rare varieties of fruit trees for environmental sustainability.
Saudi Literature Commission launches Gulf Poetry Forum in Taif
Mansour Al-Harthi, director general of the Academy of Arabic Poetry, discussed the forum’s role in fostering communication among poets, authors, critics, thinkers and intellectuals from GCC countries
Updated 06 July 2024
SPA
TAIF: The Literature, Publishing, and Translation Commission, in collaboration with the Secretariat General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, on Friday launched the 13th edition of the Gulf Poetry Forum 2024 in Taif. The event featured extensive participation from poets, critics, specialists and enthusiasts from GCC countries.
Mansour Al-Harthi, director general of the Academy of Arabic Poetry, discussed the forum’s role in fostering communication among poets, authors, critics, thinkers and intellectuals from GCC countries.
Caption
He highlighted its significance in showcasing the Gulf’s unique cultural heritage to the world and contributing to human civilization with steady, confident progress and forward-looking visions. He said that forum’s activities will enrich the cultural landscape of the Gulf and Arab regions.
“The forum is an occasion to strengthen the bonds of brotherhood, interchange ideas, and exchange experiences and visions, all under the keen interest and support of the ministers of culture of the GCC,” he said.
“Today, we are gathered in Saudi Arabia, a nation that supports intellectuals, encourages and nurtures authors, and places great importance on culture.”
Who’s Who: Hasan Al-Jawad, head of partnership at MIS Pay in Riyadh
Updated 06 July 2024
Arab News
Hasan Al-Jawad is the head of partnership at MIS Pay in Riyadh, a position he has held since March.
MIS Pay is the first licensed ‘buy now, pay later’ system in Saudi Arabia. It is owned by Al-Moammer Information Systems, a publicly listed company. Al-Jawad manages its partnership and business development team.
His responsibilities include strategic planning, relationship management, setting targets and key performance indicators to drive growth, specifically focusing on trending businesses.
He previously served as sales director at Mnasati Technologies in Riyadh from February 2023 to November 2023. During his tenure there, Al-Jawad led the sales and customer success teams, set sales targets and KPIs, and secured merchant deals. He also established a strong network of food and beverage and retail decision-makers and developed a nationwide sales plan.
From March 2022 to January 2023, Al-Jawad was head of sales at COFE App — an app focusing on coffee shops and supplies. He managed the sales team and helped the company achieve a 1,300-percent increase in orders and a 900-percent growth in gross merchandise value.
Al-Jawad co-founded an app called Kaffeen — focused on online pick-up orders for coffee shops — in 2018. He worked there until March 2022, when Kaffeen was acquired by COFE. Through strategic partnerships with 130 coffee shops, he managed a dedicated sales team, negotiated favorable app margins, and enhanced features for customer satisfaction and operational efficiency.
Al-Jawad’s career also includes roles as affluent relationship manager at Gulf International Bank and assistant branch manager at Riyad Bank, where he also participated in the Future Leaders Program, completing training in various banking sectors and enhancing his expertise through collaboration, case studies, and specialized courses.
Al-Jawad earned a degree in business administration from the University of Portland.
