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RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has made a call to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Saudi Press Agency said early Thursday.
The pair discussed ways of enhancing bilateral relations in all fields.
The call also reviewed issues of mutual interest.
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Cabinet on Tuesday expressed its absolute rejection of extremist and inflammatory Israeli statements and condemned continuous provocations against the feelings of Muslims around the world.
It called on the international community to put an end to the Palestinian humanitarian catastrophe, and to activate serious mechanisms to hold Israeli officials accountable for the ongoing violations of international laws, norms and resolutions.
On Monday, Israel’s hard-line Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said, in a radio interview, that he would back the establishment of a synagogue at Al-Aqsa mosque and to have Jews pray at the holy site in Jerusalem.
During the weekly Cabinet meeting, which was chaired by Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman in Riyadh, the ministers tackled results of meetings held in Switzerland aiming to take concrete and immediate steps to alleviate the suffering of the Sudanese people and achieve a permanent halting of hostilities.
Talks on the war in Sudan were co-hosted last week by Saudi Arabia and Switzerland, with the African Union, Egypt, the UAE and the UN completing the so-called Aligned for Advancing Lifesaving and Peace in Sudan Group (ALPS).
The meetings ended Friday without a ceasefire but with progress on securing aid access on two key routes into a country facing one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
The Cabinet stressed that the Kingdom will continue to work with its partners in the international community until security and stability return to the African country.
On the domestic front, the ministers hailed the 10.5% increase in non-oil exports in the second quarter of this year, compared to the same period in 2023.
Saudi Arabia’s non-oil exports surged by 10.5 percent year-on-year in the second quarter of 2024, led by outgoing shipments to the UAE and China, official data showed.
According to the General Authority for Statistics, of the SR51.16 billion ($13.63 billion) registered by the sector in the three months to the end of June, non-oil goods worth SR15.07 billion were sent to the Kingdom’s Gulf neighbor, with SR7.08 billion going to the Asian powerhouse.
The Cabinet also praised the success of the first Esports World Cup, which embodies the efforts made to enhance the Kingdom’s position as a global destination for major sporting events and activities.
On behalf of King Salman and following the meeting, the Crown Prince received newly-appointed Saudi ambassadors to various countries, who took oath of office.
RIYADH: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman discussed the situation in Gaza with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas during a meeting in Riyadh, the Saudi Press Agency said Tuesday.
The Crown Prince stressed that the Kingdom will continue its efforts to communicate with all international and regional parties to stop the escalation in the war-torn territory.
He also reiterated Saudi Arabia’s contentious support for the Palestinian people to achieve their legitimate rights to a decent life, fulfill their hopes and aspirations, and achieve just and lasting peace.
Saudi and Palestinian senior officials attended the meeting.
RIYADH: The Saudi National Orchestra and Choir will be joined by the UK’s Royal Philharmonic Orchestra for a “Marvels of Saudi Orchestra” concert on Sept. 28 at the Central Hall Westminster in London.
The event is organized by the Saudi Music Commission as part of its efforts to promote and raise the international profile of Saudi arts and culture. It follows similar shows at the Place du Chatelet in Paris, the National Theater in Mexico City, and the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City.
The Saudi musicians and singers will perform a variety of musical numbers chosen to reflect the cultural heritage and artistic diversity of music in the Kingdom, and the collaboration with the Royal Philharmonic will treat the audience to a distinctive mix of Saudi and British music, organizers said. Ticket details are yet to be announced.
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia condemned on Tuesday attacks by separatist militants in Pakistan’s southwestern province of Balochistan that started late on Sunday.
At least 73 people were killed in Pakistan’s province of Balochistan when separatist militants attacked police stations, railway lines, and highways.
The Kingdom confirmed its rejection of all forms of violence, extremism, and the targeting of civilians.
It also offered its condolences and sympathy to the families of the victims and to the Pakistani government and people.
Pakistani security forces have been battling sectarian, ethnic, and separatist violence for decades in impoverished Balochistan, but the coordinated attacks that took place in several districts throughout the province were one of the worst in the region’s history.
JEDDAH: Nearly 55 years ago, a young Pakistani calligrapher embarked on a captivating journey to master the Islamic art form of calligraphy. Today, his work adorns the walls of the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah.
Shafiq Uz-Zaman Khan, known in Saudi Arabia as “Al-Haram Calligrapher,” is proud that his journey into calligraphy, which began in childhood, brought him to the second holiest and largest mosque in the world.
“In my childhood I used to write on the walls of my house, other houses on our street, on school notebooks and the covers of my brothers’ books. I had a passion for beautiful handwriting,” he told Arab News.
Khan, who has lived in the Kingdom for 45 years, said coming to Madinah was the probably the greatest thing happened in his life: “I spent half of my life in Madinah and wish to live the rest of my life there.”
• Shafiq Uz-Zaman Khan, known in Saudi Arabia as ‘Al-Haram Calligrapher,’ is proud that his journey into calligraphy brought him to Madinah.
• He was awarded the President’s Award for Pride of Performance in Pakistan, considered the highest literary award given by the state.
• He finds a peace while doing calligraphy in Madinah that he has not discovered anywhere else, he said.
He continued: “Living in Madinah and at the same time being the calligrapher of the Prophet’s Mosque … that’s unbelievable.”
He finds a peace while doing calligraphy in Madinah that he has not discovered anywhere else, he added.
Born in Rawalpindi and raised in Karachi, the 68-year-old’s passion for calligraphy was ignited while painting signboards for shops around the Pakistani capital to earn a modest living.
I was happy to move to the place that I dreamed of since I was young and the most important thing for me was just to be close to the Prophet’s Mosque.
Shafiq Uz-Zaman Khan, Arabic calligrapher
In 1979, a Saudi businessman visiting Karachi saw some of Khan’s paintings and engaged him to work at the company he owned in Riyadh. After proving his prowess as a calligrapher in the advertising industry, he was offered a job in Madinah.
“Despite my good status in Riyadh and the great relationship I had with my sponsor, I was so happy to move to the place that I dreamed of since I was young and the most important thing for me was just to be close to the Prophet’s Mosque,” said Khan.
“In 1991, the management of the Prophet’s Mosque announced a competition to choose a calligrapher to restore the Qur’anic writings in the mosque dating back to the Ottoman era. I decided to enter the competition, but the organizing committee refused my registration because I was not a professional calligrapher and also my native language was not Arabic, and they thought it would be hard to compete against other Arab calligraphers.”
Khan managed to convince the organizing committee that his skills and passion for his craft meant he should be given a chance. He went on to win the contest.
“There were calligraphers from Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Iraq and other Arab countries but I was confident and was so happy to be selected as the winner,” said Khan.
His work did not stop at restoring the existing writings and verses. He was assigned to write in a number of domes in the Haram, combining “revitalizing ancient writings with the implementation of new calligraphic paintings.”
He was also entrusted with writing new plaques for several chapters, including the Chapter of Peace, the Chapter of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, the Chapter of Mercy and the Chapter of Gabriel.
“All the works that I executed carry the same importance, whether they are the Qur’anic paintings that I executed in a number of domes, on the walls, or the names of the doors. This place is unusual for every Muslim, and it was an honor for me to work there,” he said.
After completing calligraphy on the 177 domes, he received positive feedback on his work. One dome takes approximately two months to complete, including the design and implementation.
Three of Khan’s paintings hang in Al-Rawdah Al-Sharifa, each of which are made of 24-karat gold and took six months of work.
The calligrapher enjoyed a proud moment when the President of the General Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques, Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Abdulaziz Al-Sudais, honored him for his efforts and proficiency.
“It was unforgettable moment for me … I will always cherish it,” he said.
Khan has also won several competitions at national and international level and was awarded the President’s Award for Pride of Performance in Pakistan, considered the highest literary award given by the state.
