Royal visit to spur development

RIYADH: Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTNH) President Prince Sultan bin Salman described the first visit by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman to Madinah as “historic.”
In his comments following the visit which saw the opening of the iconic international airport in addition to a number of other development projects in the province, he underscored that Madinah region has been witnessing mega-projects including those caring for historic Islamic sites.
Prince Sultan said that projects include development of the seven mosques as an integrated project, which will be executed by SCTNH, the Ministry of Islamic Affairs and Madinah municipality.
He added that caring for historic mosques is consistent with other expansion projects that include the Madinah railway museum and the Holy Qur’an Oasis, which reflect cultural achievements.
He noted that the Holy Qur’an Oasis project will be the first of its kind and will employ the latest technologies in the world.
In addition, there are a number of other projects under progress related to Islamic history such as the development of Islam’s great battles sites like Badr, Ohud and Al-Khandaq in coordination with the Ministry of Defense and SCTNH.
He further referred to the joint memorandum signed between SCTNH and the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs on the required mechanism for the preservation of heritage and endowment buildings, and historic mosques.
Prince Sultan also highlighted King Salman’s attention to national cultural heritage and paying great respect to it in light of its importance to present and future generations.
He maintained that SCTNH and its partners are working to survey and record historical Islamic sites to care for the Kingdom’s rich cultural heritage.
Notably, ongoing development plans in Madinah include renewable and green energy projects, the Madinah Development Commission, the first phase of the medical city at Taibah University, the university city at Islamic University, Madinah Specialist Hospital and the King Abdul Aziz Complex for Endowment Libraries.