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RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Permanent Committee for International Humanitarian Law in the Kingdom signed a pact on Monday to enhance cooperation.
The Kingdom’s Foreign Affairs Deputy Minister Waleed El-Khereiji inked the agreement with the committee’s Chairman Jalal Al-Owaisi.
The pact “aims to support joint efforts, encourage expertise exchange in humanitarian international law and spread its culture,” the Saudi Press Agency reported.
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Heritage Commission has completed the third season of the archaeological excavation at the Al-Sirrain site in Al-Lith governorate, Makkah region.
The project was carried out in collaboration with China’s National Cultural Heritage Administration as part of a bilateral agreement to exchange expertise in archaeological excavation, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Tuesday.
It coincides with the Saudi-Chinese Cultural Year 2025, which features joint cultural initiatives. The goal is to strengthen cultural exchange and highlight historical ties between the two civilizations through the Silk Road.
The collaboration reflects Saudi Arabia and China’s commitment to supporting historical research and documenting shared heritage, the SPA reported.
The excavation aimed to provide a deeper understanding of the site by studying residential areas, city planning and connections to other urban centers. It also sought to document structural features, including parts of the city wall, towers and gates.
Researchers uncovered various artifacts, including pottery, stone vessels, decorative items, a gold dinar from the mid-second Hijri century and Chinese porcelain. Gravestones with unique carvings were also found.
The survey identified key architectural features, including wall foundations and gravestones, highlighting the site’s significance along the Maritime Silk Road.
The port city thrived until the late third Hijri century, reaching its peak in the fifth and sixth Hijri centuries. It remains one of the largest archaeological sites on the Red Sea coast, according to the SPA.
The Heritage Commission is committed to preserving antiquities and advancing archaeological research across the Kingdom, the SPA added.
It also aims to expand cooperation with local and international partners in line with Vision 2030, promoting culture and ensuring the sustainability of heritage for future generations.
RIYADH: An inauguration ceremony was held for a center in Riyadh that will provide support for homeless women to reintegrate into society, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Tuesday.
The center will offer a range of medical, psychological and rehabilitation services, and will be run by the National Society for Community Services (Ajwad).
It is being developed in partnership with the Sulaiman Al-Rajhi Charitable Foundation.
Speaking at the ceremony, Khalid bin Mohammed Al-Ajlan, vice chairman of the board of directors of Ajwad, emphasized the association’s commitment to providing integrated care for the Kingdom’s neediest groups.
He also praised the support provided by the organization’s strategic partners.
Ajwad was founded in 2017 with its board of directors headed by Saudi Arabia’s minister of health.
The association’s main focus is to provide services to the homeless and mentally ill in the Kingdom.
JEDDAH: Researchers at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology are collaborating with local farmers and the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture to address Saudi Arabia’s critical freshwater scarcity in agriculture.
The new KAUST Center of Excellence for Sustainable Food Security aims to enhance agriculture in arid regions by combining controlled environment agriculture with desalination of non-conventional water resources, according to a press release.
The initiative focuses on desalination and wastewater treatment to provide “clean enough” water for hydroponic farming of high-value crops, addressing plant health and affordability.
KAUST Environmental Science and Engineering Prof. Noreddine Ghaffour, principal investigator, said: “Why not tailor desalination technology by removing only exactly what we want removed? It will be cheaper than previous practices because we will do it with less energy, targeting specific crops.”
His team is developing solutions to achieve food abundance and economic growth. “If successful, the Kingdom will be exporting, not importing, these technologies,” Ghaffour added.
According to the release, current practices for farmers to desalinate local brackish water are inefficient and expensive. These processes also remove all ions, including valuable nutrients absent in local soils, and so the water must be partially remineralized.
Ghaffour team’s selective approach eliminates only what each crop type cannot handle. This reduces steps, cuts energy use, and lowers costs.
“Some crops need more salt, others more nutrients, and some are sensitive to boron. Our goal is to minimize costs by tailoring desalination,” Ghaffour said.
As part of the two-year research project, which began in September 2024, KAUST researchers evaluate technological solutions such as nanofiltration, electrodialysis, and brackish water reverse osmosis. Their aim is to determine what works best. One approach involves “forward osmosis,” which uses liquid-phase fertilizers to drive the process.
The project also employs anaerobic membrane bioreactor technology combined with ultraviolet disinfection to reclaim municipal wastewater, enhancing CEA system water quality and nutrient availability.
“This will map groundwater types in the Kingdom, select crop-specific desalination technologies, and optimize treatment configurations for testing in the KAUST Plant Science Core Lab, aiming to deliver prototypes at TRL 4-5,” the release said.
This project supports Saudi Arabia’s goals for sustainable agriculture, wastewater reuse, and reduced freshwater dependence.
“It promotes resilient farming practices, aligns with the Kingdom’s food security strategy, and showcases how KAUST is addressing the nation’s challenges, reinforcing its value as a national asset,” according to the release.
RIYADH: The historic Al-Abbasa Mosque in Jazan’s Abu Arish governorate is undergoing restoration as part of a national project, according to the Saudi Press Agency.
The second phase of the Prince Mohammed bin Salman Project for the Development of Historic Mosques aims to preserve its historical significance and secure its legacy for future generations.
The mosque, dating to 1846, is one of the region’s oldest and most significant heritage structures, the SPA reported on Tuesday.
The Al-Abbasa Mosque will be restored to its original architectural grandeur, including its distinctive three domes, with natural building materials.
The renovation will maintain the mosque’s unique features, including the mihrab adorned with Qur’anic verses and the engraved panel indicating its construction date.
The mosque’s stone and brick construction will be preserved to uphold its historical and architectural significance, the SPA added.
Upon completion, the mosque will cover an area of 435 sq. meters, accommodating 165 worshippers.
It is one of 30 mosques across 13 regions included in phase two, which features six mosques in Riyadh, five in Makkah, four in Madinah, three in Asir, and two each in the Eastern Province, Jouf, and Jazan. One mosque is included in each of the Northern Borders, Tabuk, Baha, Najran, Hail, and Qassim.
Phase two follows the successful completion of phase one in 2018, which restored 30 mosques in 10 regions, according to the SPA.
Saudi Arabia companies and engineers specializing in heritage restoration are leading the development efforts, according to the report.
RIYADH: Saudi aid agency KSrelief has delivered thousands of food baskets to some of the world’s most vulnerable people, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Tuesday.
In Bangladesh’s Bagerhat district, 100 packages were distributed to families in need as part of the Etaam Ramadan food project.
In Djibouti, 900 parcels supported 5,400 people in Balbala, while 581 parcels were distributed in Western Beqaa, Lebanon, benefiting 2,900 individuals.
Now in its fourth phase, the Etaam project aims to distribute 390,109 food parcels across 27 countries during Ramadan, benefiting 2.3 million people at a cost of over SR67 million ($17.8 million).
Meanwhile, KSrelief distributed 1,200 baskets in Khartoum, Sudan, benefiting 8,670 people. The project will also distribute 30,000 parcels to displaced people returning home in several Sudanese states.
In Somalia, 600 clothing kits were provided to vulnerable families in Hargeisa, benefiting 3,600 individuals. This is part of the shelter assistance project for displaced and affected people in the country.
