Saudi Arabia on a Guinness World Records winning streak

RIYADH: The King Abdulaziz Public Foundation for Research and Archives, Darah, concluded its three-day National History Lab on Tuesday at Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, showing ways to preserve and celebrate Saudi history. 

Themed “History in the Eyes of the Future,” the event brought together 30 Saudi universities and 15 national and international organizations to inspire innovative approaches to documenting and sharing Saudi history.

The initiative featured two streams: the digital innovation track, which focused on developing technical solutions for documenting and sharing history; and the social impact track, designed to create initiatives that strengthen community connections to history. 

A panel of 13 judges evaluated the submissions, supported by more than 20 facilitators who guided participants in refining their ideas.

Al-Jouf University took first place with its innovative project to preserve Saudi heritage through an online platform promoting historical sites across the Kingdom.

Wajd Al-Huzaim, a student from the winning team, explained the concept: “Al-Majlis is a Saudi social media app connecting the Kingdom’s regions through communities. Each region is represented as a ‘majlis,’ such as Majlis Al-Jouf, Majlis Riyadh, and so on.

“People share posts about historical sites, their homes, and interact through likes and comments.”

She said that the app awards badges for visiting historical sites where users can check in at these locations to earn badges. “Once they collect a certain number, they achieve the title of ‘guide.’” 

Al-Huzaim emphasized the app’s impact, saying: “It connects people to local landmarks and encourages citizens to promote their region’s history. By turning Saudi heritage into a trend, it appeals to the younger generation, making history relevant and engaging.” 

The event included workshops, exhibitions, and talks by various experts. At one of the booths by Darah, visitors were able to learn how colors and inks were traditionally extracted from plants.

Munirah Al-Qahtani, a researcher at Darah, said: “In the past, our ancestors used these natural methods to color doors, windows, and houses where they would dissolve gum arabic to create a liquid substance that was mixed with the colors. This process ensured the durability of the piece and preserved its quality, preventing it from deteriorating over time.” 

Aligned with Vision 2030, the National History Lab gave youth and organizations passionate about preserving Saudi heritage a platform to collaborate and compete, the Saudi Press Agency reported. 

RIYADH: Bangladesh is committed to meeting demand for skilled workers in Saudi Arabia, said Asif Nazrul, adviser to the Bangladeshi Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, as well as the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment.

Speaking at a discussion organized at the Bangladesh Embassy in Riyadh with owners and senior officials of Saudi companies, Nazrul said that there were significant opportunities for Bangladesh to send skilled and semi-skilled workers, including doctors, engineers, nurses and technicians.

Nazrul, who is in Riyadh at the invitation of the Saudi Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development to attend the Global Labor Market Conference (Wednesday-Thursday), emphasized the need for qualitative changes in Bangladesh’s labor market in Saudi Arabia.

He highlighted the many employment prospects emerging from Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 initiatives, including mega projects such as NEOM, Red Sea, Qiddiya, Green Riyadh, Amala, Diriyah and Roshan, alongside major global events such as the AFC Asian Cup (2027), Winter Asian Olympics (2029), World Expo (2030) and FIFA World Cup (2034).

He sought the cooperation of Saudi recruitment companies, who acknowledged the presence of skilled professionals in Bangladesh but pointed out challenges such as inadequate information, marketing, networking, visa delays, language barriers and a lack of pre-boarding orientation.

Nazrul assured them of resolving these issues and emphasized strengthening ties through labor fairs, seminars and regular communication with company officials.

He also inaugurated the embassy’s e-demand attestation system, enabling Saudi companies to easily register online and attest worker demand letters without visiting the embassy, a key initiative for promoting transparency and efficiency.

Nazrul also distributed prizes to winners of competitions organized as part of the embassy’s “Festival of Youth 2025” on Wednesday.

Bangladesh’s new ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Delwar Hossain, welcomed the Saudi delegates at the interactive session.

Later, Nazrul interacted with Bangladeshi expatriates, listening to their concerns, including high airfare costs and excessive fees charged by recruiting agencies, and assured them of solutions and encouraged them to maintain close contact with the embassy through social media and its website. 

Appreciating their role in sending remittances, he assured the government’s continued welfare initiatives for expatriates and urged compliance with Saudi laws and culture to avoid legal complications.

On the issue of voting in national elections, he said that the government was exploring viable options to facilitate expatriate participation.