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RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Roads General Authority and the Royal Institute of Traditional Arts — also known as Wrth — have launched an initiative called Wrth Saudi, which features signage on highways across the Kingdom marking significant locations connected with national crafts.

This initiative comes in what has been designated the Year of Handicrafts in Saudi Arabia. The first phase of Wrth Saudi will cover three highways: the Riyadh-Dammam Highway, the Makkah-Madinah Highway, and the Riyadh–Qassim Expressway, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Saturday.

Subsequent phases will extend the initiative to other vital roads throughout the country, the SPA added.

Wrth Saudi will showcase traditional regional arts such as Najdi door craftsmanship, mud construction, carpentry, wood carvings, and bisht making.

“Saudi Arabia’s vast road network, the largest in the world in terms of connectivity, serves as a platform to highlight the Kingdom’s cultural heritage and showcase its crafts,” the SPA reported.

The Royal Institute of Traditional Arts plays a key role in promoting Saudi traditional arts locally and internationally, supporting local artisans, and encouraging the teaching and development of these crafts.

Earlier this year, the institute also launched the Wrth Community program to raise awareness of Saudi traditional arts and cultural heritage while “empowering individuals to learn and develop these crafts locally and globally.”

The program featured discussion sessions with academics, artisans, trainers, and entrepreneurs, along with workshops. Activities focused on four key materials used in Saudi traditional arts: stone, wood, ceramics, and metals.

The Ministry of Culture designated 2025 as the Year of Handicrafts to “solidify the position of handicrafts as authentic cultural heritage while promoting the practice, preservation and documentation of the craft, as well as its presence in contemporary life,” according to the SPA.

Throughout 2025, the Ministry of Culture will organize an array of events, exhibitions, educational programs and competitions under the banner Year of Handicrafts.