Tag: Middle East World Records

KUWAIT launches radio archive digitization project to preserve national media heritage

Al-Omar: Modern technology key to safeguarding historic radio archive.

Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology and Acting Minister of Information and Culture Omar Al-Omar said the project to develop the Ministry of Information’s radio archive forms part of ongoing efforts to preserve Kuwait’s national media heritage using the latest technical systems and standards.

Al-Omar made the remarks in a speech during the project’s inauguration on Wednesday, attended by Austrian Ambassador to Kuwait Ulrich Frank and Ministry of Information Undersecretary Dr Nasser Muhaysen. The project is being implemented by Awlad Abdulaziz Abdulmohsen Al-Rashed Company in cooperation with Austrian firm NOA, which specializes in multimedia archiving and digitization, with the aim of preserving and digitizing radio content using advanced technologies.

The minister stressed that safeguarding national media heritage through modern systems ensures the sustainability and accessibility of radio materials, describing them as an integral part of Kuwait’s cultural and historical memory. He added that the initiative reflects the depth of relations between Kuwait and Austria and their shared commitment to strengthening cooperation in the media, cultural and technological fields in line with developments in modern media work.

Al-Omar noted that the Ministry of Information continues to implement development plans aimed at upgrading its technical infrastructure and enhancing capabilities in production, broadcasting and digital archiving, in line with the state’s broader drive to build a modern and efficient media system. He also emphasized the importance of strategic partnerships with specialized international institutions, which he said are essential to improving institutional performance, developing national talent and enhancing the quality of media services. For his part, Ambassador Frank said the project reflects the strong level of cooperation between Kuwait and Austria in cultural and technical fields, expressing his pleasure at participating in the launch of an initiative that contributes to preserving Kuwait’s media heritage.

He noted that the Radio Kuwait archive contains thousands of recordings documenting key stages of the country’s history, including musical works, programmes and diverse audio content. He said digitization and long-term preservation efforts would help safeguard these materials and improve accessibility for future generations, while modern systems would ensure their preservation and usability. Frank added that cooperation between Kuwaiti entities and Austrian specialized companies would support the completion of the digitization process using advanced technological solutions.

Meanwhile, Director of Radio Engineering at the Ministry of Information and project team leader Issa Al-Enezi told KUNA that the project coincides with the 75th anniversary of Radio Kuwait, which has played a key role in documenting the country’s development and cultural history. He said the project is based on three main pillars: cataloguing and classifying radio content, digitizing the archive according to the highest technical standards, and building a comprehensive database to facilitate access to archived materials. He described the initiative as a transition from traditional archiving to digital sustainability, ensuring preservation for future generations.

Chairman and CEO of Al-Rashed Group Abdulaziz Al-Rashed said the group’s role extends beyond implementation to supporting strategic national initiatives that advance development and digital transformation in Kuwait. He said the partnership with the Ministry of Information and Austrian company NOA represents a model of integration between national expertise and global technology, contributing to high-quality national projects and supporting Kuwait’s digital transformation agenda. The inauguration ceremony included a video presentation outlining the project’s implementation phases and archiving processes, as well as a tour of the facilities showcasing the digital preservation systems in use. — KUNA

source/content: kuwaittimes.com (headline edited)

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KUWAIT: Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology and Acting Minister of Information and Culture, Omar Al-Omar and other officials are pictured during the project’s inauguration on Wednesday.- KUNA photos

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KUWAIT

Ancient 100-piece gold jewelry set from Abbasid era discovered in Saudi Arabia

A collection of 100 pieces of gold jewelry dating back to the Abbasid era has been discovered in Saudi Arabia’s Al-Qassim region, the Saudi Heritage Commission announced on Tuesday.

The ancient artifacts are thought to have formed a complete adornment set, and were designed to look like flowers with stone settings fixed within gold frames.

There is also a large disc-shaped piece inlaid with colored stones arranged symmetrically in a central pattern, as well as a large group of multi-colored beads and delicate gold spacers.

The items were crafted using hammering and hand-forming techniques on gold sheets, along with decorative pressing and stone inlay within the frames.

These techniques reflect the advanced craftsmanship of the period and the development of gold jewelry-making during the Abbasid era, according to the commission.

They were found at the Dariyah archaeological site as part of the fourth season of the commission’s archaeological survey and excavation project.  

Dr Jasir Suliman Alherbish, CEO of the Saudi Heritage Commission, said in a statement: “This discovery at Dariyah reflects the abundance of the Kingdom’s cultural heritage and its longstanding role as a crossroads of trade routes and cultural exchange.

“It underscores the Heritage Commission’s commitment to research, documentation and preservation, further strengthening understanding of the Kingdom’s history and safeguarding its cultural legacy.”

Excavations also revealed architectural features dating back to the Abbasid period, including the foundations of stone buildings, mud walls, fire hearths and plastered rooms, in addition to pottery vessels and metal tools.

These finds indicate human settlement dating back to the late ninth century A.D. and confirm the strategic importance of the site along pilgrimage and trade routes.

Located in the southwest of Al-Qassim Region, Dariyah is one of Saudi Arabia’s significant archaeological sites, with evidence of activity from the pre-Islamic period into the early Islamic era. 

It was historically an important stop on ancient trade and pilgrimage routes, including the Basran Hajj route from Iraq.

Its surviving remains, set among mountains and valleys, include archaeological mounds, stone building foundations, pottery and glass fragments, soapstone artifacts and Islamic inscriptions in the surrounding area, reflecting the site’s long-standing historical and cultural significance.

source/content: arabnews.com (headlines edited)

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The set of ancient gold jewelry dates back to the Abbasid era. (Supplied)

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SAUDI ARABIA / ABBASID DYNASTY (Baghdad)

ALGERIAN-BRITISH : UK train attack hero named as British-Arab rail worker Samir Zitouni

London North Eastern Railway employee Zitouni is in a critical but stable condition after he was injured shielding passengers from the attacker

His family, colleagues, police and politicians praise his bravery, which is credited with saving many lives during mass stabbing

A British-Arab railway worker credited with saving many lives during a mass stabbing on a UK train was named on Tuesday as Samir Zitouni.

The 48-year-old, who shielded passengers from the attack, remains in a critical but stable condition in hospital, British Transport Police said.

Zitouni, a customer experience host who has worked for London North Eastern Railway for more than 20 years, was on duty on the Doncaster to London King’s Cross service on Saturday evening when the attack took place. Witnesses, colleagues, police and politicians have praised his actions as “courageous” and “heroic.”

David Horne, LNER’s managing director, said: “In a moment of crisis, Sam did not hesitate as he stepped forward to protect those around him. His actions were incredibly brave and we are so proud of him, and of all our colleagues who acted with such courage that evening.

“Our thoughts and prayers remain with Sam and his family. We will continue to support them, and wish him a full and speedy recovery.”

Zitouni’s family said they were “deeply touched by the outpouring of love and kindness” toward him.

“We are immensely proud of Sam and his courage,” they added. “The police called him a hero on Saturday evening, but to us he’s always been a hero.”

The statements on Tuesday did not provide any further details about Zitouni. Some social media posts described him as Algerian-born.

Transport police said on Sunday that CCTV footage of the attack showed an LNER employee, now identified as Zitouni, attempting to stop the attacker.

“The actions of the member of rail staff were nothing short of heroic and undoubtedly saved people’s lives,” Deputy Chief Constable Stuart Cundy said.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood on Monday paid tribute to the “breathtaking bravery” of those on the train, including Zitouni.

“On Saturday, he went to work to do his job — today, he is a hero and forever will be,” she said.

Passengers told how a man wielding a knife began attacking people on the train as it passed through Cambridgeshire on Saturday evening. Ten people were taken to hospital for treatment after the train stopped at Huntingdon station and another admitted themselves later. Seven have been discharged and three remain in hospital in a stable condition, along with Zitouni.

Anthony Williams, 32, has been charged with 10 counts of attempted murder related to the train attack, and an additional count of attempted murder in connection with a separate incident in London on Saturday.

source/content: arabnews.com (headline edited)

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Samir Zitouni, who shielded passengers from a knife attack on a train, is in a critical condition in hospital. (LNER)

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BRITISH / ARAB /ALGERIAN

JORDAN : ‘We are in a phase as big as the printing press’: How Jordan became Arab world’s blueprint for media literacy

In interview with Arab News, Jordan Media Institute dean Dr. Ziad Rifai discusses urgent need to equip citizens with tools to navigate today’s information ecosystem

Working alongside UNESCO and the Jordanian government, JMI has spearheaded 2 successive national media literacy strategies, establishing Jordan as a regional model

Sitting comfortably in his office in Amman, Dr. Ziad Rifai does not immediately strike you as someone whose grand mission is to fight information warfare.

The dean of the Jordan Media Institute and architect of its media literacy program — one of the first and most comprehensive initiatives of its kind in the Arab region — draws on decades of experience, appearing at times measured while promising to take on a David vs. Goliath challenge.

“Everybody now that has a phone basically has a TV, a radio station, a newspaper. All the media have been consolidated into this small phone,” he told Arab News. “And with that, with the amount of abuse that we’ve witnessed — the hate speech, the echo chambers, the misinformation, the disinformation, the rumors — all that necessitated that we need to do something about it.”

Founded in 2006 by HRH Princess Rym Ali as the first institution in the region to offer an Arabic-language MA in journalism and modern media, in partnership with the University of Jordan, JMI has evolved to keep pace with a rapidly shifting industry. Over the years it has introduced new courses — including mobile journalism and data journalism — alongside its media literacy program.

“Our focus is on journalism, creating journalists who are experienced, dedicated, ethical. That’s the core of our mission,” Rifai said. “But, as you know very well, the media scene is changing rapidly. So, while keeping the basic principles, we had to branch out into the new media scene.”

Rifai, who has worked across newsrooms, the UN, Jordan TV and the Higher Media Council, has watched this transformation unfold over five decades. He recalls a Jordan with one radio station, then the arrival of a single television channel and a handful of newspapers. Invoking Wilbur Schramm — the American scholar widely regarded as the father of modern communication theory, whose four-press model was first published in 1956 — he says the world has grown far more complex since then.

“Things have gotten so mixed up,” he added. “We are in a phase that’s as big as inventing the printing press, if not more. The problem is that the forces that are pushing the change, nobody knows who they are. And I’m not so sure if anybody can control where they’re going. Not to mention if they know where they’re going.”

That chaos, he suggested, is most acutely felt in the information ecosystem, where speed routinely outpaces safeguards — and where the general public is left with few tools to navigate the difference.

“The biggest challenge we have is with the speed that things change. The problem is how to catch up and have enough time to do interventions, awareness, education and introduce legislations.”

AI has become the defining example. In April, UNESCO examined how algorithmic AI systems are transforming information dynamics and amplifying risks — from misinformation to deepfakes — ultimately threatening trust in media and democratic integrity. The report argues that media and information literacy is the critical response. Yet follow-up initiatives, Rifai said, too often become mired in bureaucracy.

“For any initiative like this to take hold in a society, you need a champion. You need someone who believes in the idea and who pushes (it) forward,” he added.

JMI has been that champion in Jordan, working with the government domestically and relying on UNESCO as an international partner to strengthen credibility.

“We are the catalyst, we’re the advocates. UNESCO has the expertise and the global knowledge, but not the local,” said Rifai. “However, without the state, nothing will take hold, especially in our region.”

The model, he argues, is replicable. JMI is already exporting its expertise to a group of countries across the region.

“If (a country) took the strategy that we have and looked at it, they might change dates, they might change budgets, they might change partners, but the basic pillars of the strategy would probably be applicable in most of our region because the phenomenon is universal.”

JMI’s work operates on two levels: national policy design and hands-on training. Following an experimentation phase around 2014, Jordan moved to official adoption in 2019, when media literacy was placed on the government’s priority list alongside pilot projects in schools and youth spaces. The first National Strategy for Media and Information Literacy (2020–2023) earned recognition from UNESCO and a number of Arab and European officials, establishing Jordan as the first Arab country with a comprehensive, formal MIL plan. In late 2025, Jordan launched a second strategy for 2026–2029, again with UNESCO and JMI as core partners.

“The second strategy has full ownership of the government and all the elements of sustainability — that’s what the first strategy did not have,” Rifai said.

The program targets all age groups and all sectors of society, adjusting only in terms of sophistication.

“It essentially targets all sectors of operation. What differs is the level of sophistication,” said Rifai, adding that a 50-year-old housewife can be as active a disseminator of misinformation as a teenager. MIL concepts are now integrated into school curricula across subjects including religion, social sciences and Arabic — but Rifai is candid about the gap between integration and application.

“In my previous career at the UN, we integrated concepts of reproductive health and family planning in two books. The challenge was that teachers didn’t teach it. It was in the book, but in the classroom, they just skipped it. Either because they didn’t believe in it, or because they thought it wasn’t important.”

Monitoring implementation, he acknowledges, is the next frontier. “If awareness is not translated to behavioral impact or behavioral change, it’s not worth the objective. At the end of the day, the campaign should change behaviors and not just create that awareness. Awareness might be the first step in that direction.”

The ambition extends beyond classrooms. This week, JMI signed a memorandum of understanding with Jordan’s Higher Council for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities to develop a code of ethics for journalists covering disability — an area Rifai describes as a blind spot in regional media.

“People with disabilities are absent, at least in our region, from the media scene,” he said. “Whenever you see a person with disability in media, it’s either portrayed as, ‘oh, poor guy,’ or, ‘oh, how wonderful, he got a degree in science.’ Both, from their perspective, it’s the wrong approach. Just treat them like normal human beings.”

He framed the partnership as explicitly two-directional: JMI bringing journalism expertise, the council bringing lived experience.

Rifai acknowledges the world remains full of challenges, but believes the goal is to take back enough control to exploit technology’s possibilities rather than be consumed by them.

“It’s not easy to predict where we’re going. What we know for sure is that things seem to be going out of hand, in terms of media proliferation. We’re being pushed to becoming more and more reliant on (a specific technology), and less and less having any input on controlling where it’s going.”

He sees it, ultimately, as a double-edged sword. “The chaotic scene has its pitfalls,” he said, “but at the end of the day, it is allowing everybody to say what they want. For the first time, there’s freedom of information and everybody now is telling his or her story without the control. It could go either way, and I wouldn’t put money on either side of that prediction.”

For JMI, however, the mission remains constant. “No matter what happens with the media, we should not lose sight of that importance of having a proper journalism. At the end of the day, what matters is what you’re going to say and how you’re going to say it. We will continue to hold the principles and the ethical message of proper journalism. That will continue to be our role, no matter what new technologies or wars come.”

source/content: arabnews.com (headlines edited)

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Dr. Ziad Rifai, dean of the Jordan Media Institute and architect of its media literacy program, spoke to Arab News about one of the first and most comprehensive initiatives of its kind in the Arab region. (Supplied)

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JORDAN

ABU DHABI, U.A.E : Sheikh Zayed Book Award names 2026 winners and outlines plans for 20th anniversary

Authors, scholars and institutions from Arab world and beyond honoured as Abu Dhabi prize celebrates two decades of cultural influence.

The 2026 winners of the Sheikh Zayed Book Award were announced on Friday, marking two decades of one of the Arab world’s most influential literary prizes.

Established in 2006 and held under the patronage of President Sheikh Mohamed, the award has grown into a fixture on the region’s cultural calendar, drawing submissions from across the world and supporting the global reach of Arabic literature.

This year’s winners reflect that international scope, with recipients from countries including Egypt, Morocco, Germany and the UAE.

Egyptian writer Ashraf Elashmawy took the Literature prize for his novel Births in the Zoo, a work that explores shifts in Egyptian society through closely observed, character-driven storytelling. Moroccan researcher Mustapha Rajouane won in the Young Author category for a study examining how rhetoric shapes narrative in the modern Arabic novel.

In Translation, Iraqi-American scholar Nawal Nasrallah has been recognised for her English edition of a 13th-century Arabic culinary text, bringing a complex historical manuscript to a wider readership. Jordanian academic Zuhair Tawfiq received the Literary and Art Criticism award for his study of how Arab and western cultures have historically imagined one another.

German writer and translator Stefan Weidner won in the Arab Culture in Other Languages category for a major anthology of pre-Islamic Arabic poetry, while the Emirates Literature Foundation was honoured for its role in developing the UAE’s literary scene and supporting readers and writers.

The Encyclopaedias and Lexicons category went to Egyptian academic Mohamed Elkhosht for his six-volume Encyclopaedia of World Religions, and veteran Egyptian singer Nagat Al Saghira was named Cultural Personality of the Year, recognising a career that has helped shape modern Arabic song and language.

More than 4,000 submissions were received from 74 countries, underlining the award’s growing international profile. Since its launch, it has attracted more than 33,000 entries and honoured 136 winners, including writers, translators and cultural institutions.

Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak , chairman of the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, said the award continues to build on the UAE’s long-standing investment in culture and knowledge, while Ali bin Tamim, secretary general of the award, described it as a platform that has helped shape contemporary Arabic literary and research landscapes.

A programme of events is planned throughout the year to mark the award’s 20th anniversary. Winners will be honoured at a ceremony in Abu Dhabi, with Al Saghira receiving Dh1 million for being Cultural Personality of the Year, and other category winners awarded Dh750,000 each.

source/content: nationalnews.com (headline edited)

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From left, Nawal Nasrallah, Ashraf Elashmawy and Stefan Weidner are among the winners of the 20th edition. Photo: Sheikh Zayed Book Award

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EGYPT / IRAQ / JORDAN / MOROCCO / U.A.E

EGYPT : Shahira Fahmy Named Jury President of Arab World Institute Award

Shahira Fahmy has been announced as the first Egyptian Jury President of the Arab World Institute Design Award 2026.

As the first Egyptian architect to serve as Jury President of the Arab World Institute Design Award, Shahira Fahmy joins a panel of designers, curators, editors and cultural figures shaping the fourth edition of the Paris-based award programme. Organised by the Institut du Monde Arabe, the award recognises emerging and established designers from across the Arab world, with a focus on craftsmanship, material innovation and contemporary design practices.

“Design in the Arab world has always carried memory, resourcefulness and a strong understanding of place,” says Shahira Fahmy. “What interests me about this award is its ability to create visibility for designers responding to current realities while remaining connected to local knowledge and cultural identity.”

The Arab World Institute Design Award 2026 invites projects created between September 2024 and April 2026 across four categories: Emerging Talent Award, Contemporary Craftsmanship Award, Impact Award in partnership with Arab Bank Switzerland, and the Grand Prize for established architects and designers. The programme examines how design engages with sustainability, craft traditions, production processes and material research across the region.

Founded in Cairo in 2005, SFA – Shahira Fahmy Architects expanded to Dubai in 2024 and works across architecture, heritage restoration, urban planning, and interior design. The practice is known for projects including the restoration and rehabilitation of Zone 1 in AlUla Old Town, Dar Tantora The House Hotel and Beit Bin Nouh for the Royal Commission for AlUla. The work contributed to AlUla Old Town’s nomination for the Aga Khan Award for Architecture in 2025.

“For me, architecture and design are tied to people and context,” Fahmy says. “Whether working on a heritage site in AlUla or a contemporary urban project, the process begins by listening to what already exists.”

A graduate of Cairo University, Fahmy taught at the university for a decade and has lectured internationally at institutions including Columbia GSAPP and The American University in Cairo. Her work has also been recognised through fellowships at Harvard University, including the Loeb Fellowship at the Graduate School of Design, the Hutchins Fellowship at the W. E. B. Du Bois Research Institute, and the Berkman Klein Fellowship at Harvard Law School.

Joining Fahmy on this year’s jury are Daniele Gerkens, Memia Taktak, Mette Degn Christensen, Michèle Maria Chaya, Nicolas Lecompte, Samer Yamani, Sheikha Reem Al Thani, Aidan Imanova, Ali Khadra and Arnaud Morand.

“It is important to see platforms like this continue conversations around Arab design through ecology, craftsmanship, material experimentation, and the future of communities across the region,” Fahmy adds.

Finalist projects will be shortlisted in May 2026. The selected projects will then be reviewed by the jury ahead of the awards ceremony at the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris in September 2026, as part of Paris Design Week.

source/content: cairoscene.com (headline edited)

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EGYPT / ARAB

SAUDI ARABIA : King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) scientists develop nanoscale ‘drug factory’ that produces medicine inside living cells

Breakthrough advances programmable drug delivery through nanoscale protein engineering, say researchers.

Scientists at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology have engineered nanoscale particles capable of transporting six proteins into living cells, where they work together as a miniature “drug factory” to produce violacein, a bioactive compound under study for therapeutic use.

The findings, detailed in a press release published recently on KAUST’s news site, offer an early demonstration of how future therapies might one day generate treatment compounds directly inside the body, only where they are needed.

Researchers said the approach could eventually allow treatments to act more precisely at the site of disease while reducing unwanted effects on healthy tissue.

Published in the journal Advanced Materials, the study combines nanotechnology, materials science and bioengineering to tackle a longstanding medical challenge: delivering multiple proteins into cells simultaneously so they can perform coordinated biological functions.

Researchers packaged six proteins inside porous, sponge-like particles known as metal-organic frameworks, or MOFs, creating what they described as synthetic organelles — engineered structures that mimic functions found in living cells.

Once inside mammalian cells, the proteins remained active and worked sequentially to convert a simple amino acid into violacein. According to the researchers, it is the most complex multiprotein system yet delivered into living cells and the first example of a “protein pathway transplant.”

“It was a bit of a moonshot,” said Raik Grunberg, senior research scientist at KAUST and one of the study’s corresponding authors.

“Protein delivery into the cell is difficult enough for individual proteins, so researchers usually do not even try with more than one or two. What we show here is that we can take a whole integrated protein system … and bring it into human cells as one functional unit.”

Niveen Khashab, professor of chemical science at KAUST, said the team overcame major technical hurdles after conventional MOF materials caused proteins to lose activity.

“By engineering a more porous, sponge-like framework, we were able to create an environment where the system could finally work as intended,” she said.

Researchers said the platform is designed to be adjustable, allowing scientists to fine-tune how proteins interact inside cells and potentially paving the way for programmable therapies tailored to specific diseases.

Stefan T. Arold, professor of bioscience at KAUST and another corresponding author, said the project demonstrated how combining expertise across biology and materials science could unlock new therapeutic approaches.

Although the work remains at an early stage and requires further validation before clinical use, the researchers said it points toward future treatments capable of producing beneficial compounds directly inside diseased tissue while minimizing side effects elsewhere in the body.

The KAUST team plans to test the system next in animal models as part of ongoing efforts to explore its therapeutic potential.

source/content: arabnews.com (headline edited)

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The breakthrough offers an early proof of concept for therapies that could one day generate treatment compounds directly inside the body at the site of disease. (KAUST News photo)

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SAUDI ARABIA

ALGERIA : UNESCO Confirms Algeria’s Primacy in the Inscription of Caftan (Statement)

The 20th session of UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, meeting Thursday in New Delhi, has clearly and unequivocally confirmed the primacy of Algeria’s inscription of the Caftan as an essential component of its rich cultural heritage, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Community Abroad and African Affairs said in a statement.

On this occasion, the Committee decided to modify the name of the element inscribed in 2024 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity to explicitly include the Caftan, as well as the Quat and the Lhef. The Algerian element now bears the new designation: “Women’s ceremonial costume in the Eastern region of Algeria: knowledge and skills associated with the making and adornment of the Gandoura and the Melehfa.”

The Committee also approved the modification of the file titled “Rites and craftsmanship associated with the wedding costume tradition of Tlemcen,” inscribed since 2012 on the Representative List. It decided to add the mention “the Wearing of the Caftan” to section B3 of the ICH-02 form, in accordance with the submitted document.

These decisions represent “a new major diplomatic success for Algeria, both on the international cultural scene and within the framework of multilateral diplomacy.” They reaffirm “the historical and cultural primacy of Algeria’s inscription of the Caftan on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity and strengthen the international recognition of this exceptional intangible heritage,” the statement added.

The decision “consolidates Algeria’s place on UNESCO’s Representative List” and constitutes explicit recognition of the “sustained and continuous efforts of the State to promote, preserve and highlight Algeria’s rich cultural heritage, the product of centuries of history reflecting the depth and authenticity of our nation.”

This recognition “also reflects the relevance of the approach adopted in implementing the instructions of the country’s high authorities to promote our cultural heritage in all its components and forms, while protecting it from any attempt at imitation, appropriation or falsification,” the statement concluded.

source/content: al24news.dz

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ALGERIA

MOROCCO Marks International Day of Argania, Its ‘Liquid Gold’ Source

The UN-recognized day proves Morocco’s argan tree as a source of heritage, climate resilience, rural livelihoods, and women-led economic activity.

Morocco celebrated the International Day of Argania yesterday, celebrating five years since the United Nations recognized the argan tree as a global symbol of heritage, sustainability, and rural resilience.

The UN General Assembly, in a resolution led by Morocco, proclaimed May 10 the International Day of Argania in 2021. The resolution was co-sponsored by 113 UN member states and adopted by consensus, placing Morocco’s endemic argan tree on the international calendar.

Omar Hilale, Morocco’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, marked the anniversary with a public address linking the tree to climate action and human heritage.

“Today, we celebrate 5 years since the historic recognition by the United Nations of the International Day of the Argan Tree,” Hilale said. “The Argan Tree, a treasure of Morocco and heritage of humanity, embodies a concrete solution to climate and water challenges. Morocco will continue to champion this ambition in the service of a more sustainable and united future.

A Moroccan tree with global recognition

The argan tree grows mainly in southwestern Morocco, especially between the Atlantic coast and the Atlas Mountains. It has long supported rural communities through food, oil, animal feed, shade, soil protection, and income generation.

The tree also carries several layers of international recognition. UNESCO designated the Arganeraie Biosphere Reserve in 1998, and in 2014 added “practices and know-how concerning the argan tree” to its intangible cultural heritage list. FAO also recognized the argan-based agro-sylvo-pastoral system in the Ait Souab-Ait Mansour area as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System in 2018.

This recognition reflects more than the global popularity of argan oil. It points to a fully integrated ecosystem in which people, trees, animals, traditional knowledge, and markets are closely connected.

FAO has described the argan tree as important for food security, nutrition, income generation, and rural livelihoods, especially for women. The organization has also highlighted its role in drought-prone areas, where communities have built production systems around trees that can survive heat and arid conditions.

A key sector for Morocco

Morocco remains the center of global argan production. The sector is rooted in the country’s Indigenous knowledge and women-led cooperative work, with more than 830,000 hectares of argan forests recognized as part of the UNESCO biosphere reserve.

Argan oil production has become one of Morocco’s most visible rural industries. It supplies both food and cosmetics markets, with demand coming from Europe, North America, and the global beauty industry.

In 2020, Morocco’s annual argan oil production was estimated at about 5,000 tons, while exports exceeded 1,200 tons by the end of that year. The sector was also reported to generate nearly MAD 1.2 billion (approximately $131 million) in annual turnover and support more than 25,500 jobs.

More recent market estimates place Morocco’s annual argan oil production between 2,500 and 4,000 metric tons, with a large share exported to European and North American markets.

source/content: moroccoworldnews.com (headline edited)

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MOROCCO

SHARJAH, U.A.E : Al Hamriyah wins gold at Tunisian rowing championship

Al Hamriyah modern rowing team claimed a gold medal at the Tunisian Classic Rowing Championship, held on Lake Tunis from 5th to 10th May 2026, with the participation of nine clubs.

Al Hamriyah secured the gold medal through rowers Hamad Abdullah Al Hosani and Salem Al Mansouri in the under-19 double sculls category.

Salem Al Khayyal, Board Member of Al Hamriyah Club and Head of the Individual Games and Talent Development Committee, congratulated the athletes and coach Captain Sayed Ali Wadhah on the achievement, highlighting the advanced level reached by the team.

The two rowers and their coach expressed pride in the achievement and affirmed their determination to continue working hard to raise the name of Al Hamriyah Club in regional and international competitions.

source/content: wam.ae (headline edited)

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SHARJAH, U.A.E