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RIYADH: The Ministry of Transport launched a training program for university students at its central laboratory in Riyadh on Saturday.
The program focuses on the latest advances in technology focused on sustainable development in transportation, as well as introducing students to safety procedures and the assessment of construction materials. It also includes tours of some of the ministry’s ongoing projects.
The ministry’s central laboratory is its main site for testing road materials and overseeing factories that produce road materials. It also provides technical advice on the manufacture and maintenance of such materials and runs programs for engineers, technicians, observers and relevant authorities.
RIYADH: In a change of tradition, the new cover of the Holy Kaaba in Makkah was installed early Saturday, at the dawn of the new Islamic year of 1444.
It used to be that the Kiswa was replaced once a year during Hajj, specifically on the morning of Dhul Hijjah 9 after the pilgrims go to Mount Arafat, in preparation for receiving worshippers the next morning, which coincides with Eid Al-Adha.
Last month, Saudi Arabia's General Presidency for the Two Holy Mosques announced the change in tradition so that the annual event would be held on the eve of Muharram 1, the first day in the Hijri calendar.
Sheikh Abdulrahman Al-Sudais, president of the Two Holy Mosques presidency, had said the change was being made based on a royal decision.
According to the Saudi Press Agency, the changing of the Kiswa early Saturday was carried out by a team of 200 Saudi technicians from the King Abdulaziz Complex for Manufacturing the Kaaba’s Kiswa, under the supervision of Sheikh Sudais.
Describing the process, the SPA reported: "The new kiswa consisted of four separate sides and the door curtain was installed. Each of the four sides of the Kaaba was raised separately to the top of the Kaaba in preparation for its unfolding on the old side, and fixing the side from above by tying it down and dropping the other end of the side, after the ropes of the old side were loosened.
"By moving the new side up and down in a permanent movement, then the old side fell from below and the new side remained, and the process was repeated four times for each side until the dress was completed, then the belt was weighed in a straight line to the four sides by stitching it.
"This process began first from the side of the hem, due to the presence of the gutter that has its own hole at the top of the garment, and after all sides were fixed, the corners were fixed by sewing them from the top of the garment to the bottom."
Technicians at the King Abdulaziz Complex do the weaving, stitching and printing by hand and machines using 47 pieces of cloth and thread to make the Kiswa. The world’s largest computerized sewing machine, at 16 meters in length, carries out the process.
The cloth is stitched together in five different parts and fixed to the base with copper rings. Around 670 kilograms of raw silk is dyed black at the complex.
The Kiswa is decorated with Quranic verses embroidered onto the cloth with 120 kilograms of 21-karat gold thread and 100 kilograms of silver thread.
The cost of making a new 850-kilogram Kiswa is estimated to cost SR25 million, or over $6.5 million, making it the world’s most expensive covering.
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Civil Defense on Friday urged the public to take caution as it warned of chances of thunderstorms in parts of the Kingdom from Saturday until Wednesday. The authority said the regions of Asir, Najran, Jazan and Al-Baha will be affected by moderate to heavy rain and brisk winds, which may lead to torrential flow, and the regions of Riyadh, Sharqiya, Qassim and Hail will be affected by light to medium rain. Spokesman Col. Mohammed Al-Hammadi called for caution against potential dangers of the weather, to stay away from places where torrents gather, and to abide by the instructions of the Civil Defense announced through various media and social networking sites, in order to preserve their safety.
RIYADH: The Mohammed bin Salman Foundation “Misk” launched the “Youth Impact Council Initiative” on Thursday.
The initiative was launched in the Prince Mohammed bin Salman Non-Profit City in Riyadh, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Friday.
The initiative is the first platform concerned with supporting the growth of youth organizations by providing an effective environment and sharing experiences and information that serves organizations in the non-profit sector.
It aims to make them more sustainable and effective, and in a way that enhances interconnection between workers in the sector and creates new opportunities to maximize the impact of quality youth organizations.
The Youth Non-Profit Organizations Initiative includes non-profit associations and institutions, experts and specialists in the non-profit, government and private sectors, volunteers in youth programs and bodies that graduated from the Youth Non-Profit Organizations Building Program of the “Misk for Community” path.
Misk also launched the Youth Non-Profit Organizations Incubator Program, which is the second batch of the Youth Non-Profit Organizations Incubator 2022 to be launched, and an opportunity for youth initiatives and newly established associations to accelerate their growth and expansion and multiply their societal impact.
Out of 226 entities participating in the program, seven initiatives and two associations will start the program for guidance and direction on Sunday, including the Digital Games Association, the Robo Tuwaiq initiative, the Wassila platform initiative, the specific community initiative, the Rawasi Youth initiative, the Saudi initiative for nanotechnology, Tarim Association, the Hijaz Bloggers Initiative, and the Theatrical Production Initiative.
The three-month program for non-profit youth organizations includes a training course on the “Misk Hub” platform, which aims to develop the services of the participating parties and build their organizational capacities, including managing development projects, human resource management, governance, financial sustainability, communication, increasing impact and measuring it.
The program concludes with a closing ceremony and a presentation event that will be held in November for all participants, to measure the impact of the program and celebrate the participants’ efforts.
All those participating in the program will give presentations for community projects that serve young people, aimed at obtaining financial support from Misk for their input.
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center on Thursday signed an agreement to implement a project to support education in Yemen, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Friday. The agreement was signed by KSrelief Assistant General Supervisor for Operations and Programs Ahmed bin Ali Al-Baiz at the center’s headquarters in Riyadh. Through the project, school uniforms and bags will be provided to 11,586 Yemeni children, and 23 schools will be rehabilitated and their infrastructure improved in Hadhramaut, Al-Mahra, Aden and Hajjah governorates. The project aims to increase access to basic and secondary education for Yemeni students, improve learning conditions, and enhance the capabilities of the education sector by reducing the dropout rate of students and providing them with a safe study environment. This comes within the framework of the humanitarian projects implemented by the Kingdom, represented by the center, to support the educational sector in Yemen.
AL-BAHA: Since the start of the summer season in the Kingdom, the Al-Baha region has witnessed a large number of visitors and vacationers coming from various regions and governorates due to its cool weather and picturesque locations.
Al-Baha is one of Saudi Arabia’s top tourist destinations, and visitors from the GCC flock to the area to enjoy nature in a pleasant environment.
This summer, Al-Baha opened another prominent tourist site, its lavender garden, which is located in the middle of Raghadan Forest Park.
The 500-meter walkway linking the two areas is covered with natural stone and one can see waterfalls while walking down a path illuminated by 270 decorative light poles, as well as flowerbeds, sitting areas, wooden crossings and kiosks.
Mayor of the region, Dr. Ali Al-Suwat, said that the lavender garden and the central area of the Raghadan Forest were located on an area of more than 20,000 sq. m. The lavender garden occupies an area of 5,000 sq. m.
The 500-meter walkway linking the two areas is covered with natural stone and one can see waterfalls while walking down a path illuminated by 270 decorative lighting poles, as well as flowerbeds, sitting areas, wooden crossings and kiosks.
Al-Suwat said that parks and gardens have been added this year in the Al-Baha region on an area exceeding 400,000 sq. m.
Al-Suwat said that the region’s municipality aims to raise the per capita share of green land areas as the Al-Baha region is among eight tourist destinations covered by the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, and receives large numbers of visitors and vacationers annually.