In the presence of Prince Sultan bin Salman bin Abdul Aziz, Secretary General of the Higher Tourism Commission, Dr Saad Al-Rashid, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Education for Antiquities and Museums, on Sunday inaugurated an Exhibition on ‘Wadi Rum’.
The Centre of Middle Eastern Studies organised the Exhibition under the title: “Desert and Men”.
Speaking on the occasion, the French Ambassador to the Kingdom, Bernard Poletti, highlighted aspects of Saudi-French cooperation in the field of culture. He noted that the Kingdom is enriched with Islamic and pre-Islamic archaeological sites, and said that the Exhibition reflects the friendship between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and France.
Dr Saba Faris, an expert in Semitic inscriptions and Arab history, said that the project of conducting surveys at the historical sites in Wadi Rum was carried out with the aid of several parties, including the French Embassy in Riyadh and the Agency of Antiquities and Museums. The project is aimed to further studies of the history of the Arabs before Islam, she said.
Prince Sultan bin Salman bin Abdul Aziz stressed the importance of cooperation in the field of historical studies. He noted that the Higher Tourism Commission had submitted the National Tourism Plan to the Cabinet for approval.
Dr Saad Al-Rahsid said the project at Wadi Rum, on the Saudi-Jordanian border, reflects scientific cooperation between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, France and Jordan. He noted that the Archaeological Excavation Committee at the French Foreign Ministry is financing the project.
The function was attended by a number of officials.
Source: SPA
