Crown Prince Salman Bin Abdul Aziz, Deputy Premier and Minister of Defense, looks at an old photograph after inaugurating a forum and gallery on “Historic photographs in Saudi Newspapers” at Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Center, Sunday. — SPA Mohammed Alshoaiby Saudi Gazette
RIYADH – Crown Prince Salman Bin Abdul Aziz, Deputy Premier and Minister of Defense, Sunday commended the pioneering role of the Saudi press in disseminating and highlighting the Kingdom's legacy and national heritage. “The local press is instrumental in the formation of culture and preserving the landmarks of national identity. Moreover, it informs readers about various phases of the Kingdom's rich history,” he said. The Crown Prince was speaking to Saudi Press Agency after opening a forum and gallery on “Historic photographs in Saudi Newspapers” at Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Center. The gallery is featuring a curated selection of historic photographs that represent milestones in Saudi history and date back almost to a century. The gallery showcased 50,000 photographs, the earliest of which dates back to the early 1930s and the most recent being taken on Jan. 1, 1980. The wide array of photographs covering various phases of the Kingdom's history was taken from all around Saudi Arabia and was carried by local newspapers. ?Crown Prince Salman said that the Saudi press has contributed substantially in preserving photographs of depicting the Kingdom's rich past and glorious present, and kept this legacy to the young and growing generations so that they know well the history of their country. “Apart from this, the press has a proven track record in documenting the Kingdom's history,” he said while praising the National Archives for Photographs. Earlier, on arrival at the venue of the gallery, Crown Prince Salman cut the ceremonial ribbon to officially open the gallery to the public. He was then escorted through the gallery as the guest of honor, watching different sections of the gallery, especially some of its most prized photographs. Prince Sultan Bin Salman, President of Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA), said the gallery was part of a series of events aimed at highlighting Saudi Arabia's cultural and traditional identity with an emphasis on connecting the past with the present. He also confirmed that the photographs featured at the gallery would be added to an officially recognized and certified national archive after the event. The event was sponsored by several leading Saudi companies, including Saudi Aramco and the Saudi Telecom Company (STC). The two-week event was organized by the Charitable Heritage Foundation in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture and Information, King Abdulaziz Foundation for Research and Archives (Darah) and King Fahd National Library, with the participation of Saudi Press Agency (SPA) and the Saudi press organizations.
