RIYADH — The Ministry of Culture has launched an ambition project, titled "13/16," aimed at documenting all branches of culture in all 13 provinces of the Kingdom. The project, the first of its kind in the country, aims to establish a diverse visual library for Saudi cultural activities and events highlighting the cultural diversity and rich heritage of the Kingdom through visual documentation. The title of the project "13/16" bears a translation of these goals, as No. 13 expresses the total administrative provinces of the Kingdom, while No. 16 represents the number of cultural sectors that come under the project. The cultural sectors covered include music, movies, theater and performing arts, literature, visual arts, libraries, museums, natural heritage, cultural and archeological sites, culinary arts, fashion, festivals and cultural events, architecture and design, heritage, language and translation, and books and publication. Under the project, teams from the Ministry of Culture will carry out field visits to all regions of the Kingdom to have closer acquaintance with each one of the 16 cultural sectors in these regions and document them with photographs and videos. The ministry officials will meet artists and innovators in the respective fields so as to bring together Saudi talents from various regions under one platform. The ministry has drawn up an executive plan covering all regions, starting from Riyadh and ending with the Eastern Province, passing through the regions of Makkah, Madinah, Al-Jouf, the Northern Borders Region, Tabuk, Al-Qassim, Hail, Asir, Al-Baha, Najran and Jazan. This is in accordance with a time-bound plan spanning for about a year. During this period, the teams will carry out visits to villages, cities and governorates coming under these provinces and document all aspects of cultural activities and events covering all branches, through direct meeting with all those concerned with these sectors, in addition to undertaking field visits to sites, monuments and cultural centers.
