Under the patronage of King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, Prince Sultan Bin Salman, President of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA), opened here Sunday the First International Conference of Urban Heritage in Islamic Countries (UHIC). Organized by SCTA the six-day conference is held under the theme of “Economic Development for Valued Urban Heritage.” Forty-two prominent speakers from 34 Arab and international countries will present papers on the importance of preserving Islamic urban heritage. Twenty-five ministers from Islamic countries and 10 Arab and regional organizations are also taking part in the conference, in which over 160 research scholars and specialists will participate in seminars and workshops. Conference participants will discuss different issues pertaining to the preservation of Islamic urban heritage. Researchers will review the status of Islamic urban heritage buildings, mosques and other related properties in a series of five seminars and 24 workshops. “Research scholars will review the current status of urban heritage in Islamic countries and discuss how to apply the modern approach to activate their economic and social aspects,” said Najla Al-Khalifa, an SCTA official. The participants will review successful international experiences in the field of urban heritage development, she said. On the sidelines of the conference, a number of other events related to the preservation of Islamic heritage will also take place. Prince Sultan Bin Salman also opened an exhibition on the sidelines of the conference at King Faisal Hall. Around 42 establishments from public and private sectors are participating in the exhibition. To increase awareness, the conference activities have been extended to include exhibitions, tourism trips, cultural events and many other activities in Riyadh, Madina, Makkah, Asir, Najran, Hail, Tabuk, Al-Jouf, and Jizan. The Ministry of Education in collaboration with SCTA is organizing Heritage Week in all schools in the Kingdom. Students will participate in competitions, lectures and familiarization trips. Brochures will be distributed to create awareness about the importance of urban heritage and preserving it.
