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Rajaa Cherkaoui El Moursli was part of the research team that made the groundbreaking discovery of the Higgs Boson particle.
Moroccan prominent nuclear physicist Rajaa Cherkaoui El Moursli was featured this year on the list of Forbes 50 Over 50 for the Middle East and Africa (MENA) in recognition of her outstanding scientific contributions.
El Moursli’s research has helped prove the existence of the Higgs Boson, which is the particle responsible for the creation of mass.
“While her almost 30-year-long career in science has been filled with achievements, it’s a career that would not have existed had she not convinced her father to let her seek out a graduate degree in France in the early 1980s,” Forbes wrote. This was a time when Moroccan women were “expected to leave home to marry and not pursue a vocation.”
After earning her Ph.D in Nuclear Physics from the University of Joseph Fourier in Grenoble, France, El Moursli returned to Morocco in 1982. There, she joined the Faculty of Sciences at the University Mohammed V in Rabat.
Early in her career, she took the helm as the head of the Laboratory of Nuclear Physics in Rabat. El Moursli’s research focuses on the applications of nuclear physics, medical physics, and high-energy physics.
A pivotal moment in her career occurred in 1996 when she became an integral part of Morocco’s participation in the international ATLAS collaboration at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN). The event marked her entry into one of the world’s most prestigious scientific research centers, located in Geneva.
El Moursli’s contributions have extended beyond the laboratory giving her membership with international organizations such ATLAS, KM3NET, and ANTARES.
Within these roles, she has been vital in creating and implementing master’s degree programs at her university, notably creating Morocco’s first master’s program in medical physics. Currently, over thirty graduates from her program hold crucial positions as radio physicists in Moroccan hospitals.
Throughout her career, she has supervised numerous doctoral and master’s students and has played a crucial role in building and strengthening academic programs.
In 2015, she became the first Moroccan to receive the L’Oreal-UNESCO award for Women in Science, representing Africa and the Arab States.
El Moursli served as VP of Research, Innovation, Cooperation, and Partnership at Mohammed V University. She also chaired the competition program “My Thesis in 180 Seconds.”
Her accolades include being a fellow of the World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) and serving on the “For Women in Science” international jury.
In 2017, she was honored by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation for her outstanding contributions to science and technology in the Islamic world.
Now in 2024, El Moursli continues to play a pivotal role in shaping the global scientific landscape and showcasing Moroccan achievements to the world.
Event will cement the Kingdom’s efforts to promote cultural communication and exchange, scientific and social development.
Saudi Arabia, represented by its National Commission for Education, Culture and Science, is hosting the 44th session of the executive council of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in Jeddah from Jan. 16 to Jan. 18.
ICESCO media department told Arab News: “The proceedings of the executive council of the 44th Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization will kick off in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Tuesday (Jan. 16, 2024) with the participation of 54 member states. The event will run until Thursday.”
As the representative of the Kingdom, the NCECS said that hosting the event comes as part of the support provided to the education, culture and science sectors. It is also indicated the Kingdom’s role in driving forward educational, cultural and scientific development, both regionally and globally, it said.
Among the items on the executive council agenda are future strategies and action plans. The organization’s budget will also be discussed.
The council’s final recommendations will be handed over and included in a report to be endorsed by the ICESCO’s biannual general conference, the organization’s policy governing body event.
Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan, minister of culture and chairman of the NCECS, said: “The event will cement the Kingdom’s efforts aiming at creating spheres of cultural communication and exchange as well as scientific and social development. These sectors are considered to be cornerstones for developed human societies.”
As a prominent member of ICESCO, it is the strategy of the Kingdom to pursue all avenues supporting the organization’s goals in the best interests of the Muslim world.
Operating under the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, ICESCO is an intergovernmental organization specializing in the development of education, science and culture. Established in 1982 with its headquarters in Rabat, Morocco, ISESCO acts in line with the OIC’s general strategy aimed at achieving sustainable development in these sectors across all Muslim states.
Saudi Arabia is set for a groundbreaking technological venture in the mining sector with the launch of the Geoscience Data Analytics Center.
Commissioned by the Saudi government, the facility is expected to commence operations later this year.
Speaking to Arab News at the Future Minerals Forum, Commissioner Rob Wood emphasized the interdisciplinary nature of the center and the significance of developing new programs to train professionals with hybrid skills.
Wood said: “It will be the very first of its kind globally. It will become operational probably in late 2024.”
Saudi Arabia boasts 31 critical minerals and strategic resources, ranging from gold, and silver to nickel and cobalt.
The Kingdom is poised to establish a third industrial pillar centered on mining, with potential reserves estimated at $2.5 trillion, as Wood also highlighted the significance of the Kingdom’s commitment to diversify its economy.
He emphasized that the Geoscience Data Analytics Center would play a pivotal role in utilizing AI to uncover potential mining deposits.
The $2.5 trillion estimate, Wood clarified, is extrapolated from the known data available, emphasizing that extensive land exploration and data collection support this estimation.
“The amount of land that we’ve actually explored and done data collection for. So, we know that there is a significant amount of opportunity left within the Kingdom that we haven’t explored yet,” he noted.
Wood explained that there is a need to establish new interdisciplinary programs, where geologists will be trained in computer science.
He highlighted novel aspects of the center, such as state-of-the-art robotic labs for core scanning and cumulative effects research.
“Literally, nobody on the planet is doing what we’re talking about,” he claimed, adding: “The intent is that the Kingdom will, in fact, have complete control and will be running the center for decades to come.”
Wood elaborated on the ongoing data collection efforts, stating that the gathered information will be fed into a new artificial intelligence platform capable of conducting analytics to identify high-potential mining targets.
The commissioner emphasized the use of AI in modeling mineral deposits, stating, “We’re using machine learning to uncover these high-potential deposits very early in the process.”
He acknowledged the formidable challenge in the mining sector, particularly the difficulty in identifying new targets, referred to as “greenfields,” which he termed as a highly risky endeavor.
“So frequently, they can go out and do a full drilling program and come back with nothing, and you spend literally hundreds of millions of dollars for potentially no result whatsoever.”
To address this challenge, Wood unveiled the ambitious plan to use advanced artificial intelligence to de-risk the costs associated with finding new targets.
“What we’re looking to do is, in fact, de-risk those costs on the mining companies by using advanced artificial intelligence to, in fact, actually find these new targets,” he explained.
The commissioner emphasized the significance of addressing environmental and social impacts in the mining sector, stating: “One of the things the center is going to be doing is actually complex environmental and social impact research.”
In conclusion, Wood highlighted the uniqueness of Saudi Arabia’s position in undertaking this venture, stating: “The discovery of oil is substantially easier than the discovery of minerals. Minerals require sophisticated analytics to find these new deposits.”
As the Kingdom embarks on this groundbreaking initiative, Wood expressed his optimism, stating, “It’s an exciting time to be in Saudi Arabia.”
source/content: arabnews.com (headline edited)
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Rob Wood, commissioner of the Geoscience Data Analytics Center, speaking to Arab News.
A group of academics have spent close to a decade scanning historic documents and images and making them available online.
Sudanese academic Badreldin Elhag Musa followed the news with alarm when Al Qaeda-affiliated fighters set fire to two libraries containing historic documents in the Malian city of Timbuktu in 2013.
While local residents managed to smuggle many manuscripts to safety in advance, a Unesco team later found that some 4,200 of the documents stored in the libraries were either destroyed or stolen – about a tenth of its archives .
At the time, Elhag Musa already had concerns about the preservation of rare documents in his country. The events in Timbuktu accelerated the sense of urgency for the scholar, a member of the Sudanese Association for Archiving Knowledge (Saak).
The tragic episode served as a warning that highlighted the plight of cultural heritage artefacts in areas of actual or potential conflict – just like Sudan.
Elhag Musa set a plan in motion, connecting with King’s College London Professor Marilyn Deegan, who has over 20 years of experience in digital humanities. His goal: to find ways to safeguard as much of Sudan’s cultural heritage as possible.
A decade later, the result is Sudan Memory, a project that seeks to preserve and promote valuable cultural materials about Sudan through digitisation. The online platform aims to ensure current and future generations can benefit from the country’s rich heritage.
In total, more than 200 people and over 40 institutions have been involved in the project, which offers 60,000 digitised documents.
The results are invaluable: The materials range from manuscripts, photographs, books and films, covering a myriad of topics, as well as jewellery, traditional dresses, and artefacts from different regions spanning around 6,000 years of history.
“We never expected such success when we started,” Elhag Musa told Middle East Eye.
His colleague Deegan notes, “We’ve digitised… well over 100.000 images,” adding, “We thought we would be able to do millions…but I think we did do a lot.”
Sourcing collections
One of the reasons that prompted Elhag Musa and his colleague at Saak to protect Sudan’s cultural heritage with such urgency was that many of the country’s richest archives, particularly private collections, are in danger.
The reasons are manifold, ranging from extreme weather and lack of appropriate storage to neglect and conflict.
Many valuable collections, whether public or private, are also locked away and not easily accessible to the public.
Yet at the same time, many of Sudan’s archives and collections were in good enough condition to undertake a project like Sudan Memory, as Deegan saw for herself on her first visit to Khartoum, Omdurman and Atbara in May 2013.
“Archives in Sudan are not (like) the British Library, but they are not too bad,” she said.
Although its origins go back a decade, the Sudan Memory team was only able to start digitising documents in 2018, some time after securing funds.
At first, the focus was on large institutions; one of the entities that contributed the most was the National Records Office (NRO), which serves as Sudan’s national archives.
The NRO holds more than 30 million documents, some dating as far back as 1504 CE, and they are currently classified into around 300 collections.
Today, some of these materials can be found in the Sudan Memory archive, including early issues of The Sudan Times newspaper, as well as old magazines, rare books and precious photographs.
Another major collection included in the Sudan Memory project was provided by Al Rashid Studio, the largest private photo studio in the country.
Located in the city of Atbara, once the centre of Sudan’s railway industry and regarded as the cradle of its trade union and communist movements, the studio holds over four million negatives dating back to the 1940s.
Through these negatives, the Rashid family has captured the cosmopolitanism that once defined Atbara, as well as some of the changes Sudan has undergone in recent decades.
“What’s interesting about [it] is looking at the early images and seeing over time how things like fashion changed, and how that’s related to politics,” Deegan noted.
A turbulent process
Building the Sudan Memory archive was not an easy task, primarily as a result of political circumstances in the country.
Training could not start until scanners were imported into the country and these were not installed until July 2018, as the team had to navigate sanctions still in place at the time – a period when former president, Omar al-Bashir, was still in charge.
These restrictions also affected the purchase of other equipment and the transfer of funds to teams within Sudan.
Additionally, in the lead-up to the revolution in Sudan in late 2018 and the period until the formation of the now-ousted transitional government, there was little stability within the country’s institutions with many regularly closing, thereby disrupting the project.
And just as the situation began to settle down and work restarted, the Covid-19 pandemic hit in early 2020, once again putting a hold on scanning in local institutions.
Throughout this turbulent process the project stayed going thanks to the efforts of Katharina von Schroeder, Sudan Memory’s project manager in Khartoum.
“Just like many other projects, Covid times were difficult,” Elhag Musa said.
“But for us the passion was great, and as Marilyn continued to work on targeting international sources [of funding], we went on to focus on training talented team members on digitisation skills,” he added.
As if all this was not enough, the military coup of October 2021, which derailed the fragile transition in the country, further aggravated political instability in Sudan and delayed the project’s launch in Khartoum indefinitely.
“It has just been so turbulent over the last few years,” Katherine Ashley, another of Sudan Memory’s project managers, told MEE.
“But people, if anything, have become as or even more generous and excited to share their collections and do things about it,” she noted.
Private collections
About halfway through the project, the Sudan Memory team decided to expand beyond the country’s major institutions and dive into private collections as well.
And that’s when Ashley, who has extensive experience in the field, came in.
“The big collections are amazing, but the ones that people feel so passionate about are (ones) hidden away in people’s homes; private collections and stories,” she said.
“This is what (made me realise) how important it is to try and make some effort…on Sudan and record some of these oral histories and stories,” Ashley added.
One such preserved collection is that of Sadia el-Salahi , a Sudanese artist and designer born in 1941 in Omdurman and famous for her pioneering work on Sudanese folklore and traditional costumes.
In 1968, Salahi joined the Sudanese Ministry of Culture and became the first Sudanese national to hold the position of head costume designer, according to Sudan Memory.
“She sadly passed away…but we were lucky to record what was left of her collection and also do a video recording about her career and life story,” Ashley said of Salahi, who died in 2022.
Another jewel in the crown of the Sudan Memory project is an interactive 3D reconstruction of Suakin Island , on the west coast of the Red Sea, as it was in 1900.
The portal also features some important documentation about the history of the island, and links to digitised content about it.
To a great extent, the reconstruction of Suakin was possible thanks to Mohamed Nour, a local Sudanese citizen, and his family, who dedicated their life to building a museum of the island’s history through photographs, artefacts and other documents.
“It’s a lifelong work that they are continuing,” Ashley said.
Remembering Sudan’s Jewish community
A significant part of the archive created by Sudan Memory does not come from within the country but by a process they call digital repatriation: content about Sudan acquired from institutions and individuals abroad.
“We are bringing Sudanese materials back into the country,” Deegan noted, adding: “We are pushing Sudanese materials out to the world, but also bringing stuff back in.”
One example is the Tales of Jewish Sudan archive , a collection of stories, photos and recipes from Sudan’s Jewish community compiled by historian Daisy Abboudi, a descendant of the Sudanese-Jewish community born in the UK.
The history of Sudan’s Jews is difficult to trace, but Abboudi has documented that from the early 20th century onwards, Jews from all over the Middle East and North Africa began to arrive after the building of a rail connection to Cairo by the British army.
At its peak in 1950s, Sudan’s Jewish community numbered approximately 250 families, mainly concentrated in Khartoum, Omdurman and Wad Madani. And its members were predominantly merchants involved in the textiles, silks and Arabic gum trades.
“The community was very active, they had a club, a synagogue… It was an equipped, functioning community,” Abboudi told MEE.
“It was small, but I think that that made it even more vibrant and active,” she added.
However, from the mid-20th century onwards, and for reasons ranging from the establishment of the State of Israel to the rise in antisemitic incidents and rhetoric in Sudan, the Jewish community began to shrink amid successive waves of emigration.
According to Abboudi, by the end of 1973 following the Arab-Israeli war, the last remaining Jews left Sudan.
To prevent the memory of the once vibrant Jewish community in Sudan from fading, Abboudi started Tales of Jewish Sudan in 2015 with the aim of preserving its history and stories before it was too late – a goal now shared with Sudan Memory.
“Living in the more Ashkenazi-dominant British community, I felt that my history was neglected, ignored or somehow not present. And that’s why I started,” she said.
“But also for my generation and the generations to come, because I realised that as soon as those people are no longer here, that community will be forgotten,” she explained further.
Another curious example of repatriated Sudanese materials comes from Air Tickets History , a collection belonging to Greek collector, Gklavas Athanasios, that today holds over 4,500 airline tickets and boarding passes from more than 1,000 airlines spanning six continents.
The extensive collection includes several documents dated from 1960 to 1983 from Sudanese airlines, such as Sudan Airways, the national airline; also one of the first airlines in Africa, Mid Airlines, a charter airline established in Khartoum in 2002, and Marsland Aviation.
“I started collecting tickets when I was eight and had my first flight with Olympic Airways, from Athens to Samos Island,” Athanasios told MEE. “But about the Sudanese tickets I unfortunately don’t have much information, as I bought them on Ebay many years ago.”
All in all, the compilation of these documents gathered from major institutions and private collections both inside and outside Sudan helps to build up a complex picture of the memory of a nation.
“We were optimistic, but we didn’t expect at all that we would succeed in the organisation of such magnificent collaboration,” Elhag Musa said.
And the process that has been followed also serves to pave the way to go further.
“What we do have at least is a much broader understanding of what is there and what else could be done in the future,” Ashley said.
The initiative is part of the upcoming World Defense Show which will take place in Riyadh from Feb. 4-8
Princess Reema said Kingdom places great importance on promoting and supporting women’s work in various sectors, including defense and security
Princess Reema bint Bandar, Saudi ambassador to the US, is to chair the International Women in Defense program.
The initiative aims to promote women’s participation and celebrate their role in the defense sector.
It is part of the upcoming World Defense Show which will take place in Riyadh from Feb. 4-8 under the patronage of King Salman.
Princess Reema, who leads the program, said the Kingdom placed great importance on promoting and supporting women’s work in various sectors, including defense and security.
She said Saudi Vision 2030 had contributed to the success and excellence of women in different fields by integrating them into the Saudi labor market.
“These programs reflect the Saudi government’s commitment to empowering women and increasing their participation globally. The Women in Defense program provides a unique platform to enhance opportunities for further success,” she added.
The program will host executive directors and female leaders from different countries, showcasing women’s achievements, discussing ongoing challenges and exploring their contributions to the defense sector worldwide.
CEO of the World Defense Show, Andrew Pearcey, said the event would focus on the growth of small and medium-sized Saudi enterprises and startups to highlight their talents and ideas in the sector. The Kingdom was now one of the biggest spenders in the defense market, he added.
The first show, in 2022, brought together 600 defense and security exhibitors from 42 countries and recorded SR29.7 billion ($7.9 billion) in deals.
source/content: arabnews.com (headline edited)
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The Women in Defense program aims to empower and celebrate female participation in the defense sector. (@WDS_KSA)
The State Parliamentary Council of Communities of Roots and Foreign Cultures (CONSECRE) announced last week that a Palestinian Brazilian citizen has been given a prerstigious award “Honouring Community Personalities” in the State of Sao Paulo, which is home to thousands of Palestinians in exile.
Dr Jamal Suleiman was given the award at an official ceremony in the Legislative Assembly of the State of Sao Paulo, for his work in preserving the memory and cultural identity of the Palestinian people and their original country.
Palestinian Brazilians are respected for their contributions to the socioeconomic development of Sao Paulo and Brazil. Suleiman is the second member of the Palestinian community honoured in this way since the CONSECRE was created in 2001.
“This award is a great honour! I received the news with great joy and pride as a Palestinian,” Dr Jamal told me. “I understand how important this award is for our Palestinian community who started to come to Brazil at least 130 years ago. Now we all experience the pain of exile and have done ever since the 1948 Nakba.”
He pointed out that one of the most prominent characteristics of the Palestinian community in Brazil is the ability to integrate into society and accept others without forgetting their origin, heritage, culture and motherland.
Jamal Suleiman is a well-known Palestinian Brazilian specialist in infectious diseases. He is from a Palestinian family from Silwad, a town to the north-east of Ramallah. His father was living in Haifa when he was expelled during the 1948 ethnic cleansing by Zionist terror gangs. He ended up in Brazil, where his son Jamal was born in 1959 in the State of Sao Paulo. The doctor graduated from the faculty of medicine in 1983.
Suleiman´s story is similar to that of millions of Palestinians living in exile from the land that their families had farmed for generations. It illustrates the fact that Palestinian refugees are living examples of patience and, in many cases, success in the diaspora. Neither the trauma of exile nor the pain of their loss has broken their spirit. On the contrary, their collective experiences have made them stronger.
Dr Suleiman has had an outstanding medical career since the 1980s. He works as a doctor and researcher at the Emilio Ribas Institute, one of the oldest and most important health institutions in Brazil. He rose to prominence within the wider Brazilian community during the Covid-19 pandemic as one of the most sought-after experts due to his direct work in the fight against the disease. He is currently active in training undergraduate medical students.
“I work in Emilio Ribas Hospital that is considered as a reference point for infectious diseases by the World Health Organisation. In addition, I am a focus for Arab patients in the hospital because I speak Arabic. I know the issues related to our Palestinian culture and how we should reveal it in the wider Brazilian community,” he explained.
As an active member of the Palestinian community in Brazil, Suleiman has worked for years to raise awareness about the situation in Palestine. “I know what it means to be a refugee from 1948; I know the pain and suffering of the people who were torn from their roots by force. Unfortunately, this bad situation continues to this day through the continuous violations of the Israeli occupation of Palestine.”
In addition to his work in public health sector, Dr Suleiman has followed his passion to make food products from peppers. “Pimento do Jamal” is now a gourmet brand in Brazil. It has been active since 2010 with dozens of products, ranging from pepper jellies and sauces to peppers with an original Palestinian taste.
He now dedicates some of his time to make the brand represent Palestinian culture and identity. He believes that food can spread knowledge and preserve this valuable asset, while making guests talk about typical Palestinian food. Suleiman has appeared on popular TV programmes to promote Palestinian dishes, including the well-known Makluba.
“One of my hobbies is cooking and making Palestinian traditional dishes, which I think is very important because I can present Palestinian culture through serving food. I find that there is great interaction by the wider Brazilian society towards our culture; they taste our food and they want to know more about us.”
He sees this as both a humanitarian mission and a national duty. “I have Palestinian families living here and there in Palestine. We will never give up. We are all together and we will not leave anything behind. My heart and mind are with the Palestinians in that part of the world.”
Ras Al Khaimah welcomed the New Year with yet another record-breaking eight-minute-long firework and drone display setting two new Guinness World Records titles in a stunning spectacle that lit up the skies along 4.5 km stretch of Ras Al Khaimah’s waterfront.
Already holding several Guinness World Records titles for its legendary fireworks New Year’s Eve shows, the Emirate has made history once again with a jaw-dropping show that broke the Guinness World Records titles for the ‘Longest chain of aquatic floating fireworks’ for a grand total of 5.8 km and the ‘Longest straight-line drones display’ for a total length of 2 km.
The mesmerising show featured groundbreaking techniques that have never been attempted before using a combination of 1,050 LED drones, a ‘carpet’ of aquatic floating fireworks and acrobatic pyro planes display inspired by Ras Al Khaimah’s natural wonders – the desert, the sea and the mountains – all choreographed to music specially composed for the celebration.
Raki Phillips, Chief Executive Officer of Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority, commented, “Breaking two more Guinness World Records titles has set the stage for an unforgettable night of celebration bringing together thousands of visitors and residents.”
“As we kick off the new year, 2023 has been an exceptional year for tourism in Ras Al Khaimah with numerous achievements and the highest ever annual number of visitors recorded, propelling the Nature Emirate further in attracting over 3 million annual visitors by 2030.”
The Sheikh Zayed Festival in Abu Dhabi’s Al Wathba area celebrated New Year 2024 with exceptional shows and features, breaking 4 Guinness World Records. This included a spectacular fireworks display and a 60-minute drone show, along with international performances and programmes, creating a joyful and cultural atmosphere for visitors.
The Festival attracted a large international crowd to celebrate the New Year with events, activities, and performances. A 40-minute fireworks display broke 3 Guinness World Records, while over 5,000 drones created dazzling formations in the sky, setting another record for the largest aerial logo.
A unique laser show, a first in the region for these celebrations, captivated Festival visitors with vibrant colours and tranquil evening rhythms to mark the beginning of the New Year. Special shows took place at the Emirates Fountain, Glowing Towers Garden, and various pavilions, along with folklore performances from around the world.
The entire Festival grounds were bustling with visitors who came to experience the international celebrations, especially the Heritage Village which celebrated the New Year with Razfa and Ayalah dances, in addition to special entertainment events presented at the various pavilions. Children’s City joined the fun festivities with special activities for children, including plays and competitions at the children’s theatre, fun rides in Fun Fair City, the thrilling House of Horror, Al Forsan Sports Resort, and many other special features set to enrich visitors’ experience with a festive spirit in the early hours of the New Year.
Thousands of visitors gathered around the Emirates Fountain to enjoy the special performances, including Sparkling and Confetti shows, presented by authentic American, Mexican, and Ukrainian bands, in celebration of the New Year 2024.
The international pavilions featuring the countries participating this year welcomed a massive crowd from all over the world to enjoy the carnival shows and folklore performances. The International Civilisations Parade roamed through Festival grounds, infusing a unique spirit into the celebrations scattered across every corner of the Festival, giving thousands of bystanders the opportunity to witness the multicultural festivities in one place that brings together the civilisations of the world.
The Sheikh Zayed Festival offers new dining experiences from local and international restaurants, along with discounts and bonus surprises for shopping. The festival runs until March 9, 2024, with daily hours from 4 p.m. to midnight on weekdays and until 1 a.m. on weekends and public holidays, providing various events, activities, and competitions for all age groups.
It is now recognized as the largest falconry competition in the world, with 2,654 falcons participating.
The King Abdulaziz Falconry Festival 2023 has set a new world record by entering in the Guinness World Records for the third time in its history, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Saturday.
It is now recognized as the largest falconry competition in the world, with 2,654 falcons participating.
The festival was held between Nov. 28 and Dec. 14 and was organized by the Saudi Falcons Club at its headquarters in Malham, north of Riyadh.
The accomplishment stands as a testament to the backing of the Saudi leadership in safeguarding the Kingdom’s cultural heritage.
In its inaugural year, the festival secured a Guinness World Record with 1,723 falcons, and in the following year in 2019, it repeated this feat by including 2,350 falcons.
The event drew falconers from the Kingdom, Gulf countries and across the world, who competed for the festival’s awards over 17 days. Falconers vied for places in the Al-Mazayen and Al-Milwah competitions, with prizes exceeding SR33.6 million ($8.91 million).
As part of efforts to enhance the ancient falconry heritage of the Kingdom, the Saudi Falcons Club is partnering with the Royal Commission for AlUla governorate to organize the first AlUla Falconry Cup 2023.
The competition will be held in AlUla governorate from Dec. 28 to Jan. 5, with prizes worth up to SR60 million in the Al-Milwah and Al-Mazayen competitions. These represent the largest financial prizes in the history of falconry competitions in the world.
source/content: arabnews.com (headline edited)
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The festival was held between Nov. 28 and Dec. 14 and was organized by the Saudi Falcons Club at its headquarters in Malham, north of Riyadh. (SPA)
The pavilion of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) TASMU (SMART Qatar) recorded the longest independent concrete structure built using 3D printing technology.
According to the Qatari News Agency (QNA), the pavilion of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) TASMU (SMART Qatar) has entered the Guinness World Records Book as the longest independent concrete structure built using 3D printing technology.
On this occasion, HE Minister of Communications and Information Technology Mohammed bin Ali bin Mohammed Al Mannai stated that the Guinness World Record is not only a symbol of innovation and achievement, but also a testimony to the State of Qatar’s commitment to transcending all boundaries in the field of technology – promoting fruitful cooperation and providing innovations that improve peoples lives. The MCIT pavilion is tangible evidence of the technological progress witnessed by the State of Qatar, where traditional values are in harmony with advanced technology to meet global challenges.
The Ministry’s pavilion was built on an area of 170 square meters with a height of 12.4 meters, and was designed in the form of a tower consisting of ten levels with seven bricks in each row. It was built from 75 individually 3D printed pieces, as “an ideal example of fruitful cooperation between different talents and experiences, and a living example of transforming ambitious visions into tangible reality,” according to the QNA.
MCIT is actively contributing to Expo 2023 Doha as an event that is in line with Qatar National Vision 2030 and focuses on sustainability and innovation. The Ministry’s pavilion represents its commitment to providing technology-based solutions and enhancing efforts made in support of sustainability endeavors that are in the interest of residents, citizens, companies, and visitors in the State of Qatar.
Recently, Qatari students – Mohammad Fadhel Annan and Lujain Al Mansoori – were awarded 25,000 QAR from a Qatar Development Bank (QDB) competition for their 3D printed vegetable development, in which they used a custom-made 3D printer and a combination of artificially grown vegetable cells and UV-sensitive 3D printer ink.
