As a country generally known for its rich historical and cultural heritage, Saudi Arabia has made bold strides towards a significant cultural renaissance that goes beyond its ancient traditions.
The Kingdom is currently expanding its cultural horizons by hosting several unique events and strengthening its position as a global cultural hub.
Throughout 2024, cultural authorities organized various cultural events, fairs, and exhibitions.
Leaders Mena offers you a glimpse into the most attended cultural events in Saudi Arabia throughout 2024.
Riyadh International Book Fair
The Riyadh International Book Fair made a strong return this year with more than over 2,000 publishing houses and agencies from 30 countries.
Held from September 26 to October 5 at King Saud University, the fair offered more than 200 activities, including seminars, discussions, poetry evenings, lectures, and workshops.
With a special focus on the Year of the Camel, the event provided several symposiums dedicated to this cultural symbol
Organized by the Literature, Publishing, and Translation Commission, the event marked the deployment of several robots to offer seamless services to visitors.
Powered by 102 AI programs, the robots facilitated visitors’ access to the event sites and cultural program such as extensive cultural venues and publishing houses.
Interestingly, these robots can speak 96 languages fluently and interact with the largest number of international visitors with several local dialects, including Saudi, Moroccan, Egyptian and Bahraini.
Hence, the use of the robot in the event stood as a testament to the Kingdom’s commitment to providing visitors with promising experiences through Al adoption.
Arabic Computing Conference
The King Salman Global Academy for Arabic Language hosted its third international conference in Arabic computing from October 6 to 7.
Themed “Arabic Language Computing and Enriching Linguistic Data,” the conference highlighted the participation of several university professors and 40 researchers from 22 countries around the world.
The event represented a valuable platform bringing together various local, regional and international institutions specialized in computational linguistics, computer science, as well as the Arabic language.
Furthermore, the conference aimed to bridge the gap between computer scientists and linguists, support Arabic blogs to improve and develop artificial intelligence models, and promote the automatic processing of the Arabic language.
First-ever PaperBack – Art Book Fair
The Diriyah Biennale Foundation hosted the inaugural edition of the PaperBack – Art Book Fair from November 1 to 3 at the JAX District in Diriyah.
The fair featured 25 artists and collectives, independent presses, booksellers, and zine makers.
The three-day event also represented a prestigious cultural and creative gathering bringing together publishers, cultural organizations, and academic institutions
Moreover, it served as a valuable platform for cultural exchange with participants hailing from 16 countries, including China, Egypt, India, Italy, Japan, and Jordan.
International Translation Forum 2024
The International Translation Forum 2024 has witnessed robust participation from translation experts and specialists worldwide.
Held in Riyadh on November 8 and 9 at the Ministry of Education headquarters, the forum highlighted the latest developments in the translation profession, with a special focus on the new practices and technologies.
Organized by the Literature, Publishing, and Translation Commission, the two-day event concentrated on addressing the challenges translators face locally and internationally.
Surprisingly, the event included an accompanying exhibition boasting approximately 30 entities specializing in translation.
In addition, the exhibition showcased the latest technologies and tools and provided opportunities to enhance cooperation and build strategic partnerships with academic institutions, technology companies, and media outlets.
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