Ahwal Al-Ma'rifa – Special

Bringing Saudi culture directly to the heart of Europe through a cultural center that presents the world with the elements of Saudi culture, its civilization, and authenticity is a major civilizational step resulting from the visit of His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, may God protect him, to the French Republic. This was among the many achievements accomplished during his visit.

The Saudi Ministry of Culture had announced the establishment of a Saudi cultural center in the French capital, Paris, on the sidelines of this historic visit.

The center will serve as a platform for introducing Saudi culture and highlighting its historical depth and creative diversity through the organization of high-quality cultural programs and by engaging French practitioners, institutions, and audiences in its initiatives.

It will work to support the international presence of Saudi cultural practitioners, strengthen communication between intellectuals and creatives in both countries, and build strategic partnerships between Saudi and French cultural institutions, enabling the exchange of expertise and the implementation of joint initiatives.

The establishment of the center reflects the continuous development of Saudi-French relations and confirms the Kingdom's commitment to strengthening its international cultural presence and presenting an authentic cultural image that introduces the world to its civilizational heritage and contemporary creative production.

The Ministry of Culture stated on its page on the X platform that the establishment of a Saudi cultural center in the French capital, Paris, aims to present an authentic cultural image that introduces the world to the Kingdom's civilizational heritage and contemporary creative production.

Saudi novelist Ahmed Al-Sammari wrote:

“A joyful piece of news and a historic cultural step worthy of celebration and support.

The establishment of a Saudi cultural center in Paris represents a new window through which our culture can look out onto the world, with its deep civilizational roots and contemporary creative movement. It gives Saudi creatives a broader space for presence, communication, and dialogue with French and global culture.

Full appreciation to the Ministry of Culture for this distinctive initiative, which confirms that Saudi culture is moving confidently toward an international presence worthy of the Kingdom's history and its civilizational and creative achievements. From Riyadh to Paris... Saudi culture crosses borders and builds bridges toward the future.”

Visual artist Faisal Al-Mishari wrote on his page on X (Twitter):

**“How wonderful it is to embrace a civilizational challenge before the world by supporting Saudi intellectuals and promoting their cultural output in Paris through investment in the cultural industry. Since this opportunity has officially been realized, we must translate Saudi poetry into French, translate Saudi novels into French, translate literary studies into French, and translate Saudi literature into French and promote it through the Saudi Library at the Saudi Cultural Center in Paris.

We should also open a visual arts gallery and invite Saudi visual artists to hold solo exhibitions every two months, featuring one male or female artist with a distinctive artistic style. A French-language book should accompany each exhibition, telling the life story of the artist and explaining their artistic style.”**

Dr. Mona Al-Qahtani wrote:

**“A distinctive cultural step that strengthens the Kingdom's presence at the heart of the global cultural scene, moving our culture from simply introducing it to the world toward dialogue, influence, and the creation of joint projects.

My proposal is to launch the ‘Saudi-French Creative Paths Incubator,’ bringing together a Saudi creative and a French creative in each cycle to produce a collaborative work in literature, art, design, or cinema inspired by the cultures of both countries. The work would then be presented simultaneously in Paris and cities across the Kingdom.

This would transform cultural partnership from an exchange of events into the creation of shared and sustainable creativity.”**

Many Saudi intellectuals expressed their hopes for the role the center will play and their aspiration for it to become a cultural bridge that carries Saudi culture to the world and helps build a new future for the new generations of creative talents.