The French Ambassador to Saudi Arabia was shown a panoramic scale model of the Diriyah Gate Development Authority project on Sunday.
Ludovic Pouille said the megaproject was “impressive” and that France was “proud to share its expertise in the promotion of heritage”.
The development is about 20 kilometres from Riyadh and will cover about 11 square kilometres.
It includes the At-Turaif District Unesco World Heritage Site, a 15th-century trading hub of mud brick structures which became the seat of power for the House of Saud in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
Diriyah Gate Development Authority aims to preserve this heritage while building a modern tourist destination complete with luxury accommodation, museums, galleries and shops, reflecting “the rich history and culture of Diriyah and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” it said.
Unesco says At-Turaif “bears witness to the Najdi architectural style, which is specific to the centre of the Arabian peninsula”.
The Diriyah development project aims to create an international centre of cultural tourism with new buildings constructed in the Najdi style.
Saudi Arabia’s government hopes the centre will become “a place that connects emotionally with visitors and residents, promotes, and celebrates the destination’s rich heritage and reveals the origins of modern Saudi Arabia and the spiritual values in which it is rooted”.
The kingdom is implementing a multi-sector economic programme called Vision 2030. It combines social reforms such as expanding employment opportunities for women with an economic diversification strategy that has tourism and culture at its heart.
Key findings
- Over a period of seven years, a team of scientists analysed dietary data from 50,000 North American adults.
- Eating one or two meals a day was associated with a relative decrease in BMI, compared with three meals. Snacks count as a meal. Likewise, participants who ate more than three meals a day experienced an increase in BMI: the more meals a day, the greater the increase.
- People who ate breakfast experienced a relative decrease in their BMI compared with “breakfast-skippers”.
- Those who turned the eating day on its head to make breakfast the biggest meal of the day, did even better.
- But scrapping dinner altogether gave the best results. The study found that the BMI of subjects who had a long overnight fast (of 18 hours or more) decreased when compared even with those who had a medium overnight fast, of between 12 and 17 hours.
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Opening day UAE Premiership fixtures, Friday, September 22:
- Dubai Sports City Eagles v Dubai Exiles
- Dubai Hurricanes v Abu Dhabi Saracens
- Jebel Ali Dragons v Abu Dhabi Harlequins
Scoreline:
Everton 4
Richarlison 13'), Sigurdsson 28', Digne 56', Walcott 64'
Manchester United 0
Man of the match: Gylfi Sigurdsson (Everton)
MATCH INFO
Rugby World Cup (all times UAE)
Third-place play-off: New Zealand v Wales, Friday, 1pm
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
